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.

An interesting sci-fi novella, Burns is a philosophical exploration of the self and of autonomy. This is quite an insular story, with a lot of the dialogue being between Burns and themselves. I am always a fan of stories that begin in a point of action, and I loved the choice for that here. Without spoiling anything, I was instantly empathizing for Burns, and feeling their anger with them.

Burns, a sentient search droid contemplates life in a bizarre, uniquely funny and touching story.

I could absolutely be reading into this more than it’s there, but Burns made me think of someone struggling with loneliness, and fondling brief glimpses of happiness that continually are stripped away. A droid with a mundane repetitive life, who eventually battles… something. Is it a metaphor for an internal struggle, is it a metaphor for cancer, I’m not sure but I keep thinking about these things are he was dealing with it. It felt like the droid dealing with getting older and learning death is inevitable… until it ends happily.

It’s an interesting and quick read, which at times felt a little too deep into scientific speech but it moves on pretty quickly.

I received this ARC for an honest review from L’il Factory and NetGalley.

I received this copy for an honest review from the kind publisher and author David Polfeldt.

The premise is what drew me in about a sentient droid sent to find life. yup sign me up especially when said droid is sassy, introspective and mostly depressed.

The lonely feel here and scope of the broader world which is hinted at is the best aspects of the book. For me it falls down on not moving from one plot to the next quick enough, but then maybe this is the point of the story as a whole.

An enjoyable if short read.

In this sci-fi novella, we follow Burns, a droid who has been sent out into the universe to look for life. His only companion is a pet called Cooper.
I very much enjoyed Burns' musings. Some of the more scientific speak lost me a little, but all-in-all this was a delight, and the ending was perfection.