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First Transmission #1
Space Holes
Saving an alien planet is nothing compared to meeting your sales quota. Marcus Aimond, untrained tag-along aboard humanity's first intergalactic exploratory commerce vessel, has a singular sell off-brand misprinted merchandise. When the rookie and his crew encounter the Nerelkor, a frog-like civilization, he is thrust head-first into an alien civil war. The opposing factions, Rejault and Dinasc, are stuck in an ill-fated feud driven by deep-rooted ineptitude. To avoid the planet’s total annihilation and establish a local sales office, Aimond and the crew must survive arena combat, reshape the very structure of the planet, establish world peace, and stay alive―for the sake of positive branding, of course.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published March 26, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 10, 2024
Wild funny and entertaining!
Buckle up and prepare yourself for a wild ride. This fast-paced and unique soace satire will keep you entertained from start to finish. If you like sci-fi or simply enjoy unique and fun stories you should pick Space Holes.
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and CamCat Books for this tour invite.
𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 by B.R. Louis released March 26, 2024.
https://www.instagram.com/booksandcof...
Buckle up and prepare yourself for a wild ride. This fast-paced and unique soace satire will keep you entertained from start to finish. If you like sci-fi or simply enjoy unique and fun stories you should pick Space Holes.
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and CamCat Books for this tour invite.
𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 by B.R. Louis released March 26, 2024.
https://www.instagram.com/booksandcof...
March 28, 2024
This is one humorous, satirical romp through space and then some.
I don't think there is a societal topic that wasn't touched on with a tongue-in-cheek narrative guaranteed to make even a skeptic laugh. The cast of characters, including the ships AI, are all bonkers and imaginative. The funny thing is (okay, maybe it's not so funny) underneath all the outrageousness and satire there's a space adventure and a conflict these quirky characters need to solve. It's all handled remarkably well by an author who I think is quite off his rocker! 😉 I'm not sure but I think there might be a sequel in the works as there is a never-ending universe out there for these characters to explore, with planets and aliens just waiting to be punked, while meeting their sales quotas for the powers that be.
Thank you to the author, CamCat Books and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy and including me on this tour.
I don't think there is a societal topic that wasn't touched on with a tongue-in-cheek narrative guaranteed to make even a skeptic laugh. The cast of characters, including the ships AI, are all bonkers and imaginative. The funny thing is (okay, maybe it's not so funny) underneath all the outrageousness and satire there's a space adventure and a conflict these quirky characters need to solve. It's all handled remarkably well by an author who I think is quite off his rocker! 😉 I'm not sure but I think there might be a sequel in the works as there is a never-ending universe out there for these characters to explore, with planets and aliens just waiting to be punked, while meeting their sales quotas for the powers that be.
Thank you to the author, CamCat Books and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy and including me on this tour.
October 1, 2024
This is a wild and entertaining story! I had a blast reading this book! The characters are quirky and entertaining and you honestly can't help but like them! There's so much to this book that just grabs you and keeps you turning the pages and I truly hope there will be a sequel! If you enjoy science fiction books that are fun, fast paced with aliens and entertaining characters then you will definitely enjoy this one! Thank you Rockstar Book Tours, CamCat Books and B.R. Louis for sharing this book with me!
April 2, 2024
There's hard Sci-Fi, Light Sci-Fi, and this type… Silly Sci-Fi. Humans are all a bunch of bumbling idiots due to corporate greed so what do they do? Go to another planet that just happens to be filled with an alien species……. that are also a bunch of idiots, this time from either elitism or being overly PC. Good message overall but the message would have been better wrapped in better writing and less "in your face" idiocy.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 26, 2024
I like a well-written science fiction novel now and then, and this one comes with a lot of satire and clever pop culture references to add to the entertainment. It is over the top ridiculous at times, but it's fun, held my attention, and made me laugh. I enjoyed the AI character, Galileo, and the human charactistics that he picked up from the other characters. Wormholes are fascinating and this book brings attention to future possibilities in an intelligent and humorous way.
I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2024
Ridiculously interesting cast characters not least the ships AI which for lack of a better term is a bit of a .
Good and funny read SPACEHOLES has a character in there for everyone.
Definitely worth a read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Good and funny read SPACEHOLES has a character in there for everyone.
Definitely worth a read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 9, 2024
Right from the prologue, I found this a fun, witty, entertaining read.
It has to do with a company, Gainsbro, which started in children’s cereal and became so big that it took over the world - literally! Now, it’s moved to space exploration using a vessel called Space Holes, where they hope to sell off the company’s misprinted merchandise intergalactically.
The characters here are quirky, and many are used as the company’s interplanetary salesforce. Talk about a nightmare of a cold call when they meet a frog-like civilization heavily armed and in the middle of a civil war.
Although this is a sci-fi space story, much more is at its heart. It’s layered in humor, satire, and some alien action, allowing this to be a creative, dynamic, and slightly chaotic story that is so fun to read.
Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @brlouisauthor for a spot on tour and a gifted book.
It has to do with a company, Gainsbro, which started in children’s cereal and became so big that it took over the world - literally! Now, it’s moved to space exploration using a vessel called Space Holes, where they hope to sell off the company’s misprinted merchandise intergalactically.
The characters here are quirky, and many are used as the company’s interplanetary salesforce. Talk about a nightmare of a cold call when they meet a frog-like civilization heavily armed and in the middle of a civil war.
Although this is a sci-fi space story, much more is at its heart. It’s layered in humor, satire, and some alien action, allowing this to be a creative, dynamic, and slightly chaotic story that is so fun to read.
Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @brlouisauthor for a spot on tour and a gifted book.
January 17, 2024
I received an e-ARC of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I have a soft spot for humorous stories. From what I'm used to, they're typically more goofy than deep wit. Space Holes (First Transmission) is a deeply funny, deeply intelligent book written in such a way that even if you don't catch the layers of satire or hidden jokes, you still get a good laugh out of every situation.
Some of the satire is clear as day. Others are more layered and nuanced. Some jokes are rapid fire and others take chapters to setup for a quick-hitting punchline.
Space Holes feels far different from your standard science fiction story. If you're not a scifi fan, give this a read anyway. You will lose yourself in the characters and the chaotic commotion they cause.
I have a soft spot for humorous stories. From what I'm used to, they're typically more goofy than deep wit. Space Holes (First Transmission) is a deeply funny, deeply intelligent book written in such a way that even if you don't catch the layers of satire or hidden jokes, you still get a good laugh out of every situation.
Some of the satire is clear as day. Others are more layered and nuanced. Some jokes are rapid fire and others take chapters to setup for a quick-hitting punchline.
Space Holes feels far different from your standard science fiction story. If you're not a scifi fan, give this a read anyway. You will lose yourself in the characters and the chaotic commotion they cause.
March 25, 2024
Space Holes , First Transmission by B.R. Louis is hilariously brilliant.
Satire to the 10th degree and I am 100 percent here for it!
Not just satire but space satire.
I loved the characters and the story telling told through multiple characters, which includes the ships Artificial Intelligence. OMG, I laughed so hard.
The story is not only hilarious but also very intelligent.
I will dare and say even if you don't read Sci Fi, you absolutely have to give this book a try. Not only will you laugh, but it will make you think.
I really hope there is another book in this series!
Satire to the 10th degree and I am 100 percent here for it!
Not just satire but space satire.
I loved the characters and the story telling told through multiple characters, which includes the ships Artificial Intelligence. OMG, I laughed so hard.
The story is not only hilarious but also very intelligent.
I will dare and say even if you don't read Sci Fi, you absolutely have to give this book a try. Not only will you laugh, but it will make you think.
I really hope there is another book in this series!
March 29, 2024
I loved this book! Such a perfect blend of space travel and alien wars, mixed with uproarious humor and spot on satire. Every line seems so carefully phrased with double meaning. It's a book that'll make you laugh out loud, but also sit back and think about the state of the world and just kind of go, huh. The characters were all fun, the corporate lingo was thoroughly explored, and I did find myself genuinely invested in the outcome of the frog aliens' civil war. This is definitely one to pick up for anyone looking for a hilarious new sci-fi read.
October 2, 2024
I wasn't sure what to expect from SPACE HOLES: FIRST TRANSMISSION, especially with its exciting cover. Sometimes, science fiction stories can elicit mixed reactions from me, so I was pleasantly surprised by this read. The author, B.R. Louis, has created an intriguing, original world—more like a universe—with interesting characters, lively dialogue, and fast-paced prose. I appreciated the satirical moments that kept the story fresh.
Overall, SPACE HOLES was an exceptional read, and I highly recommend it to other readers. ╌★★★★★
Overall, SPACE HOLES was an exceptional read, and I highly recommend it to other readers. ╌★★★★★
March 19, 2024
I couldn't finish this and gave up about 1/3rd of the way through. It attempts to be humorous but it just wasn't funny. Every page was a weak joke. It was attempting for social commentary but was so over-the-top that it was ridiculous in a bad way. Rather than the social commentary informing the plot, it was the plot. The characters were uninteresting and undeveloped.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.
April 27, 2024
This book is definitely worth the read. This and fantasy is one of my most least read genres so this year I’m making en effort to get a few in my reading lineup.
Well this was not the sci-fi type of book I expected. This was fun from beginning to end. There is adventure and an alien civil war and a sense of urgency to save civilization. The banter within the crew was very entertaining and the ship’s AI was wonderfully nuts. I highly recommend you read this book.
Well this was not the sci-fi type of book I expected. This was fun from beginning to end. There is adventure and an alien civil war and a sense of urgency to save civilization. The banter within the crew was very entertaining and the ship’s AI was wonderfully nuts. I highly recommend you read this book.
April 9, 2024
This book is hilarious and outrageous and I flew through it laughing the entire way. It is satirical on the state of retail world domination. It spoofs all the sci-fi movies I feel like I’ve ever seen. It also has a main character that according to the ship’s log is considered cargo.
It reminded me of the 1980 movie AIRPLANE! It’s a great spoof comedy and this book is too!
It reminded me of the 1980 movie AIRPLANE! It’s a great spoof comedy and this book is too!
April 18, 2024
I rarely read science fiction but this was incredibly entertaining. This satirical science fiction was hilarious - - actual laugh out loud multiple times funny! I have a ton of admiration for this author’s creativity and wit. One of my favorite things is to read genres outside my comfort zone and to find books that are unexpected gems like this one.
September 5, 2023
"Space Holes: First Transmission" is an amusing absurdist romp full of sharp social satire, whimsical characters, and quite a lot of explosions. It's sure to please any sci-fi comedy enthusiast (except perhaps the ones from Florida).
April 12, 2024
I’m writing this review because I desperately need to get this book out of my head. Which means that, fair warning and abandon all hope ye who enter here, this is going to be an absolute RANT of a review.
Which is really too bad because it had a lot of potential. It’s just that all that potential turned out to be added cereal filler.
I mean that literally. You’ll see.
At first, I thought the title was a pun, that ‘Space Holes’ was meant to be a play on ‘Ass Holes’ without literally giving the book the title ‘Ass Holes’. Having read it, I think that would have been a better book.
Instead, the ‘Space Holes’ of the title are wormholes, or at least one stable wormhole near Jupiter. The reason that those wormholes are not officially called wormholes in any of the promotional or merchandising brochures created by the company that owns the trademark on the term ‘Space Holes’ is that ‘wormhole’ is a word in common parlance that can’t be trademarked.
At that point, the joke was still funny but was starting to wear a bit thin. You’re wondering what the joke was, right?
The joke was that this is set in a not-too-far-distant future where a cereal company that makes really bad but ridiculously addictive cereal has taken over the entire world (except for Florida which is also part of the joke) and is desperate to find new markets for their terrible cereal and all of the cheap tchotchkes they use to market their terrible cereal and that the terrible cereal is intended to market. Yes, it’s the circle of advertising life, and yes, it really happens and yes it can be funny.
Which leads to the building of a spaceship intended to traverse that ‘Space Hole’ to another galaxy in order to set up new branch offices and sell yet more cereal and all of the many, many toys and other cheap products that fund the company’s executive offices and, at this point, the entire world government.
And it kind of was, up to a point of saturation.
Where the joke started to get thin, at least for this reader, was the point where the crew of the ship got trained, not even in simulators, but through a limited series of a mere EIGHT 45-minute point-and-click web-based training videos. It’s not a surprise that they crash-land on the first planet they find, it’s more of a surprise that they don’t crash into the sides of the wormhole.
Don’t even think that the ship has safety protocols designed to prevent such an occurrence, because it doesn’t. Have safety protocols, that is. Safety was sacrificed for cost-cutting and/or greater merchandising opportunities at every single instance. It’s both amazing that the GP Gallant flies at all AND that anyone on its crew is capable of flying her.
The whole thing lost me when a promotional advertisement interrupted the middle of a red-alert klaxon, not just once but every 30 seconds or so. Once was sorta/kinda funny. Multiple iterations wore the joke of the whole entire thing down to a nubbin and yeeted it into a black hole. Not a space hole, but a black hole of utter destruction.
And yet, in spite of everything, surprising everyone including this reader, the crew of the GP Gallant managed to find a planet filled with beings who seemed to be even less capable then they were, and saved them from their own inability to make any sense by ending their civil war.
Escape Rating D: That’s a misnomer, because I didn’t escape at all and still haven’t, dammit. I can’t get this thing out of my head no matter how much I try.
The worst part is that the ideas at the heart of this thing aren’t bad. There’s the germ of a good story here, possibly more than one, that might have worked IF this had been a series of short stories instead.
Howsomever, what this book turned out to be is a bad combination of the awesome book Redshirts and the movie Office Space. Possibly with a bit of the book Mickey7 thrown in if Mickey had less assigned functionality and no ability to acquire any.
(The erstwhile protagonist of this farce is the child of one of the corporate bigwigs who gets literally thrown onto the ship at the last minute because daddy dearest is certain the boy is useless. He isn’t really, but he sort of is, and he wants to be useful and a hero so bad, and he’s very earnest but completely unqualified and again, this had potential, but by that point the joke had been stretched way too thin and kept getting, well, thinner to the point of utter transparency.)
Leading to my ultimate conclusion that those seeming progenitors of Space Holes, all of which were very good of their type – absolutely do not belong together. Well, maybe Mickey7 and Redshirts together might be good, but the dysfunctionality of Office Space just doesn’t belong here – particularly not with added corporate shills, obsessive rule-pushers and over-the-top merchandising shenanigans.
There’s plenty of room for satire, parody and even outright farce in all of the above. But all at once just proves the rule that too much of a good thing is often NOT wonderful at all.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Which is really too bad because it had a lot of potential. It’s just that all that potential turned out to be added cereal filler.
I mean that literally. You’ll see.
At first, I thought the title was a pun, that ‘Space Holes’ was meant to be a play on ‘Ass Holes’ without literally giving the book the title ‘Ass Holes’. Having read it, I think that would have been a better book.
Instead, the ‘Space Holes’ of the title are wormholes, or at least one stable wormhole near Jupiter. The reason that those wormholes are not officially called wormholes in any of the promotional or merchandising brochures created by the company that owns the trademark on the term ‘Space Holes’ is that ‘wormhole’ is a word in common parlance that can’t be trademarked.
At that point, the joke was still funny but was starting to wear a bit thin. You’re wondering what the joke was, right?
The joke was that this is set in a not-too-far-distant future where a cereal company that makes really bad but ridiculously addictive cereal has taken over the entire world (except for Florida which is also part of the joke) and is desperate to find new markets for their terrible cereal and all of the cheap tchotchkes they use to market their terrible cereal and that the terrible cereal is intended to market. Yes, it’s the circle of advertising life, and yes, it really happens and yes it can be funny.
Which leads to the building of a spaceship intended to traverse that ‘Space Hole’ to another galaxy in order to set up new branch offices and sell yet more cereal and all of the many, many toys and other cheap products that fund the company’s executive offices and, at this point, the entire world government.
And it kind of was, up to a point of saturation.
Where the joke started to get thin, at least for this reader, was the point where the crew of the ship got trained, not even in simulators, but through a limited series of a mere EIGHT 45-minute point-and-click web-based training videos. It’s not a surprise that they crash-land on the first planet they find, it’s more of a surprise that they don’t crash into the sides of the wormhole.
Don’t even think that the ship has safety protocols designed to prevent such an occurrence, because it doesn’t. Have safety protocols, that is. Safety was sacrificed for cost-cutting and/or greater merchandising opportunities at every single instance. It’s both amazing that the GP Gallant flies at all AND that anyone on its crew is capable of flying her.
The whole thing lost me when a promotional advertisement interrupted the middle of a red-alert klaxon, not just once but every 30 seconds or so. Once was sorta/kinda funny. Multiple iterations wore the joke of the whole entire thing down to a nubbin and yeeted it into a black hole. Not a space hole, but a black hole of utter destruction.
And yet, in spite of everything, surprising everyone including this reader, the crew of the GP Gallant managed to find a planet filled with beings who seemed to be even less capable then they were, and saved them from their own inability to make any sense by ending their civil war.
Escape Rating D: That’s a misnomer, because I didn’t escape at all and still haven’t, dammit. I can’t get this thing out of my head no matter how much I try.
The worst part is that the ideas at the heart of this thing aren’t bad. There’s the germ of a good story here, possibly more than one, that might have worked IF this had been a series of short stories instead.
Howsomever, what this book turned out to be is a bad combination of the awesome book Redshirts and the movie Office Space. Possibly with a bit of the book Mickey7 thrown in if Mickey had less assigned functionality and no ability to acquire any.
(The erstwhile protagonist of this farce is the child of one of the corporate bigwigs who gets literally thrown onto the ship at the last minute because daddy dearest is certain the boy is useless. He isn’t really, but he sort of is, and he wants to be useful and a hero so bad, and he’s very earnest but completely unqualified and again, this had potential, but by that point the joke had been stretched way too thin and kept getting, well, thinner to the point of utter transparency.)
Leading to my ultimate conclusion that those seeming progenitors of Space Holes, all of which were very good of their type – absolutely do not belong together. Well, maybe Mickey7 and Redshirts together might be good, but the dysfunctionality of Office Space just doesn’t belong here – particularly not with added corporate shills, obsessive rule-pushers and over-the-top merchandising shenanigans.
There’s plenty of room for satire, parody and even outright farce in all of the above. But all at once just proves the rule that too much of a good thing is often NOT wonderful at all.
Originally published at Reading Reality
October 4, 2024
👧🏻reviews: this dystopian sci-fi is one heck of a wild and funny book. I occasionally enjoy an entertaining book and this one surely didn’t disappoint. Page after page, the funny references kept coming and seriously it brought a smile after I was done with this book.
February 21, 2024
Space Holes is a raucous satire that probes the cosmic limits of corporate and bureaucratic folly. Like Idiocracy set in deep space.
So much fun!!
So much fun!!
April 30, 2024
A fun and entertaining read that made me laugh out loud numerous times. I enjoyed it very much.
October 14, 2024
hilarious
October 22, 2024
Wacky.
January 17, 2025
Listened to the audio book and really enjoyed it
June 24, 2025
Save your money and time.
July 14, 2025
satire of commercialization of our world, extending into space. Good, but there are parts where the author tries too hard.
October 9, 2024
This is a very funny sci-fi book that has a hilarious cast of characters including the voice of the ship. The ship's voice definitely has a human element to it and is hilarious. The story starts with a cereal company taking over the world and then goes into space exploration on the ship called space holes.
There is also an element of a war specifically a Civil War between a planets civilization in this book. This book is also known as a satire and you will love the way that it's written if you really enjoyed hitchhikers guide to the galaxy or anything similar in the satire genre. I highly recommend that you give this one a try and read it even if you're not a fan of sci-fi!
There is also an element of a war specifically a Civil War between a planets civilization in this book. This book is also known as a satire and you will love the way that it's written if you really enjoyed hitchhikers guide to the galaxy or anything similar in the satire genre. I highly recommend that you give this one a try and read it even if you're not a fan of sci-fi!
April 19, 2024
The author does a great job of satirizing bureaucracy and red tape. Having worked in a corporate environment for over 40 years, I can absolutely relate to the stupidity and cluelessness of the bureaucracy at times. The author taps into my frustration of having to jump through hoops to get things done.
March 18, 2024
This was promoted as being a Hitchhiker-esque humor and, well, at 25% I couldn't find it. DNF.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
April 26, 2024
What a wild ride. I was not expecting this one to be as humorous as it was, but I was all for it. The satire was written very well and was a constant element throughout the book. Between the AI for the ship and the way the Nerelkor ran their civilization was truly other worldly. It was easy to follow but the adventure had its chaotic moments but if fit the planet they were on. The different POV’s were easy to keep straight, and the passengers were all different levels of experience. The way the crew bickered and just the different personalities it was fun to read.
Thank you @brlouisauthor and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.
Thank you @brlouisauthor and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.
January 9, 2024
Got to read an ARC copy of this. Seriously one of the funniest things I've ever read. The perspective is unique. You follow the point of view of the crew, not just one character. Everyone has a wildly distinctive personality which is in itself impressive considering the size of the cast. But despite differing personalities, they all seem to share a similar dry and often times sarcastic sense of humor at just the right moments.
There's a laugh on very literally every page. There's not really one liners. All the jokes take a few sentences at minimum to setup. Some take a few chapters to setup for a quick punchline.
Once this releases I'm going to give it a re-read and try to find all the subtle jokes I missed.
There's a laugh on very literally every page. There's not really one liners. All the jokes take a few sentences at minimum to setup. Some take a few chapters to setup for a quick punchline.
Once this releases I'm going to give it a re-read and try to find all the subtle jokes I missed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews