Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

Darkly humorous, this science fiction novel is narrated by Mickey7, an expendable human on Niflheim, a brand new colony. Niflheim is icier than the colonists expected, and crops in their dome aren’t growing very well. Mickey7 is assigned the most dangerous jobs, and after he falls into a deep crevasse where dangerous Creepers live, his friend Berto, a helicopter pilot, reports his death. A bio printer makes Mickey8, who’s missing the last six weeks of Mickey7’s memories. Mickey7 doesn’t die, but he and his double must keep their overlapping lives a secret and share a short food ration. What happens when you meet yourself? Why did Mickey agree to be expendable, and will his girlfriend stand by him, or them? Mickey7, an amateur historian, reads about other colonies and how they thrived or failed. Suspenseful and thought provoking, this story really kept my interest, though I worried about how the book would end. Readalikes include Redshirts by John Scalzi, Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh, and Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson.

Brenda