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Starship Blunder
Galactic misadventure awaits!All of the best talent, most promising soldiers, and highly competent individuals were picked for the elite Starship Prime. Together, they will travel to faraway galaxies and make connections with new alien species currently unknown.
Unfortunately for Sarah Hawkins, she didn’t make the cut and instead pilots the Starship Blunder. With her team of misfits, has-beens, and generally underqualified crewmates, she does her best to explore not-too-far away planets and check in with the alien species that humanity would prefer to forget. But their biggest challenge is to keep the hunk of junk Blunder in good enough repair to prevent crash landing at every single stop.
With Stories
Jason Abofsky - “Hopscotch”
Ross Baxter - “Marooned”
Sill Bihagia - “Boomerang Black”
Edward Cooke - “Out of the Dusty Planet”
Susan Eschbach - “Hellspawn in the Swamp”
H. Hackman - “As Natural As Falling”
Mac King - “Murder in the Dining Hall”
Melisa Peterson Lewis - “The Green Glob”
Beth Martin - “Crash Course Negotiations,” “Neptune Storm,” and “The Last Voyage”
Chris Morton - “Feeling Sluggish”
Ariele Sieling - “Salt In The Wound”
Edward Swing - “The Soo-sacan Caper”
Unfortunately for Sarah Hawkins, she didn’t make the cut and instead pilots the Starship Blunder. With her team of misfits, has-beens, and generally underqualified crewmates, she does her best to explore not-too-far away planets and check in with the alien species that humanity would prefer to forget. But their biggest challenge is to keep the hunk of junk Blunder in good enough repair to prevent crash landing at every single stop.
With Stories
Jason Abofsky - “Hopscotch”
Ross Baxter - “Marooned”
Sill Bihagia - “Boomerang Black”
Edward Cooke - “Out of the Dusty Planet”
Susan Eschbach - “Hellspawn in the Swamp”
H. Hackman - “As Natural As Falling”
Mac King - “Murder in the Dining Hall”
Melisa Peterson Lewis - “The Green Glob”
Beth Martin - “Crash Course Negotiations,” “Neptune Storm,” and “The Last Voyage”
Chris Morton - “Feeling Sluggish”
Ariele Sieling - “Salt In The Wound”
Edward Swing - “The Soo-sacan Caper”
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2024
15 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Beth Martin
18 books52 followersBeth Martin has her degree in mathematics and enjoys all things numbers. She's always up for a board game. Other hobbies include playing the piano and making quilts. Although she's terrible at video games, she loves watching her husband play.
Most of her time is spent chasing her two adorable children. She also has two fluffy cats.
Most of her time is spent chasing her two adorable children. She also has two fluffy cats.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 9, 2025
Starship Blunder is a collection of short stories written by multiple authors, but all the stories take place in the same universe with the same main characters and their misadventures aboard the Starship Blunder. Living up to its name, the Starship Blunder is the worst ship in the Conglomeracy’s fleet. Its outer hull is a patchwork of mismatched repairs welded together haphazardly, its systems are constantly failing, and most of the crew members aren’t even dedicated enough to wear their uniforms.
The ship’s pilot, Sarah Hawkins, is arguably the most competent crew member, as she often has to land the ship without fully functional landing gear. Xylo, an alien whose spots glow and flash in response to stress, is the ship’s engineer. His inventions, while innovative, often cause more problems than they solve. Miss Luna Knight is the preschool teacher whose gothic style intimidates everyone except her students, who love her to death. Chef Bluebottle is a grumpy old man who takes great offense when anyone complains about his cooking, even though eating his meals is a gastric gamble.
It was really interesting to see how different authors took the same characters and the basic premise of the incompetent starship, creating such a wide variety of stories in their own unique styles. As a writer, reading this anthology gave me serious FOMO, as I felt it would have been such a fun project to be involved in. Due to the diversity of storytelling, Starship Blunder has something for everyone. Different stories will appeal to different readers.
In general, I enjoyed reading about the inventive and quirky alien lifeforms and their involvement in the Blunder’s debacles. Here are some examples that I found particularly amusing (minor spoilers ahead):
-Slimy space pirates called Plunder Wyrms
-Space slugs who feed on the warp core’s deuterium supply
-A massive green glob that releases laughing gas
-The Soo-sacans, who resemble fuzzy pink snowmen and have strict cultural laws... for a very good reason
One story that stood out to me as a biology teacher was “Boomerang Black” by Sill Bihagia. Without giving away too much, all I can say is that I cackled at Bihagia’s reference to the Sentient Nematode Awareness Parade and how eating gummy worms at such an event would be considered extremely offensive, landing the offending sweet tooth community service aboard the Starship Blunder as punishment. Bahagia’s writing was consistently captivating and highlighted other cultural faux pas that would be unavoidable in such a diverse, intergalactic community. It was witty jokes and clever quips like this that made “Boomerang Black,” as well as several other Starship Blunder stories, so entertaining and endearing to read.
The ship’s pilot, Sarah Hawkins, is arguably the most competent crew member, as she often has to land the ship without fully functional landing gear. Xylo, an alien whose spots glow and flash in response to stress, is the ship’s engineer. His inventions, while innovative, often cause more problems than they solve. Miss Luna Knight is the preschool teacher whose gothic style intimidates everyone except her students, who love her to death. Chef Bluebottle is a grumpy old man who takes great offense when anyone complains about his cooking, even though eating his meals is a gastric gamble.
It was really interesting to see how different authors took the same characters and the basic premise of the incompetent starship, creating such a wide variety of stories in their own unique styles. As a writer, reading this anthology gave me serious FOMO, as I felt it would have been such a fun project to be involved in. Due to the diversity of storytelling, Starship Blunder has something for everyone. Different stories will appeal to different readers.
In general, I enjoyed reading about the inventive and quirky alien lifeforms and their involvement in the Blunder’s debacles. Here are some examples that I found particularly amusing (minor spoilers ahead):
-Slimy space pirates called Plunder Wyrms
-Space slugs who feed on the warp core’s deuterium supply
-A massive green glob that releases laughing gas
-The Soo-sacans, who resemble fuzzy pink snowmen and have strict cultural laws... for a very good reason
One story that stood out to me as a biology teacher was “Boomerang Black” by Sill Bihagia. Without giving away too much, all I can say is that I cackled at Bihagia’s reference to the Sentient Nematode Awareness Parade and how eating gummy worms at such an event would be considered extremely offensive, landing the offending sweet tooth community service aboard the Starship Blunder as punishment. Bahagia’s writing was consistently captivating and highlighted other cultural faux pas that would be unavoidable in such a diverse, intergalactic community. It was witty jokes and clever quips like this that made “Boomerang Black,” as well as several other Starship Blunder stories, so entertaining and endearing to read.
December 6, 2024
This book was tons of fun! At first I was prepared to read each story as something completely separate, but the stories flow similarly to reading separate chapters in a giant adventure that spans considerable time. It's hard to put your finger on an age range for this book.
The unbelievable adventures remind me of stories my middle school students would love, but there is no way a student of that age could grasp some of the jokes and innuendo threaded within the writing. That humor is reserved for a more adult audience. The result is a set of stories that can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages, albeit in different ways.
It might just be me, but I started to feel as if the stories of the Blunder could be a metaphor for life. The pilot and crew set out each time against odds that are already stacked against them, but manage to make things work... somewhat!
The unbelievable adventures remind me of stories my middle school students would love, but there is no way a student of that age could grasp some of the jokes and innuendo threaded within the writing. That humor is reserved for a more adult audience. The result is a set of stories that can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages, albeit in different ways.
It might just be me, but I started to feel as if the stories of the Blunder could be a metaphor for life. The pilot and crew set out each time against odds that are already stacked against them, but manage to make things work... somewhat!
May 4, 2025
This was a fun read. I’ve never been to big on science fiction as I’m more of a horror person but this collection came recommended to me. It is a fun adventure aboard the STARSHIP BLUNDER that I found hooking me with humour. Instead of having to learn a bunch of scientific terms or deal with long explanations this anthology pulls you in with the main crew only to have each story bring about their own take on the Blunders adventures. I loved the way each story brought a little extra to the main group while adding in story centric characters. If you like funny stories with action and romance tossed into the mix then give it a read. I can’t wait for the next collection as I’m sure the Starship Blunder and crew have a lot more adventures ahead of them.
November 17, 2024
This is a quirky compilation has various stories of a cast of misfits who are sent on missions that noone else wants.
I found these stories quirky, funny, and all around fun to read. I have actually passed the title on to my dad who always enjoys science fiction of this caliber. I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.
I found these stories quirky, funny, and all around fun to read. I have actually passed the title on to my dad who always enjoys science fiction of this caliber. I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.
November 15, 2024
A great collection of short stories about a common set of characters aboard a patchwork starship on the verge of falling apart.
While written by a dozen of so authors, the stories all felt well meshed together
While written by a dozen of so authors, the stories all felt well meshed together
February 1, 2025
Fun stories and fun characters! Give it a try if you're looking for a sci-fi anthology with a lot of heart and humor.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews