Published: Aug. 19, 2011
Words: 80519 (approximate)
Language: English

Short description

Hal Spacejock doesn't mind navigating to an uncharted planet, landing in a deserted field, dodging customs and loading a suspicious cargo under cover of darkness. That's a normal day's work. No, the real battle starts when the customer sends a broken-down pilot to fly Hal's beloved ship ... 80,000 words/340 pages

Extended description

These novels feature a charming but misguided freighter pilot by the name of Hal Spacejock. What he lacks in wisdom, patience, business acumen, skill and common sense he more than makes up for with bravado and good intentions. He's an anti-establishment loner struggling to make a buck, fiercely independent and wary of corporations and governments alike.

A character like this wouldn't last five minutes without a rusty sidekick, and that's where Clunk the capable robot creaks into the picture. Dignified, wise and intelligent, he's just what you need when 'consquences' are something you only think about after the dust has settled. But whatever you do, don't mention second billing.

The characters in these books are earnest and deadly serious. They don't make silly jokes, they just struggle mightily with their lousy hands while we - the readers - sit back with all the kings and aces up our sleeves.... (Read more) These novels feature a charming but misguided freighter pilot by the name of Hal Spacejock. What he lacks in wisdom, patience, business acumen, skill and common sense he more than makes up for with bravado and good intentions. He's an anti-establishment loner struggling to make a buck, fiercely independent and wary of corporations and governments alike.

A character like this wouldn't last five minutes without a rusty sidekick, and that's where Clunk the capable robot creaks into the picture. Dignified, wise and intelligent, he's just what you need when 'consquences' are something you only think about after the dust has settled. But whatever you do, don't mention second billing.

The characters in these books are earnest and deadly serious. They don't make silly jokes, they just struggle mightily with their lousy hands while we - the readers - sit back with all the kings and aces up our sleeves.

Hal Spacejock is not hard science fiction, and it's not macho gun play. It's a gentle(ish) comedy with no bloodshed, no sex, and just a touch of mild swearing. These are books my ten year old daughters cackled their way through - hopefully without understanding the double-entendres - and I'm happy for my mum & dad to read them too.

This is how one of my readers put it: "It's not the zany slapstick style of comedy I was expecting - more of a really well developed, fun story with interesting characters and enough real-world observations to make it a very enjoyable read."

If you're considering the Spacejock books for your kids I'd read them first because they weren't intended for children and we all have different rules. I suggest ages 15+

--- Back cover blurb ---

Hal Spacejock doesn't mind navigating to an uncharted planet, landing in a deserted field, dodging customs and loading a suspicious cargo under cover of darkness.

That's a normal day's work.

No, the real battle starts when the customer sends a broken-down pilot to fly Hal's beloved ship ...

80,000 words/340 pages
(Less)

Adult-content rating:

This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

comedy, humor, science fiction, humour, robots, future history, galactic empire, first in a series, space empire, violent robots, dumb humans, british spelling, ongoing series

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Reviews

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Review by: Benjamin Andrews on Dec. 02, 2011 :
Favorites: Very funny, good writing, interesting characters.

Least favorites: Indenting, somewhat stagnate at times.

Hal Spacejock, fumbling captain of the barely-able Black Gull is a cowboy of the stars. A cowboy who can't take two steps without something around him going wrong. Catching a break would be asking too much, even catching a meal seems like a pipe dream. No money, no luck, seems like there's no chance. Hal isn't the type to give up though. Set in the future, when intergalactic space travel is common place, this series follows the adventures, or misadventures, of this pilot.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing of Simon Haynes. Hal, as well as other characters created in this world, have very unique personalities. They interact with one another in very believable ways, which pulled me as a reader into the story. Some of the exchanges between Hal and the Black Gull's computer are especially entertaining. The mishaps and adventures are quite inventive. One complaint I have is that the story stagnates at points, due to all the problems faced by Hal. This may be the author's intent, but there were times where I just wanted the story to continue, instead of another problem to drag it on. I would only equate this to a minor difference in story preference between people though. Shouldn't be a deal breaker for most readers.

I encountered multiple parts in this book that made me laugh out loud. The dialogue is rich, and some of the things characters say are brilliant. Beyond that, some of the gadgets, and the way robots are portrayed is quite unique. I hope to see the planets and life of the human race in general opened up more in future books though. That's probably the only area description lacked any. Areas with “civilians” were usually gleaned over, and story details focused on instead. Not necessarily a negative, as it was done in a tasteful and workable way that still makes the story rich.

One of the biggest turn-offs I found with this book was the indenting. The indents were quiet small, so it sometimes made it difficult to distinguish between paragraphs, particularly in dialogue heavy parts. A minor inconvenience though, and it's not like it isn't separated into paragraphs (Note: I read the Kindle ebook via Smashwords). The author has told me the files available on his website have proper indenting.

Overall, I found this book to be a wonderful adventure to take. Readers will quickly find themselves immersed in Hal's world, wondering how he'll bumble his way out of the next jam. It should be very interesting to see what kinds of adventures await him in future installments of this series.
(review of free book)

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