Of Monsters and Mainframes

Blending genres with wild abandon, this rollicking space adventure from video game developer Truelove (after the interactive novel Blood Moon) is narrated by sentient 24th-century space shuttle supercomputer Demeter. While it takes some time to adjust to the robotic banter between Demeter and the medical AI onboard, Steward, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the supernatural shenanigans happening on the ship as something methodically kills Demeter’s human passengers, wreaking havoc on her missions. At first the culprit appears straightforward—it’s Dracula—but soon, many other classic monsters are drawn into the picture, including werewolves, mummies, fishlike aliens, and Frankenstein’s creature. Demeter’s computer logic becomes a welcome counterpoint to this B-movie extravaganza as Truelove packs in the drama and thrill of near misses, close encounters, and even a couple slow-burning love stories. Meanwhile, Truelove’s obvious expertise in tech and coding comes through in the voice of her utterly believable AI narrator. The result is pure entertainment. (Jun.)