Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! - T.J. Klune - ★★★★.¾

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AUTHOR: T.J. Klune
GENRE: Short Story
PUBLICATION DATE: June 12, 2024
RATING: 4.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A bittersweet story filled with human emotions even though the central character is an android. This short story is a precursor to Klune’s ‘In the Lives of Puppets’. Much recommended to short fiction lovers, even if you haven’t read the book.


Plot Preview:
After almost a decade of service in a factory, “Douglas”, an android, is given a week of mandatory vacation in the world before he has to return and be reprogrammed. What happens during this week?


Nothing can match the joy of reading a well-written story, long or short. And this, my friends, is an extremely well-written short story.

‘Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!’ is the precursor to TJ Klune’s ‘In the Lives of Puppets’. However, the story works perfectly as a standalone, and you won’t get any spoilers about the novel if you get to this first. (That said, if you still haven’t read the book, please do so!)

Anything I reveal about the plot will spoil the magic of first-hand reading. So better to read this 32-page short story for yourself and experience its beauty. The start of the story is a bit slow, but stick with it, because the journey gets poignant as it proceeds. The ending is bittersweet but perfect.

It is so strange that this tale gives rise to such a variety of emotions, even though the main character is devoid of human sentiments. You can’t help but root for Douglas. You share his thrill and heartbreaks as he progresses through that final week, though Douglas himself doesn’t feel anything. Or does he?

This is my first time *reading* TJ Klune. (I had read ‘In the Lives of Puppets’ through the audio version.) He seems to have a fondness for short sentences. I am not usually a fan of such staccato writing, but it works excellently for the story, probably because the third person voice is that of a robot. As is usual with this author’s works, the story is LGBTQIA+-friendly.

Strongly recommended to every short fiction lover. If you haven’t yet read a TJ Klune, this would be a great way of sampling his writing. And if you are already a fan, you definitely ought not miss this marvellous gem.

This story made its first appearance in the trade paperback edition of ‘In the Lives of Puppets’. However, as it is also available on the Reactor Magazine site (earlier called Tor.com), you can read it free online using the below link:

The audio version of this story is narrated by Daniel Henning, and trust me, had I access to the audio version, I’d have definitely chosen to hear this tale because Henning is outstanding.

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