I nice novella, quite creative, that was very well written. The only flaw in my opinion was the middle of the book that could not hold my interest as high up as the rest of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A ponderance on emotion, meaning and loneliness in the emptiness of space. I really like when emotions are explored through non-human characters, who of course have very different reactions than humans have. I also enjoyed the vast emptiness of space as viewed by Burns. However I would have enjoyed learning more about Burns' inner thoughts and feelings, making the loneliness more impactful.

A short, interesting read, but perhaps this story wasn't one for me to enjoy. I can appreciate work that goes over my head, but I wasn't sure if it was doing so in this one to hit on scientific concepts I'm not aware of or to simply give atmosphere to the prose.

While Burns fell into a tragic dilemma of ceaseless loneliness, the personality and attitude it adopts (that of a petulant teenager) isn't one that is particularly endearing nor interesting to me. The PS system is as engaging as wet paint drying on a cloudy day, which may be a compliment or might not be. There was an encounter with something mid-way through, but I couldn't, for the life of me, wrap my head around it. Sometimes in the story time passed in such vast amounts, it stopped having all meaning and I actually appreciated that feeling very much. I had never seen it described in writing in such as way that could make me feel that so distinctly.

Overall, not my favorite read, but some nice prose and there's an interesting concept, even if I am not the target reader for it.

Thank you to L’il Factory and NetGalley for this ARC

I loved the beginning. I'm a believer of a strong opening line and "The dog was not supposed to die." is an opening line that had me invested in what is happening and why such a sad thing has happened already.

Burns is a sentient robot with enough data to keep them occupied for over 200 years. Unfortunately they are on a long journey across space and the only companion they had on their journey has been deleted. I love that the engineers were empathetic enough to think "Hey, it's a lonely universe out there, let's make sure these droids don't get lonely out there" That's so lovely.

The middle wasn't terrible, but it lost me with a lot of the jargon and what sounded like programming code? I could still understand Burn's frustration and loneliness and how they felt, but I wasn't quite sure what was happening- and then suddenly we get to the conclusion. I liked where it ended... but it did feel a little sudden.

Al in all, it had really interesting ideas.

An intriguing thought-experiment about a space-traversing bot gaining independent consciousness, getting depressed, and fueled by the desire for reconnection to cope with empty space. It's a test of our ability to empathise, especially with what otherwise in our world is a non-sentinent, non-living object. Getting attached to Cooper was not on my reading bingo cards, but I did. Polfeldt brings us along on Burns's journey of contemplating how to survive and find light in a vast, unknowable universe.

Thanks to Netgalley and Li'l Factory for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

A sentient droid sent off into space to find life goes a little mad with loneliness. An ok read, i didn’t find it to be anything special.

Story about a droid struggling with loneliness, purpose/self and time, in its eternal quest to find life.

Quite slow paced for only 56 pages and could get a bit confusing but overall a pleasant read. Struggles probably more on me than on the author's writing.

I don’t really know how I feel about this one.

On one hand, the writing was great and almost poetic. My downfall unfortunately is that books that are written in this prose I do struggle to understand, which is more about me than the author.

I found it difficult to follow what was going on and while I understand the main points put in front of me, I fear that I may have missed some deeper meaning in this one after reading reviews from other readers.

In saying that, there are definitely readers for this book. I think that while it wasn’t necessarily for me, there will be people who love this prose and contemplative style of writing.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Burns is a beautifully written novella with vivid, almost cinematic descriptions that bring the setting to life. The author’s prose is rich and evocative, and I found myself pausing to appreciate how striking some of the imagery was.

Unfortunately, the story itself didn’t quite connect for me. The plot felt disjointed, and by the end, I was more confused than intrigued. While ambiguity can be powerful, I struggled to find a clear emotional or narrative throughline to hold on to. I also found it difficult to relate to Burns as a character, especially given how his choices ultimately unfolded. Some of the more scientific jargon may have contributed to my confusion.

Readers who enjoy dreamlike, surreal storytelling and don’t mind open-ended plots may find more to love here. While it wasn’t the right fit for me, I appreciate the chance to experience this author’s unique voice and vision.

Thank you to Li'l Factory and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story about a robot sent into space to search for life. He’s highly intelligent and equipped with an interactive pet, but when the pet’s code becomes corrupt and keeps dying, it adds a layer of loneliness to the long journey.

I loved the moment where he gets hit in space and his first instinct is to turn into a possum. Just freeze and pretend he’s dead. 🤣

The ending felt abrupt, but overall it was a short read with surprising heart.

I like robots and artificial life and sentient ships and reading from their POV and pondering their interiority, so I was already primed to like Burns, a droid who is sent to wander through the universe in search of life. Things aren’t going well for Burns: time is meaningless after an indeterminate amount of it, and it’s lonely out there (especially after Burns’s “dog” “dies”). But it turns out there’s another person to talk to—kind of—and that passes the time until Burns finds something marvellous and spectacular out there, just as all of its systems begin to fail because that’s kind of Murphy’s Law, but at least it happens.

It’s an oddly touching and moving little story (at 52 pages) and soooo satisfying for space and sci-fi nerds. I’m so glad I read it.

Thanks to L’il Factory and NetGalley for a DRC.

Burns is a super droid, one of many search droids sent out to look for life in the universe. Polfeldt explores how the higher the intelligence, the creativity, the ability to adapt and engage, all this also brings the desire for connection and if it's not found then loneliness is hell, not on Earth because Burns is so far away but hell on the universe.

If AI is modelled on human life/human systems, albeit in a 'better' manner, than Polfeldt's exploration is not so extreme. Because if something models another thing in it's good facets it stands to reason that the not so good facets have to be contended with as well because they are part of life, part of the system.

Burns' novella has a great beginning and middle and tapers down at the end.

Burns by David Polfeldt was such a weird little gem—and I mean that in the best way. It’s funny, lighthearted, and surprisingly charming as we follow a space-exploring robot trying to outwit his own programming. Definitely a quirky read, but I really enjoyed the ride

A short story about the ethics of creating AI and then launching it into the void. Could all that loneliness through the millenias eventually create a sentient being?
For a short story, it definitely packs a punch.

A poignant short story about Burns, a droid sent into the infinite reaches of space in search for life. Its only companion, a virtual dog called Cooper, was deleted due to a software fault. Burns is now alone in the cosmos, contemplating existence, and endlessly trying to find a way to resurrect his absent friend, or strike up a conversation with the uncommunicative and fact-driven operating system, PS.

At 56 pages (and small pages, at that) it’s short read. But in those pages, there is humour, jeopardy, intrigue, and hope. And the charming character of Burns shines through.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you #NetGalley and Li’l Factory for the free review copy of #Burns without obligation. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to L’il Factory and NetGalley for this ARC

This book is about a sentient, slightly lonely robot sent out into the wide universe to search for life. How does a sentient go on in a lonely search all alone, with no one (sort of) by his side, what kind of person does the robot become, is what we see like remnants of its maker that have made him?? is he truly fully his own being.

It's cute, the beginning to me was strong, the science kind of lost me due to how abruptly it got thrown at us, but I was mostly lost towards the end because I felt not the last of explanation but I feel like a clear chunk of what lead from point A to point B might have been edited out.

If the author does write a longer form of this, I would love to read this.

This is quite different from what I typically read. This is quite an emotion-driven story. The writing is quite good and easy to just go with the flow.

#NetGalley #Burns

This is a lovely, weird little story. Much of it put me in mind of Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries, but this definitely had its own little spin that kept things interesting. I loved many of the passages in this story, and the variance in dialogue. The prose generally was quite refreshing, but I honestly kind of wanted it to really go in on the weirdness of the concept. Still, this was a quick and enriching little read!

Burns is a quiet, evocative exploration of our deep need for connection, a meditation on purpose, fleeting time, and the quiet triumphs that shape us.

The writing is solid, but the ending left me wanting more. It arrives suddenly, almost jarringly, and doesn’t quite deliver the closure I hoped for. Still, the journey is worth it: moving, thought-provoking, and ironically deeply human.

ARC provided by L‘il Factory via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was charming! It fell into a Wallee sort of story line which I enjoyed, and the tongue and cheek humor and personality given to the robot was really fun.