Classic monsters in space? Close enough, welcome back Universal’s quickly aborted Dark Universe!

Brief Thoughts: I kid, but replace Ahmanet with Dracula in this story’s maiden voyage aboard The Demeter (a large passenger ship that shuttles people between Earth and Alpha Centauri over the course of multiple years) and the rest of the monsters will follow soon after: the wolf(wo)man, the creatures from the black lagoon (of space), Frankenstein’s (cybernetic) monster, and the aforementioned mummy (sans Tom Cruise). What are the odds? And yet, space’s hottest transport vessel really does have everything — everything except Dracula. 

A Favorite Highlighted Quote: 
“I take a sample of the sound and play it back so my database can identify it.
Screaming. 
Well…that’s probably not good.”

Brief Thoughts (Cont.): Don’t let the vampiric cover fool you, there’s about as much Dracula in this as, well, Dracula. I suppose it feels a bit dumb to complain about his absence when I put it that way, but come on, it’s The Demeter! How could I not expect a comparable story to The Last Voyage of the Demeter, just in space? Only this time, instead of expanding on a boring old captain’s log that slowly reveals the tale of a dwindling crew being drained of their sanity and blood by an unknowable presence, we have an AI bearing witness to it all.

Another Favorite Highlighted Quote:
“[…] I am taking care of the corpses in a much more dignified way this time. That’s got to count for something, right?
Shall I nail the bodies down so they don’t make a mess on deceleration? the spider drone asks.
Obviously.”

Brief Thoughts (Still Continuing): Actually it’s two slightly combative AI aboard the frequently blood-soaked ship, and the humorously contentious working relationship between the frequently bullied, often insecure, and always overwhelmed Demeter at the top of the chain of command and the aggrieved medical AI with a questionable implementation of the Hippocratic Oath, Steward, is what kept me invested when the lack of cohesion thanks to the episodic nature of each monster’s time terrorizing their fellow passengers tested my investment in the overall story.

Biggest Complaint: Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy witnessing the computers aboard the vessel problem solving their way out of these horrifyingly gruesome experiences considering their obvious limitations — both physically and emotionally — but I still found myself asking “is this it?” with each disjointed segment that laid the groundwork for the second half of the book. In other words, I was impatiently waiting for this Dark Universe’s Avengers crossover event that the back cover promised. The wait was worth it, but it sure made me realize my “give me solo outings for each hero before the team-up, dammit!” stance does not apply in all situations.

Final Thought: Impatience at the story structure aside, the humor found in Demeter and Steward trying to make sense of escalating improbable — if not completely incomputable — situations, along with the surprising amount of heart as the two AI learn to rely on each other as they take care of their passengers is what makes Of Monsters and Mainframes such an enjoyable, quick read. A quick read with barely any Dracula, but turns out maybe that’s not such a detracting factor this time around.