Overdue Podcast Episode 723: "Of Monsters and Mainframes" by Barbara Truelove

Release Date: October 6, 2025
Hosts: Andrew & Craig
Podcast Theme: Overdue is a podcast about the books you’ve been meaning to read. Every week Andrew and Craig tackle a different title—ranging from classic literature to trendy BookTok sensations.

Episode Overview

Main Theme:
For the kickoff of Spooktober (Overdue’s annual October series dedicated to “books with monsters, chills, spills, and thrills”), Andrew and Craig discuss "Of Monsters and Mainframes" by Barbara Truelove, a recent speculative sci-fi horror novel notable for its BookTok popularity and unconventional path to publication. The episode explores the book’s tone, its playful riffing on genre tropes, and the evolving landscape of influencer-driven and micro-imprint publishing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Spooktober Kickoff & Book Selection Context

• (03:19–07:49):
  • Andrew and Craig celebrate the start of Spooktober, reviving their tradition of monster/bizarre reads for October.
  • "Of Monsters and Mainframes" is described as a book blending classic monsters with science fiction, capturing recent trends in book design (e.g., bold fonts, vibrant covers), and fitting in with viral “BookTok” reads.
  • Discussion of upcoming Spooktober schedule: Dark Carnival (Bradbury), Haunted Baby (Packard), and I Know What You Did Last Summer (Duncan).

2. About Barbara Truelove & Publication Backstory

• (08:00–21:01):
  • Barbara Truelove: An Australian author and game designer, known for writing about werewolves, vampires, and sentient spaceships. Her career includes stints in TV, hospitality, and teaching English in South Korea.
  • "Of Monsters and Mainframes" is her first non-interactive, full-length novel.
  • Interactive Fiction Background: Reference to Blood Moon, an interactive werewolf novel published through Choice of Games.
  • Publisher (Bindery/Easy Cat Press):
    • The novel was published via Bindery, a BookTok-centric, influencer-driven micro-imprint platform. “Easy Cat Press” is the micro-imprint of Jason Headley a.k.a. EasyCat.
    • Bindery works with influencers to select manuscripts from agency submissions; chosen books get published with the influencer’s support and branding.
  • Craig notes the business model: “low advance, high royalty deal” (18:53), and how influencer-driven publishing may shape the literary landscape.
  • Notable quote on the ethos:
    • Andrew, reading Headley/EasyCat's perspective:

      “We’ve seen Big Five publishers refuse to pick up riskier books due to the author not having a social media presence… we've seen Big Five publishers so intent on publishing things they know will sell, they're willing to take fewer and fewer risks.” (23:57, Andrew quoting EasyCat)

3. Book Structure, Tone, and Style

• (28:30–29:39):
  • The book is described as a fusion of light horror, adventure, and witty sci-fi:
    • “Sort of like ‘light horror plus adventure’. It’s sort of murder-botty. The AI computer characters… they got a little bit of ‘tude to them.” (29:10, Andrew)
  • Listeners compare the book to Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries and Becky Chambers, but with monster twists.

4. Plot Summary & Worldbuilding

• (32:20–61:17; selected highlights):

a) Opening & Main Character: Demeter

• The ship's AI, Demeter, is the primary narrator. The story opens with her booting up after a long journey.
• “It's day 2293 of our journey, and we're on our final approach to Alpha Centauri B…” (32:20, Andrew quoting book)

b) Immediate Mystery: All the Humans Are Dead

• Demeter discovers all her human passengers have died and investigates anomalies in her memory and data logs.
• The story quickly weaves in classic monster mystery: “She notices there’s too much food slurry in her food slurry stores…” (36:15, Craig)

c) AI Characterization and Themes

• The AI characters have distinct personalities: Demeter is systematic and rules-driven; Steward is the cantankerous medbay AI (“like the Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager” (37:47, Andrew)).
• The book explores ideas of AI memory manipulation, self-patching code, and the “Three Laws of Robotics.”
• “How can these computers realize that their memory's been tampered with? How do they proceed from there?” (36:34, Andrew)

d) Monster Encounters & Episodic Structure

• Early sections follow an episodic “Monster-of-the-Week” pattern:
  • Dracula kills all passengers in the first timeline.
  • Werewolf scenario: A passenger transforms during a cosmic “moons” sightseeing event and wreaks havoc.
  • Mummy: “Steve, the sexy mummy made out of bugs from the movie The Mummy…” (41:45, Andrew)
  • Frankenstein: A cyborg assembled from the DNA of previous victims, referred to as “Frank,” goes by they/them pronouns.
  • Vampire romance: Sapphic romance subplot weaves in during later stages.
• Book’s perspective shifts among various characters/creatures, but always with a tongue-in-cheek, referential mood.

e) Tone and Style

• Book is playful with horror/scifi rules (“pictures of the moon can trigger a werewolf; vampires don’t immediately die in sunlight” (47:09–47:23, Andrew)).
• Found family motif arises as monsters band together:
  • “All the monsters end up becoming friends and teaming up against Dracula.” (45:20, Andrew)
• “If you ever wanted to read a book where you could ship a ship, this is the book that’s gonna give that to you.” (54:09, Andrew)

5. Discussion of Strengths and Weaknesses

a) Character Voice & Relationships

• Andrew highlights the distinct personalities among AIs and monsters; more focus is on the Demeter/Steward relationship than on deep individual arcs for the monsters.
• Some book club reviewers noted that the found family arc and monster relationships could be more thoroughly developed.

b) Perspective Shifts & Audiobook Edition

• (70:04–74:34): Discussion of audiobook with seven narrators:
  • Some listeners found multiple narrators confusing, especially as each narrator tries to voice other characters in their chapters.
  • The book itself titles each chapter by narrator/perspective for clarity.

c) BookTok Style & Accessibility

• “Every book we’ve read that’s BookTok-y is about big emotions, romance, weird stories… no one’s writing Infinite Jest for BookTok.” (67:59–68:38, Andrew)

6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Demeter’s Odd Awakening:

  • “I check for heat signatures, and nothing. Oh, they’re all dead. Well, that’s awkward.” (35:52, Andrew quoting book)

• On the Monsters-As-Friends Trope:

  • “All the monsters end up becoming friends and teaming up against Dracula.” (45:20, Andrew)

• On Publishing Trends:

  • “It is like going right into online communities and saying, you are the publisher now.” (20:22, Craig)

• On BookTok & Pandering:

  • (On the quick introduction of a sapphic vampire romance:)
    • “There’s an amount of pandering that happens… Know your audience, I guess.” (48:37, Andrew)

• On the Book’s Attitude:

  • “If you have any weakness for sci-fi or classic monster movies, you’ll find something to enjoy here.” (75:40, Andrew)

7. Listener & Reviewer Feedback

• Monster-of-the-Week Structure: Some found it “a little episodic,” with the story coalescing by the midpoint into a heist/quest narrative akin to Firefly or Guardians of the Galaxy.
• AI Perspective: Praised for clever use of limited POV—hiding or revealing information naturally, such as Demeter realizing cargo weight/dirt anomalies.
• Audiobook Multi-narrator Approach: Mixed feelings; cited as “kind of confusing” (70:04, Craig summarizing listener Nora).

Important Timestamps

• Start of main content: 03:19
• Barbara Truelove’s background: 09:39
• About Bindery & influencer publishing: 13:38–21:01
• Demeter’s opening chapter/AI voice: 32:20–34:26
• Monster-of-the-week phase: 44:12–46:12
• Shift to found family/heist narrative: 61:17
• Audiobook/narration discussion: 70:04–74:34
• Final assessment & closing thoughts: 75:18–76:00

Final Thoughts & Recommendations

• "Of Monsters and Mainframes" delivers what Overdue’s Spooktober promises: monsters galore, a fun AI narrator, and creative genre-mixing that plays recognizably with classic horror and sci-fi tropes—without getting too dark or gruesome.
• The book’s uniqueness comes not just from its concept, but from its place in the world of BookTok-era, influencer-powered indie publishing.
• It’s recommended for those who want an irreverent mix of “Killjoys”-meets-“Universal Monster Squad” on a starship, as well as for readers interested in the ongoing evolution of how books reach the public.

For Further Engagement

• Podcast Website & Schedule: overduepodcast.com
• Patreon/Discord: patreon.com/overduepod (join for community, bonus episodes, and more)
• Upcoming Spooktober Titles:
  • Dark Carnival by Ray Bradbury
  • Haunted Baby by Edward Packard
  • I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan

Notable final moment:
Andrew: "If you have any weakness at all for sci-fi or classic monster movies, I think you’ll find something to enjoy here… This is a good start to Spooktober." (75:40)

End of summary.