Logan Hunder’s novel “Astro-nuts” is a comedic voyage around the imagined future of our solar system. The comedy is everywhere you look, but is primarily rooted in the parody of known sci-fi clichés.
The parody is where the author excels. It is clearly their forte, and if it were compared to an art form, Logan would be Leonardo Da Vinci. The riffs are so effective throughout that I’m inclined to explore the author’s other works. I can happily attest to several moments I genuinely began laughing. One of those moments came fairly early.
After being informed about a mysterious object, which assumedly will drive the story, the reader is introduced to the crew of the SS Jefferson. Captain Cox quickly became a favourite character. I caught some Seth MacFarlane vibes emanating from Cox, so much so that I frequently read Cox’s dialogue in Seth’s voice. Much of this story shared many qualities with “The Orville” - unsure if the author is a fan.
Much like Star Trek, the story is best enjoyed as an ensemble of the main crew characters. That being said, my favourite chapter was one that focused on Captain Cox. In contrast, my least favourite chapter featured a lengthy conversation in exaggerated British linguistic styles. It was a bit much to read over such a span.
Occasional descriptions seem to preoccupy the action, yet still allowed for a clear mental picture to develop the scenes. It was around the end of chapter two, going into chapter three, that it became a page-turner for me, and I had begun visualising the story. It was rare from that point on that I felt pulled out of the story, but there were some instances that did happen.
The metaphors are abundant, and they’re good metaphors, but didn’t always add a lot to what had already been explained. The author is a living library of cultural knowledge, as evidenced by a lot of the metaphors and references, but I sometimes wondered if they could have more specifically targeted the sci-fi genre.
I don’t naturally read in an overemphasised voice, so I was caught off guard by some of the times when characters spoke sarcastically, and it required me to review the odd line. Some things were treated very silly.
There are a lot of notable authors, films, series, anime, themes, and games that are considered titans of science fiction. Understandably, not all of them could attend this party, but it would’ve been nice if a few more made the guest list, not necessarily for comedic value, but even just a connection.
The influence of “Spaceballs” is acknowledged, and it’s a film which almost exclusively serves as a Star Wars parody. The story of “Astro-nuts” has a similar flow.
The story probably won't hit on all the marks everyone would look for, but still passed the marksmanship test with flying colours. I ultimately laughed at several moments, which is uncommon in my reading. The characters really do grow on you, and I found it to be a pace that kept picking itself up. There was some tension, as I was brought to the end of my rope wondering about the engineer. The inclusion of parody and satire in literally every paragraph is a feat of its own. It was fun, and I didn’t feel there was anything that would rub anyone the wrong way.