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Happy Jack and the Scary-Ass Book of Doom: Shadows Over Earth-That-Was: Vol. 1
What happens when the geeks inherit the Earth? For starters, things get a little weird. In the year 2475, the remnants of humanity have taken to the skies, inhabiting massive domed cities that hover five miles over the ruined ecological disaster of old Earth. The Powers That Be, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the few million people left deserved to live their best lives, so they gave each sub-orbital platform its own theme and legally enforced tech level. Named for afterlives and sacred places from all of the world's great cultures, Elysia, A'Aru, Valhalla, Tian and the other orbitals range from cutting-edge cyberpunk metropolises to Tolkienesque medieval fantasy lands; from Victorian steampunk cities of glass and copper to snowbound Viking kingdoms. Not content with merely cosplaying their days away, a significant portion of the population have become transhuman "cybernaturals," electing to transform into creatures from myth through cybernetic enhancements and advanced genetic therapies; orcs, dwarves, elves, vampires and werewolves now exist through super-scientific means, not supernatural ones.In the middle of this madness, Daniel Davidson, a pop culture archaeologist and mercenary of dubious repute and his band of foul-mouthed friends are charged with tracking down an ancient book that could, in the wrong hands, erase all of reality. It could be a huge payday and might even involve saving the known universe as a tidy bonus. That is, if they manage to NOT die at the hands of cannibal sex cultists, swashbuckling rogue vampires, prankster demigods, Templar knights, horrifying biblical angels, the angry star-spawn of elder things, and Satan himself. And possibly food and/or alcohol poisoning. Or suffocation in a sex dungeon.It's a filthy, hilarious, epic journey through an off-kilter future filled with bullets, blades, beasts, and boat drinks. If you like your profane sci-fi action comedies with a side order of urban and traditional fantasy, look no further.
- GenresScience Fiction Fantasy
375 pages, Paperback
Published November 10, 2023
14 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Rich Partain
3 books11 followersRich Partain writes absolutely ridiculous comedy sci-fi adventure stories. He doesn't have any major awards or accolades just yet as he is very new at writing fiction. He graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Montevallo too many years ago to discuss here, and he has been a writer in one form or another for most of his life: from school newspapers and yearbooks to jobs as a reporter and editor of daily and monthly newspapers, to writing for the web and authoring Federal grants. He practically grew up in libraries and bookstores.
Rich has held a host of jobs that inform his written work, including positions in security, law enforcement, information technology, web and graphic design, and tons of other jobs that resulted in burns, bruises, cuts, scrapes, broken bones, and meeting a plethora of colorful characters over the course of his lifetime. Currently, Rich is a full-time multimedia developer as well as a part-time novelist and musician.
His first novel, Happy Jack and the Scary-Ass Book of Doom, is intended to be an antidote to dark, angry fiction where horrible people do horrible things to each other. There are moments of darkness, however, because what would an adventure story be without obstacles and antagonists? At their heart, though, Rich's stories are tales of staunch, good-hearted friends striving against impossible odds to save the universe and innocents from death and destruction. Badass mercenary friends with foul mouths, yes, but wholesome for all that. Once you get past the profanity, innuendo and occasional bloodshed and violence.
Rich lives in Madison, AL, with his beloved, long-suffering, ultra-supportive wife, two unruly but good-hearted boys, and a sweet but needy dog. He is hard at work on the sequel(s) to Happy Jack ... when life allows.
Rich has held a host of jobs that inform his written work, including positions in security, law enforcement, information technology, web and graphic design, and tons of other jobs that resulted in burns, bruises, cuts, scrapes, broken bones, and meeting a plethora of colorful characters over the course of his lifetime. Currently, Rich is a full-time multimedia developer as well as a part-time novelist and musician.
His first novel, Happy Jack and the Scary-Ass Book of Doom, is intended to be an antidote to dark, angry fiction where horrible people do horrible things to each other. There are moments of darkness, however, because what would an adventure story be without obstacles and antagonists? At their heart, though, Rich's stories are tales of staunch, good-hearted friends striving against impossible odds to save the universe and innocents from death and destruction. Badass mercenary friends with foul mouths, yes, but wholesome for all that. Once you get past the profanity, innuendo and occasional bloodshed and violence.
Rich lives in Madison, AL, with his beloved, long-suffering, ultra-supportive wife, two unruly but good-hearted boys, and a sweet but needy dog. He is hard at work on the sequel(s) to Happy Jack ... when life allows.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 15, 2023
I don't know how to start. This book is everything. It's hilarious. It's offensively funny. It's morally amazing. I am a voracious reader, but I want to read this one again and again to wallow in the pure JOY and satisfaction it offers at every level. Of the many books I have read this year, this one will stick with me longest (snicker).
December 23, 2023
Irreverently funny, loving characters
During the last 60 or so years I’ve enjoyed reading a lot of fantasy and science fiction, and only a few things have made me laugh as much as this tale did. The prose is riddled with broad-ranging pop culture references that served the narrative in just the right way, and the mix of fantasy, horror, and elements of the absurd made a solid framework to hold it all together. I kept thinking of *The Hitchhiker’s Guide*, and this book is just as much of a fun read, while striking out on its own path. I’m looking forward to the next book.
During the last 60 or so years I’ve enjoyed reading a lot of fantasy and science fiction, and only a few things have made me laugh as much as this tale did. The prose is riddled with broad-ranging pop culture references that served the narrative in just the right way, and the mix of fantasy, horror, and elements of the absurd made a solid framework to hold it all together. I kept thinking of *The Hitchhiker’s Guide*, and this book is just as much of a fun read, while striking out on its own path. I’m looking forward to the next book.
November 17, 2023
I finished Happy Jack last night! It's now available in paperback for those of you old school readers.
I absolutely loved this book.
Some of you may find parts of it offensive. So if you are offended by language, innuendo, and story lines that involve religious characters in ways other than what you believe, it may not be for you. The characterizations are different, but not distasteful in my opinion.
But, if you want to go on a journey through a post modern world full of new environments, new technology, new characters, and new heroes, then buy this book.
Some books challenge your mind, some appeal to your emotions, some capture your imagination. Then, sometimes, one comes along that does all three. This is that book. It is one of those stories that has you wanting to speed read it to see where it goes, but also has you wanting to take your time and absorb all the new characters and places and situations. The future world shows incredible imagination, the characters are loveable and well built, the action is intense, and the plot is a fun journey full of twists and turns that keeps your imagination invested. It also has some life lessons that would do us all good to learn. My favorite passage from the whole book has nothing to do with the story line and has everything to do with being a better human. "But you don't love people for their perfection. You love them for who they are, warts and all."
I've never had the desire to visit Old London, but I can't wait to visit New London with Happy Jack and crew!
I absolutely loved this book.
Some of you may find parts of it offensive. So if you are offended by language, innuendo, and story lines that involve religious characters in ways other than what you believe, it may not be for you. The characterizations are different, but not distasteful in my opinion.
But, if you want to go on a journey through a post modern world full of new environments, new technology, new characters, and new heroes, then buy this book.
Some books challenge your mind, some appeal to your emotions, some capture your imagination. Then, sometimes, one comes along that does all three. This is that book. It is one of those stories that has you wanting to speed read it to see where it goes, but also has you wanting to take your time and absorb all the new characters and places and situations. The future world shows incredible imagination, the characters are loveable and well built, the action is intense, and the plot is a fun journey full of twists and turns that keeps your imagination invested. It also has some life lessons that would do us all good to learn. My favorite passage from the whole book has nothing to do with the story line and has everything to do with being a better human. "But you don't love people for their perfection. You love them for who they are, warts and all."
I've never had the desire to visit Old London, but I can't wait to visit New London with Happy Jack and crew!
April 30, 2025
First, the preface wasn't lying: this book was filthy (language- and humor-wise). For me, not a problem and I enjoyed said filth.
Second, because I can feel those that aren't my friends reacting to this: there is a lot of stress on things like consent, not being a dick, and accepting that people have a right to do whatever makes them happy, as long as no one is harmed by it, even if you don't get it.
If either the language/humor or you know, letting people do their thing(s) raise your hackles, you may want to skip this one.
Finally, if you're cool with the above and are looking for a rollicking romp through zaniness, you should read this book. It's not a long commitment, plenty of "that's what (s)he said" jokes, wild situations (although the human race being forced to live in orbitals because we trashed our world SO badly probably isn't one of them), and just drops you in the middle of a group of people that I think would be amazing to hang out with.
Go, enjoy. Unless it's not your cup of tea, then, i don't know, catch me on the next book? Ok, not the immediate next book, because i'm going onto the next book in the series which i predict will live up to this one's lead, but like, A next book.
Second, because I can feel those that aren't my friends reacting to this: there is a lot of stress on things like consent, not being a dick, and accepting that people have a right to do whatever makes them happy, as long as no one is harmed by it, even if you don't get it.
If either the language/humor or you know, letting people do their thing(s) raise your hackles, you may want to skip this one.
Finally, if you're cool with the above and are looking for a rollicking romp through zaniness, you should read this book. It's not a long commitment, plenty of "that's what (s)he said" jokes, wild situations (although the human race being forced to live in orbitals because we trashed our world SO badly probably isn't one of them), and just drops you in the middle of a group of people that I think would be amazing to hang out with.
Go, enjoy. Unless it's not your cup of tea, then, i don't know, catch me on the next book? Ok, not the immediate next book, because i'm going onto the next book in the series which i predict will live up to this one's lead, but like, A next book.
April 1, 2024
This book is simply amazing. Full of action and Gen X pop culture, with a healthy dose of raunchy innuendo and "your mom" jokes, it both entertains and satisfies. At one point during reading I briefly considered using the honorific "Lard" in front of my name going forward, but it turns out that tertiary antagonist is a major knob. Anywho, there's an 80/20 chance that Rich is one of new favorite authors. I may even read it again and again. As is my way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2024
A rather unhinged bit of fun.
This book is crass and funny, and I'm not sure there's a better way to describe it. As sci-fi goes, it doesn't take itself as seriously as other books. And that works because behind the humor and violence, it's a story about finding the kinds of friends you can consider family.
This book is crass and funny, and I'm not sure there's a better way to describe it. As sci-fi goes, it doesn't take itself as seriously as other books. And that works because behind the humor and violence, it's a story about finding the kinds of friends you can consider family.
April 18, 2024
It’s like Deadpool, Letterkenny, Ted Lasso, and Looney Toons had a literary love-child after a drug-fueled, occult orgy!
gave-up-on
May 21, 2025This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S HAPPY JACK AND THE SCARY-ASS BOOK OF DOOM ABOUT?
From Audible:
I DO HAVE ONE ISSUE
Daniel Davidson makes too many late 20th/early 21st Century references. He uses the slang of these eras, talks about music, books, TV, movies, video games of this era. Yes, he explaines it. But I can't buy that this kind of a geek--no matter his specialty--doesn't make references to things outside of this time. Something from the intervening 300+ years would've snuck in.
His complaints about Evangelical Christians are also very 2020+--there's no way that they wouldn't have moved on to other ways to provoke the culture around them.
Listen, it makes sense for the Bobiverse's clones to be stuck in contemporary references. That absolutely works. This just doesn't. John Crichton might be full of references to Earth, but he also picks up the lingo and culture of those he interacts with once he joins Moya's crew (see also Buck Rogers).
SO, WHY DIDN'T I FINISH HAPPY JACK AND THE SCARY-ASS BOOK OF DOOM?
It just never grabbed me. It was occasionally amusing. I thought the blue language was overdone, but it wasn't as offensive as the Author's Note at the beginning made it sound like it'd be. If you're going to overuse some or all of The Nine Nasty Words be interesting with it, otherwise it just fades into the background like a dialogue tag.
I'm leaving the door open to returning to this--it didn't anger me, offend me, or bore me. Like I said, I found bits of it amusing--even entertaining. But it just left me apathetic. I'd rather be annoyed by a book than totally uninterested. I'll stick with a book to see if the author can make something good/decent out of something bad. But I can't stick with something to see if I ever have a reaction.
I have no opinion on JP Adams, either. I don't think James Marsters, Lorelei King, or Ray Porter could've done more with the material. So, I'm absolutely open to something else by him, too.
So, I'll check out of this for now, and maybe return to in later.
---
WHAT'S HAPPY JACK AND THE SCARY-ASS BOOK OF DOOM ABOUT?
From Audible:
What happens when the geeks inherit the Earth? For starters, things get a little weird.
In the year 2475, the remnants of humanity have taken to the skies, inhabiting massive domed cities that hover five miles over the ruined ecological disaster of old Earth. The Powers That Be, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the few million people left deserved to live their best lives, so they gave each sub-orbital platform its own theme and legally enforced tech level. Named for afterlives and sacred places from all of the world's great cultures, Elysia, A'Aru, Valhalla, Tian and the other orbitals range from cyberpunk metropolises to Tolkienesque medieval fantasy lands; from Victorian steampunk cities of glass and copper to snowbound Viking kingdoms.
Not content with merely cosplaying their days away, a significant portion of the population have become transhuman "cybernaturals," electing to transform into creatures from myth through cybernetic enhancements and advanced genetic therapies; orcs, dwarves, elves, vampires and werewolves now exist through super-scientific means, not supernatural ones.
In the middle of this madness, Daniel Davidson, a pop culture archaeologist and mercenary of dubious repute and his band of foul-mouthed friends are charged with tracking down an ancient book that could, in the wrong hands, erase all of reality. It could be a huge payday and might even involve saving the known universe as a tidy bonus. That is, if they manage to NOT die at the hands of cannibal sex cultists, swashbuckling rogue vampires, prankster demigods, Templar knights, horrifying biblical angels, the angry star-spawn of elder things, and Satan himself. And possibly food and/or alcohol poisoning. Or suffocation in a sex dungeon.
It's a filthy, hilarious, epic journey through an off-kilter future filled with bullets, blades, beasts, and boat drinks. If you like your profane sci-fi action comedies with a side order of urban and traditional fantasy, look no further.
I DO HAVE ONE ISSUE
Daniel Davidson makes too many late 20th/early 21st Century references. He uses the slang of these eras, talks about music, books, TV, movies, video games of this era. Yes, he explaines it. But I can't buy that this kind of a geek--no matter his specialty--doesn't make references to things outside of this time. Something from the intervening 300+ years would've snuck in.
His complaints about Evangelical Christians are also very 2020+--there's no way that they wouldn't have moved on to other ways to provoke the culture around them.
Listen, it makes sense for the Bobiverse's clones to be stuck in contemporary references. That absolutely works. This just doesn't. John Crichton might be full of references to Earth, but he also picks up the lingo and culture of those he interacts with once he joins Moya's crew (see also Buck Rogers).
SO, WHY DIDN'T I FINISH HAPPY JACK AND THE SCARY-ASS BOOK OF DOOM?
It just never grabbed me. It was occasionally amusing. I thought the blue language was overdone, but it wasn't as offensive as the Author's Note at the beginning made it sound like it'd be. If you're going to overuse some or all of The Nine Nasty Words be interesting with it, otherwise it just fades into the background like a dialogue tag.
I'm leaving the door open to returning to this--it didn't anger me, offend me, or bore me. Like I said, I found bits of it amusing--even entertaining. But it just left me apathetic. I'd rather be annoyed by a book than totally uninterested. I'll stick with a book to see if the author can make something good/decent out of something bad. But I can't stick with something to see if I ever have a reaction.
I have no opinion on JP Adams, either. I don't think James Marsters, Lorelei King, or Ray Porter could've done more with the material. So, I'm absolutely open to something else by him, too.
So, I'll check out of this for now, and maybe return to in later.
May 7, 2025
Read this if you like: Deadpool, and way too much at that.
Most of my reviews are of books that I listened to at work as audiobooks. I understand that the quality of the performance affects my ratings. I just don't care. You can't polish a turd and you can't scratch a diamond. This book had a pretty good reader, but I still DNF'd at 25%.
Most of my reviews are of books that I listened to AT WORK. If I don't like a book the alternative is basically just Spotify, and since I'm lazy I never bothered to pay for Spotify, so it's loaded with ads and I have no control over when it plays what song. Even a bad book is less of a pain than that. That's a large part of why I finish almost every book. Except for this one. I actually had to make a DNF shelf to write this.
It's just that good.
Problems start pretty early on, with the setup for the world. It goes to some great lengths to ensure that it can explore a lot of extremely boring and derivative ideas in a short span of time. You can go from Reddit-grade monstergirl fetishism to Reddit-grade kitsch to Reddit-grade anti-religious screeds to Reddit-grade character writing. In the first quarter of the book, the most interesting plot element was that the author thought it was a good idea to write a book set in the 25th century where half the humor is modern pop culture references.
The real damning sin is the protagonist. There's a lot of comparisons made between Happy Jack and Deadpool and not without merit. For those of you who don't know, Deadpool is a mercenary superhero with the power of perfect healing who says and does whatever he wants because he knows both that he's good at his job and that nobody can hurt him in any way that matters. However, Deadpool is a comic book character. Comic books are about 25 pages long. Because they're image-based rather than text-based, each page of a comic book has about one or two paragraphs' worth of narrative. In 25 pages of comic, there's maybe 5 pages of stuff that happens. Even a 300 page graphic novel usually only has as much plot as a beefy short story. That's why Deadpool can work in a comic book format, you only get him and his wacky antics in short bursts. If you've only seen the Deadpool movies, you might not understand just how much he was toned down in order to still be enjoyable at minute 90, and the author clearly missed it too.
See, Happy Jack doesn't have super-healing, but he's a pretty good interpretation of the Deadpool tough-guy-who-never-shuts-the-fuck-up archetype, but he's in a 600 page book. How does the author make this loud and obnoxious jackass still be tolerable after 150 pages straight of dealing with him and only him? The sad answer is that he doesn't. The unfunny references and swear words just keep coming, forever. In light of how derivative nearly every element of the story itself is, it means the book comes across as being written by someone who graduated high school and never left.
Even if the book wasn't being filtered through the lens of the world's most annoying man (and the world is a lot less populated in the 25th century so I might not be exaggerating), it's just got nothing interesting going on, at least, nothing that came out in the first 150 damn pages. It'd be a 4/10 instead of a 1/10 if it weren't for the protagonist.
You might like it if the novelty of having augmented cyberpunk grid-warriors and axe-wielding orc women in the same room is enough to entertain you but I wouldn't hold out hope that anything worthwhile will be done with the concept.
Most of my reviews are of books that I listened to at work as audiobooks. I understand that the quality of the performance affects my ratings. I just don't care. You can't polish a turd and you can't scratch a diamond. This book had a pretty good reader, but I still DNF'd at 25%.
Most of my reviews are of books that I listened to AT WORK. If I don't like a book the alternative is basically just Spotify, and since I'm lazy I never bothered to pay for Spotify, so it's loaded with ads and I have no control over when it plays what song. Even a bad book is less of a pain than that. That's a large part of why I finish almost every book. Except for this one. I actually had to make a DNF shelf to write this.
It's just that good.
Problems start pretty early on, with the setup for the world. It goes to some great lengths to ensure that it can explore a lot of extremely boring and derivative ideas in a short span of time. You can go from Reddit-grade monstergirl fetishism to Reddit-grade kitsch to Reddit-grade anti-religious screeds to Reddit-grade character writing. In the first quarter of the book, the most interesting plot element was that the author thought it was a good idea to write a book set in the 25th century where half the humor is modern pop culture references.
The real damning sin is the protagonist. There's a lot of comparisons made between Happy Jack and Deadpool and not without merit. For those of you who don't know, Deadpool is a mercenary superhero with the power of perfect healing who says and does whatever he wants because he knows both that he's good at his job and that nobody can hurt him in any way that matters. However, Deadpool is a comic book character. Comic books are about 25 pages long. Because they're image-based rather than text-based, each page of a comic book has about one or two paragraphs' worth of narrative. In 25 pages of comic, there's maybe 5 pages of stuff that happens. Even a 300 page graphic novel usually only has as much plot as a beefy short story. That's why Deadpool can work in a comic book format, you only get him and his wacky antics in short bursts. If you've only seen the Deadpool movies, you might not understand just how much he was toned down in order to still be enjoyable at minute 90, and the author clearly missed it too.
See, Happy Jack doesn't have super-healing, but he's a pretty good interpretation of the Deadpool tough-guy-who-never-shuts-the-fuck-up archetype, but he's in a 600 page book. How does the author make this loud and obnoxious jackass still be tolerable after 150 pages straight of dealing with him and only him? The sad answer is that he doesn't. The unfunny references and swear words just keep coming, forever. In light of how derivative nearly every element of the story itself is, it means the book comes across as being written by someone who graduated high school and never left.
Even if the book wasn't being filtered through the lens of the world's most annoying man (and the world is a lot less populated in the 25th century so I might not be exaggerating), it's just got nothing interesting going on, at least, nothing that came out in the first 150 damn pages. It'd be a 4/10 instead of a 1/10 if it weren't for the protagonist.
You might like it if the novelty of having augmented cyberpunk grid-warriors and axe-wielding orc women in the same room is enough to entertain you but I wouldn't hold out hope that anything worthwhile will be done with the concept.
October 19, 2025
This book was great! I was a little nervous when the forward/introduction/author's note at the beginning was so clearly a warning, but going in with that expectation made this a fun read. I think I would have enjoyed it even without the warning, but it certainly didn't hurt. I loved the humor, the social commentary woven throughout and the friendships and relationships. I really want to continue the series when I have a few more audible credits to spare. So why only four stars? It was fun but not earth shattering, and while the narrator was not bad, it left something to be desired. I think the worst part was what had to be edits, the voice would change in the middle of a sentence or paragraph. At first it was confused, but the longer it went, the more sure I became that those were spliced in edits that were not consistent. Same person, but noticeable different tone and timbre. Is this a big deal? No. Will most people notice? I think they will? Will it bother other? Probably not like it bothers me, but my auditory discrimination is a large part of my job and I have trained it over the years to be able to hear minute differences (job hazard) and it totally pulled me out of immersion when the voice changed.
October 14, 2025
Absolutely excellent book! The adventures were fun but the characters and their dialogue was even better. I wish I had highlighted the funniest parts along the way but then most of the book would have been highlighted. I guess I’ll just add this one to my shelf of favorites and read it again!
March 25, 2025
Feels like a book written by my closest friends, and its vulgarity and violence give me warm and fuzzy feelings. Can't wait to read more about these loveable misfits saving the world.
July 3, 2025
I love Rich, but this book is not for me.
It is a bunch of "your mom" and "that's what she said" jokes added to a plot and extended into a novel. If that plus constant references is your cup of tea, this will be perfect for you. 😜 (Sorry though, I don't believe people 400+ years in the future are going to make constant references to this time period.) The characters also feel like the same person, although they are very uniquely conceptualized.
On a technical level, the writing is done very well.
It is a bunch of "your mom" and "that's what she said" jokes added to a plot and extended into a novel. If that plus constant references is your cup of tea, this will be perfect for you. 😜 (Sorry though, I don't believe people 400+ years in the future are going to make constant references to this time period.) The characters also feel like the same person, although they are very uniquely conceptualized.
On a technical level, the writing is done very well.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews