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Kangaroo #3
True Blue Kangaroo
Kangaroo doesn't want to go to prison?
Too bad, Kangaroo!
Be seeing you.
Welcome to the spacefaring future, where humanity travels between planets with ease and has abused that power to establish outposts in some questionable places.
Take Venus, for a sister world to Mother Earth, similar in size and gravity, it's also known for having a toxic atmosphere and hellish landscape at ground level. But climate-controlled habitat domes stay in eternal sunlight and offer vacationers endless good times while floating through blue skies above the clouds of deadly acid.
Meanwhile, hidden down inside those poisonous clouds are other floating habitats, so-called "blue sites"—government-controlled secret prisons where inmates are incarcerated with no oversight and no hope of escape.
And why, pray tell, would secret agent Kangaroo, with his pocket superpower and bleeding-edge biotech implants, need to infiltrate such a secure facility? Might it be to rescue another spy who's gone radio silent? Or perhaps to extract a high value asset who claims to have been wrongly imprisoned therein? Possibly both?
It's six of one, half a dozen of the other. Questions are a burden to others, and answers a prison for oneself.
What do you want? Information? That would be telling.
Set in the same world as WAYPOINT KANGAROO and KANGAROO TOO, this high-octane science-fiction spy thriller, teeming with adrenaline and intrigue, continues spinning blockbuster outer space adventure.
Too bad, Kangaroo!
Be seeing you.
Welcome to the spacefaring future, where humanity travels between planets with ease and has abused that power to establish outposts in some questionable places.
Take Venus, for a sister world to Mother Earth, similar in size and gravity, it's also known for having a toxic atmosphere and hellish landscape at ground level. But climate-controlled habitat domes stay in eternal sunlight and offer vacationers endless good times while floating through blue skies above the clouds of deadly acid.
Meanwhile, hidden down inside those poisonous clouds are other floating habitats, so-called "blue sites"—government-controlled secret prisons where inmates are incarcerated with no oversight and no hope of escape.
And why, pray tell, would secret agent Kangaroo, with his pocket superpower and bleeding-edge biotech implants, need to infiltrate such a secure facility? Might it be to rescue another spy who's gone radio silent? Or perhaps to extract a high value asset who claims to have been wrongly imprisoned therein? Possibly both?
It's six of one, half a dozen of the other. Questions are a burden to others, and answers a prison for oneself.
What do you want? Information? That would be telling.
Set in the same world as WAYPOINT KANGAROO and KANGAROO TOO, this high-octane science-fiction spy thriller, teeming with adrenaline and intrigue, continues spinning blockbuster outer space adventure.
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2024
11 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Curtis C. Chen
26 books150 followersOnce a Silicon Valley software engineer, CURTIS C. CHEN (陳致宇) now writes speculative fiction and runs puzzle games near Portland, Oregon. His debut novel WAYPOINT KANGAROO (a 2017 Locus Awards Finalist and Endeavour Award Finalist) is a science fiction thriller about a superpowered spy facing his toughest mission yet: vacation. The sequel, KANGAROO TOO, lands our hero on the Moon to confront long-buried secrets.
Curtis' short stories have appeared in Playboy Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, MISSION: TOMORROW, and OREGON READS ALOUD. He is a graduate of the Clarion West and Viable Paradise writers' workshops.
You can find Curtis at Puzzled Pint Portland on the second Tuesday of most every month. And yes, there is a puzzle hidden in each of the KANGAROO book covers! Finding the rabbit holes is left as an exercise for the reader.
Curtis' short stories have appeared in Playboy Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, MISSION: TOMORROW, and OREGON READS ALOUD. He is a graduate of the Clarion West and Viable Paradise writers' workshops.
You can find Curtis at Puzzled Pint Portland on the second Tuesday of most every month. And yes, there is a puzzle hidden in each of the KANGAROO book covers! Finding the rabbit holes is left as an exercise for the reader.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 21, 2024
This is the third book in the series, starting with 'Waypoint Kangaroo'. Kangaroo is the code name for an agent who has the ability to hide and remove objects from a 'pocket' he can open in space/time. It's a mysterious void in the universe that he can access at will, but he doesn't know how it works and he's the only one who can do it.
He's also a wise guy.
There's lots of snark and wisecracks in these books, because Kangaroo didn't really look to become an agent. He's also pretty young and has a somewhat dirty mind. He's well trained though, so besides the pocket he has skills to get out of tight spots.
These are funny, clever secret agent novels. This one is set in the clouds of Venus, where Kangaroo is inserted into a floating prison facility to extract someone. But things go immediately sideways and the prison resembles a village from a well known British TV science fiction series. Kangaroo doesn't recognize it, but the reader does. It's great fun.
Don't start here, though, because there's a spoiler for the second book. Start with 'Waypoint Kangaroo' and see if it appeals to your funny bone.
He's also a wise guy.
There's lots of snark and wisecracks in these books, because Kangaroo didn't really look to become an agent. He's also pretty young and has a somewhat dirty mind. He's well trained though, so besides the pocket he has skills to get out of tight spots.
These are funny, clever secret agent novels. This one is set in the clouds of Venus, where Kangaroo is inserted into a floating prison facility to extract someone. But things go immediately sideways and the prison resembles a village from a well known British TV science fiction series. Kangaroo doesn't recognize it, but the reader does. It's great fun.
Don't start here, though, because there's a spoiler for the second book. Start with 'Waypoint Kangaroo' and see if it appeals to your funny bone.
January 9, 2025
Loved True Blue Kangaroo because I also loved The Prisoner. I remember puzzling over the bizarre references, setting, and sparse explanations of "The Prisoner."
So it was a delight to see Curtis start with that as a backstory and weave it around his own "Kangaroo" character and associates. At first, the reference isn't clear - but it becomes obvious over the course of the story, including the mysterious white blob, ROVOR, numbers-instead-of-names, and everyone's British accent.
Kangaroo is a good read all by itself, but if you want to truly appreciate True Blue Kangaroo, start by watching the seventeen episodes of the British mystery series.
Nicely done, Curtis.
So it was a delight to see Curtis start with that as a backstory and weave it around his own "Kangaroo" character and associates. At first, the reference isn't clear - but it becomes obvious over the course of the story, including the mysterious white blob, ROVOR, numbers-instead-of-names, and everyone's British accent.
Kangaroo is a good read all by itself, but if you want to truly appreciate True Blue Kangaroo, start by watching the seventeen episodes of the British mystery series.
Nicely done, Curtis.
April 16, 2025
4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Kangaroo has a new mission that will take him away from his new girlfriend and send him ... to a secret, maximum security prison. He's not thrilled with the idea, especially because, as expected, things almost immediately go wrong. And this is one weird prison!
Review
Happily, this book brings the Kangaroo series closer to its strengths – engaging characters, light adventure, and humor. It has some flaws, but I enjoyed it.
This installment is a gem for fans of the show The Prisoner – so much so that I wonder what those unaware of the show will make of it. Chen only mentions the show once, and somewhat elliptically, but the derivation is obvious from the moment Kangaroo wakes up at his mission site, and only becomes more evident with time. It’s fun, but I do think non-fans will be fairly baffled. I think Chen may have overplayed this, and the in-story explanation is faint at best.
Kangaroo remains as engaging as ever, though his humor and observations sometimes veer toward the adolescent. It still works here, but – as the story points out – he’s now an adult; he’s going to have to grow up in the next book. Here, though he now has a girlfriend, has sex, etc., he still comes across as a boy. Fun, but starting to wear thin.
The other aspects of the series continue – clever use of Kangaroo’s pocket (not too heavily relied on, which is wise, and there are some plot holes here), humor, and a strong supporting cast. A nice surprise was the bonus story at the end. While these often feel a bit gratuitous, this one fleshes out an aspect of the novel that was highlighted, so it’s a welcome coda to the main story.
I look forward to future Kangaroo books, hopefully with less lag this time.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
Kangaroo has a new mission that will take him away from his new girlfriend and send him ... to a secret, maximum security prison. He's not thrilled with the idea, especially because, as expected, things almost immediately go wrong. And this is one weird prison!
Review
Happily, this book brings the Kangaroo series closer to its strengths – engaging characters, light adventure, and humor. It has some flaws, but I enjoyed it.
This installment is a gem for fans of the show The Prisoner – so much so that I wonder what those unaware of the show will make of it. Chen only mentions the show once, and somewhat elliptically, but the derivation is obvious from the moment Kangaroo wakes up at his mission site, and only becomes more evident with time. It’s fun, but I do think non-fans will be fairly baffled. I think Chen may have overplayed this, and the in-story explanation is faint at best.
Kangaroo remains as engaging as ever, though his humor and observations sometimes veer toward the adolescent. It still works here, but – as the story points out – he’s now an adult; he’s going to have to grow up in the next book. Here, though he now has a girlfriend, has sex, etc., he still comes across as a boy. Fun, but starting to wear thin.
The other aspects of the series continue – clever use of Kangaroo’s pocket (not too heavily relied on, which is wise, and there are some plot holes here), humor, and a strong supporting cast. A nice surprise was the bonus story at the end. While these often feel a bit gratuitous, this one fleshes out an aspect of the novel that was highlighted, so it’s a welcome coda to the main story.
I look forward to future Kangaroo books, hopefully with less lag this time.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2024
If you’re looking for a good sci-fi spy comedy, look no further! (But do yourself a favor and start with book 1. These fast, fun reads can all stand on their own, but there is a long arc building, and why miss out on any of the shenanigans?)
This time out, Kangaroo is trying to maintain a romantic relationship with Ellie, someone he rarely gets to see. So when they’re both assigned to the same mission, that should be a good thing, right? Except Kangaroo is going undercover as a prisoner in a secret prison floating in the clouds of Venus, hoping to rescue an agent in danger and capture a villain thought to be dead. But something weird is going on in Cerulean City, and Kangaroo has to do his job without access to his usual gadgets … or the pocket where he stores them.
I enjoyed Kangaroo’s laid-back, improvisatory manner, and his familiarity with ancient pop culture that I am also familiar with. You don’t have to get the references to get the story, but they add another layer of fun to the proceedings. I found the science of surviving on Venus startling and fascinating. I also appreciated the heartfelt emotion that gets past Kangaroo’s snark. It was a pleasant surprise to have many scenes from Ellie’s point of view while she worked on her part of the mission. Can two spies make it as a couple? Unclear yet, but these two might have a chance. Looking forward to the next in the series!
This time out, Kangaroo is trying to maintain a romantic relationship with Ellie, someone he rarely gets to see. So when they’re both assigned to the same mission, that should be a good thing, right? Except Kangaroo is going undercover as a prisoner in a secret prison floating in the clouds of Venus, hoping to rescue an agent in danger and capture a villain thought to be dead. But something weird is going on in Cerulean City, and Kangaroo has to do his job without access to his usual gadgets … or the pocket where he stores them.
I enjoyed Kangaroo’s laid-back, improvisatory manner, and his familiarity with ancient pop culture that I am also familiar with. You don’t have to get the references to get the story, but they add another layer of fun to the proceedings. I found the science of surviving on Venus startling and fascinating. I also appreciated the heartfelt emotion that gets past Kangaroo’s snark. It was a pleasant surprise to have many scenes from Ellie’s point of view while she worked on her part of the mission. Can two spies make it as a couple? Unclear yet, but these two might have a chance. Looking forward to the next in the series!
September 21, 2025
I still enjoyed Kangaroo and his antics, but I liked the previous books better. A large part of this story has characters acting like they are in an episode of The Prisoner. This isn’t a spoiler. The Prisoner TV show is almost sixty years old. If you’ve seen it, you’ll recognize it in three pages. If you haven’t watched it, it won’t matter to you. I liked The Prisoner, and I appreciate the play on it here, but I thought it went on a bit too long. Overall, however, I did like this, and I am hoping there will be a fourth book.
This is book three in a series. You have to have read the earlier books for this to make sense.
This is book three in a series. You have to have read the earlier books for this to make sense.
September 10, 2025
It's reasonably entertaining, but also pretty damn played out. Pocket, yadda yadda, love interest, yadda yadda, sci-fi, barely. The entire Venusian atmosphere angle almost doesn't matter... he basically infiltrates a remote bad-guy lair/prison and only about 90% of the way through the story does the pilot have to let the corrosive atmosphere in to destroy the thing.
I guess I could have given this three stars, except for the faint but noticeable whiff of woke (it's like rotten eggs but worse.)
I guess I could have given this three stars, except for the faint but noticeable whiff of woke (it's like rotten eggs but worse.)
June 4, 2025
Wasn't as blazingly impressed by this as I was by the earlier books in the series (that said, having just re-read them, I wasn't as impressed by them either this time around). I liked this book, but the extended riff on The Prisoner didn't really do a lot for me and I found much of the events within the prison to be murky and difficult to follow.
February 14, 2025
More space spying, twists & turns and Kangaroo trying his best to emulate being authentic with his love interest. (He's not "faking it", just doesn't know a better way to be.)
Along the way Kangaroo finds himself a Prisoner in a "blue site" on Venus.
Along the way Kangaroo finds himself a Prisoner in a "blue site" on Venus.
July 13, 2025
This is my third time with the character of Kangaroo, and reading adventures is a bit like sitting down with a very competent, snarky friend can trust to come through in a tight spot. Bought this one for a long flight and it kept me entertained for hours. Looking forward to the next one.
October 31, 2024
Kangaroo is finally back!
June 22, 2025
Fun to return to Kangaroo, who is still delightful, but
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews