What do you think?
Rate this book
Off Rock
In the year 2778, Jimmy Vik is feeling dissatisfied.
After busting his ass for assorted interstellar mining outfits for close to two decades, downsizing is in the wind, his ex-girlfriend/supervisor is climbing up his back, and daily Jimmy wonders if he’s played his last good hand.
So when Jimmy stumbles upon a significant gold pocket during a routine procedure on Kardashev 7-A, he believes his luck may have changed—larcenously so. But smuggling the gold “off rock” won’t be easy.
To do it, Jimmy will have to contend with a wily criminal partner, a gorgeous covert assassin, the suspicions of his ex, and the less than honorable intentions of an encroaching, rival mining company. As the clock ticks down, treachery and betrayal loom, the body count rises, and soon Jimmy has no idea who to trust.
After busting his ass for assorted interstellar mining outfits for close to two decades, downsizing is in the wind, his ex-girlfriend/supervisor is climbing up his back, and daily Jimmy wonders if he’s played his last good hand.
So when Jimmy stumbles upon a significant gold pocket during a routine procedure on Kardashev 7-A, he believes his luck may have changed—larcenously so. But smuggling the gold “off rock” won’t be easy.
To do it, Jimmy will have to contend with a wily criminal partner, a gorgeous covert assassin, the suspicions of his ex, and the less than honorable intentions of an encroaching, rival mining company. As the clock ticks down, treachery and betrayal loom, the body count rises, and soon Jimmy has no idea who to trust.
311 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2017
48 people are currently reading
686 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
March 27, 2017
Not quite your every day science fiction.
I'll be honest, OFF ROCK almost was a transcendent read for me. It didn't QUITE get there but it was one wild, fun, energetic and oddly cerebral novel. The only thing I can compare it from it the Coen brothers' underrated spy movie BURN AFTER READING. Sure, OFF ROCK happens in space, but it's a satire of corporate reality and its maze of existential dead end. There's ALSO an heist plot, which I thought was the least interesting aspect of it. Heist plots are kind of interchangeable, you know? It's never fun reading through the same variables over and over again. But Kieran Shea "gets" that and the well-planned heist eventually gets off rails (see what I did here?) and OFF ROCK gets fun again.
Not a conventional novel, period. A lot of fun.
I'll be honest, OFF ROCK almost was a transcendent read for me. It didn't QUITE get there but it was one wild, fun, energetic and oddly cerebral novel. The only thing I can compare it from it the Coen brothers' underrated spy movie BURN AFTER READING. Sure, OFF ROCK happens in space, but it's a satire of corporate reality and its maze of existential dead end. There's ALSO an heist plot, which I thought was the least interesting aspect of it. Heist plots are kind of interchangeable, you know? It's never fun reading through the same variables over and over again. But Kieran Shea "gets" that and the well-planned heist eventually gets off rails (see what I did here?) and OFF ROCK gets fun again.
Not a conventional novel, period. A lot of fun.
August 7, 2018
3.5
The book is fun, pulpy and harmless but if you're looking in depth sci fi, this won't be the book for you. I had just come off reading One Way by S.j. Morden and that was a huge underwhelming book, it had promised some genre fun but that wasn't to be the case. This book had a quote that referred it to Firefly, for the people living under a rock, that was a cult classic TV show by Joss Whedon. This book was not Firefly but it was a campy heist book that was sluggish for the first section but dialled down for the final leg, which saved an otherwise pedestrian storyline.
I will compare this to Artemis by Andy Weir, the book has a very similar caper storyline and a saving the station conclusion. It is alarming how many similarities there are in this book and one might wonder if there is a chance for copyright infringement. The biggest difference is Kieran Shea
is not in the league of Andy Weir so many readers wouldn't have chanced on this novel. Kieran Shea lacks that certain depth in the writing to have this as anything more than a crime caper in space. The heist is not the central point of the storyline, don't believe the cover quotations, a massive problem in this day and age. Would I have read this otherwise? Probably not. I didn't check this on Goodreads prior to adding it to my currently reading section, this is when I noticed the reviews.
Kieran Shea has crafted a fun pulp novel that should garner attention to the core fans of the genre out there. It is not a book to recommend to mainstream airport readers, I fear the rating would come down for people who don't appreciate a fun book. The biggest issues I had with the book is the rushed character development and the humour which was promised. The book promised banter but when you look at the quotation, it was by someone at the publishing house, clearly someone attempting to grab the attention of people who are fans of the cult series Firefly.
Why the 3.5?
I don't feel this book attempted to be anything more than a fun pulpy book. I looked into Kieran Shea and the other books look to be pulpy dystopia fiction. Did I want a crazy in depth sci fi adventure? Probably not. Like I have mentioned, I had come off One Way which I had given a rating of 2 and this book was a commitment made to myself. It could have been another failing read or the 3.5 I have ended up with. I'm unsure if I will check out other works by Kieran Shea but time will tell, I have too many books sitting on my shelf that have high reviews and recommendations. This book was quick and a good distraction from the commuters on the train. If you're looking for an airport novel, one that isn't a boring cliché murder mystery, you might find something here.
My next book is Non-Stop by Brian Aldiss, which is part of the SF masterworks I like to find. I had started The Gift of Hadrborg by James Fadeley but it is a little hard to read on the train.
The book is fun, pulpy and harmless but if you're looking in depth sci fi, this won't be the book for you. I had just come off reading One Way by S.j. Morden and that was a huge underwhelming book, it had promised some genre fun but that wasn't to be the case. This book had a quote that referred it to Firefly, for the people living under a rock, that was a cult classic TV show by Joss Whedon. This book was not Firefly but it was a campy heist book that was sluggish for the first section but dialled down for the final leg, which saved an otherwise pedestrian storyline.
I will compare this to Artemis by Andy Weir, the book has a very similar caper storyline and a saving the station conclusion. It is alarming how many similarities there are in this book and one might wonder if there is a chance for copyright infringement. The biggest difference is Kieran Shea
is not in the league of Andy Weir so many readers wouldn't have chanced on this novel. Kieran Shea lacks that certain depth in the writing to have this as anything more than a crime caper in space. The heist is not the central point of the storyline, don't believe the cover quotations, a massive problem in this day and age. Would I have read this otherwise? Probably not. I didn't check this on Goodreads prior to adding it to my currently reading section, this is when I noticed the reviews.
Kieran Shea has crafted a fun pulp novel that should garner attention to the core fans of the genre out there. It is not a book to recommend to mainstream airport readers, I fear the rating would come down for people who don't appreciate a fun book. The biggest issues I had with the book is the rushed character development and the humour which was promised. The book promised banter but when you look at the quotation, it was by someone at the publishing house, clearly someone attempting to grab the attention of people who are fans of the cult series Firefly.
Why the 3.5?
I don't feel this book attempted to be anything more than a fun pulpy book. I looked into Kieran Shea and the other books look to be pulpy dystopia fiction. Did I want a crazy in depth sci fi adventure? Probably not. Like I have mentioned, I had come off One Way which I had given a rating of 2 and this book was a commitment made to myself. It could have been another failing read or the 3.5 I have ended up with. I'm unsure if I will check out other works by Kieran Shea but time will tell, I have too many books sitting on my shelf that have high reviews and recommendations. This book was quick and a good distraction from the commuters on the train. If you're looking for an airport novel, one that isn't a boring cliché murder mystery, you might find something here.
My next book is Non-Stop by Brian Aldiss, which is part of the SF masterworks I like to find. I had started The Gift of Hadrborg by James Fadeley but it is a little hard to read on the train.
April 5, 2019
A fun sci-fi heist-like novel set far into the future where mankind has conquered the stars.
When Jimmy Vik, an off-world mining grunt, stumbles upon, what he presumes to be a vast gold depository, the temptation proves irresistible; a chance to change his life (and potentially end it if caught) beckons.
Hindering his plans for wealth, is the fact that the discovery of any mineral of value is owned by a big bad greedy corporation aka Jimmy’s employer, so taking this windfall for himself is a bad idea; one which author Keiran Shea builds this fun story around. Jimmy’s only real dilemma (you, know, aside from potentially ending up dead), is how to get the gold off-world and back to Earth. Enter local sleaze-bag smuggler undesirable-type character, Jok. From there is highs, lows, mobsters, assassins, and space shuttle sabotage.
The free flowing narrative suites the nature of the characters perfectly, despite the dire situations they find themselves in, the major tend to subscribe to a lackadaisical trait taking setbacks and hurdles in their stride. For such a smooth moving story there’s quite a bit of character development, I couldn’t help but find myself cheering for Jimmy, wanting him to succeed.
My rating: 3.5/5 stars. A fun, entertaining lite-sci-fi read.
When Jimmy Vik, an off-world mining grunt, stumbles upon, what he presumes to be a vast gold depository, the temptation proves irresistible; a chance to change his life (and potentially end it if caught) beckons.
Hindering his plans for wealth, is the fact that the discovery of any mineral of value is owned by a big bad greedy corporation aka Jimmy’s employer, so taking this windfall for himself is a bad idea; one which author Keiran Shea builds this fun story around. Jimmy’s only real dilemma (you, know, aside from potentially ending up dead), is how to get the gold off-world and back to Earth. Enter local sleaze-bag smuggler undesirable-type character, Jok. From there is highs, lows, mobsters, assassins, and space shuttle sabotage.
The free flowing narrative suites the nature of the characters perfectly, despite the dire situations they find themselves in, the major tend to subscribe to a lackadaisical trait taking setbacks and hurdles in their stride. For such a smooth moving story there’s quite a bit of character development, I couldn’t help but find myself cheering for Jimmy, wanting him to succeed.
My rating: 3.5/5 stars. A fun, entertaining lite-sci-fi read.
May 12, 2019
At first blush, the rabble-rousing fun and ludicrous details of Off Rock, by Kieran Shea, reminded me a bit of Douglas Adams'
Hitchhiker's Guide
trilogy (all four parts), as well as the long-running TV show "Futurama" (Off Rock even has a character named Leela as well!). But don't be fooled into thinking that this is just a slapstick heist saga in outer space. There may be Code Zulu klaxons sounding throughout the Azoick Surface Operational Command Center on the Cyclopean-Class moon Kardashev 7-A because competing mining conglomerate Enlai has sent an Omega-Class intercept ship to obliterate the entire colony in an act of corporate sabotage and mass murder – but there is real heart and real pathos here, so the overall effect, fantastical though it might be, never comes off as merely camp. All of the characters are well-written and not shoehorned into the typical good guy / bad guy tropes, so while we may not be able to relate to the space opera setting, the people we meet within it are both entertaining and completely believable. We reflexively root for Jimmy, the book's hapless, shiftless protagonist, despite his multiple imperfections and rather substantial moral failings. I don't want to spoil too much about the other characters, but let's just say that even the villains have interesting backstories and surprising, even likeable humanity to them.
A heist story at its core, the plot of Off Rock was tight and well thought-out; I am only dinging it a bit because I felt like it could have been more suspenseful, and because the pacing was a bit uneven. My only reservation in wholeheartedly recommending this quick-to-read outer space caper would be the ending. I liked it, but it might not be others' cup of tea; naturally I can't say more without spoiling, but I can say that even if you wind up not being a fan of the ending, it won't detract from your enjoyment of the rest of the novel. All in all, Off Rock is a thoroughly fun sci-fi romp with inventive and enveloping world building, believable (if eccentric) characters, and great, mood-setting writing.
3.75 stars.
I received a finished copy of this book at no cost from the publisher, Titan Books, via Goodreads Giveaways.
A heist story at its core, the plot of Off Rock was tight and well thought-out; I am only dinging it a bit because I felt like it could have been more suspenseful, and because the pacing was a bit uneven. My only reservation in wholeheartedly recommending this quick-to-read outer space caper would be the ending. I liked it, but it might not be others' cup of tea; naturally I can't say more without spoiling, but I can say that even if you wind up not being a fan of the ending, it won't detract from your enjoyment of the rest of the novel. All in all, Off Rock is a thoroughly fun sci-fi romp with inventive and enveloping world building, believable (if eccentric) characters, and great, mood-setting writing.
3.75 stars.
I received a finished copy of this book at no cost from the publisher, Titan Books, via Goodreads Giveaways.
September 5, 2017
Jimmy Vik works for an outer space mining company, drilling what needs drilling out of asteroids and such. His ex-girlfriend is his boss, which complicates things when he finds a vein of gold in his mining shaft, and comes up with the grand idea to smuggle it off the rock to live high on the hog. The problem is, smuggling something off the rock is a lot more complicated than it looks, and as every potential smuggler already knows, it never goes as planned.
Off Rock is a heist novel, and pretty much nothing else. Shea tells an engaging, ripping tale, but he sacrifices characterization and theme for his plot. Near the end of the book, he tries to give the story a point, but it feels clumsy and forced, and it's ultimately unnecessary, since the story doesn't require one. We're simply along for the ride, and aren't looking for anything deeper than "Will he pull this off?"
Jimmy's ex-girlfriend, Leela, is a bit troublesome, not because she's his boss, but because her character takes an about-face near the end of the story. There's a reason for it, but it doesn't feel true, and it feels like Shea forced it in there because he needed it, to give the story a (kind of) happy ending. The other secondary characters also serve their purpose, but feel inserted into the events, again because Shea needed it, not because the characters were significant enough on their own.
The beginning of the book has a lot of info-dumps through dialogue, making the characters sound unnatural. I work in IT, so I get that some conversations require passing along a lot of technical information, but somehow these didn't feel realistic. Beyond that, the dialogue focuses on the heist, and is less necessary to relay a lot of information to the reader (or I just stopped noticing it), but it was tough getting into the book at the start.
Regardless, Off Rock is a romp of a read. It doesn't try to be anything else than fun, and even if Shea gets a little bogged down in the snarkiness and irreverence of his characters, he still succeeds. I'm not sure if it's the kind of book that encourages me to read everything else he's read, but if you're looking for the science fiction equivalent of a beach read, Off Rock is it.
Off Rock is a heist novel, and pretty much nothing else. Shea tells an engaging, ripping tale, but he sacrifices characterization and theme for his plot. Near the end of the book, he tries to give the story a point, but it feels clumsy and forced, and it's ultimately unnecessary, since the story doesn't require one. We're simply along for the ride, and aren't looking for anything deeper than "Will he pull this off?"
Jimmy's ex-girlfriend, Leela, is a bit troublesome, not because she's his boss, but because her character takes an about-face near the end of the story. There's a reason for it, but it doesn't feel true, and it feels like Shea forced it in there because he needed it, to give the story a (kind of) happy ending. The other secondary characters also serve their purpose, but feel inserted into the events, again because Shea needed it, not because the characters were significant enough on their own.
The beginning of the book has a lot of info-dumps through dialogue, making the characters sound unnatural. I work in IT, so I get that some conversations require passing along a lot of technical information, but somehow these didn't feel realistic. Beyond that, the dialogue focuses on the heist, and is less necessary to relay a lot of information to the reader (or I just stopped noticing it), but it was tough getting into the book at the start.
Regardless, Off Rock is a romp of a read. It doesn't try to be anything else than fun, and even if Shea gets a little bogged down in the snarkiness and irreverence of his characters, he still succeeds. I'm not sure if it's the kind of book that encourages me to read everything else he's read, but if you're looking for the science fiction equivalent of a beach read, Off Rock is it.
July 11, 2020
The problem with going to space is that it is calamitously expensive-the desire to expand human knowledge is seemingly not sufficient to merit a full court press. Space is full of natural treasures-imagine the minerals the Asteroid Belt alone could yield. But it is cost prohibitive at our current level of technology to go get those resources. But what if that changed? This has been a constant trope in science fiction almost since it's inception, with various writers such as Jack Vance, Robert A Heinlein and Texas' own John Varley offering their takes on what it would be like to make a living "out there" by practicing space mining. Now add Kieron Shea to that list, and he deserves to be in such illustrious company. In Off Rock Shea has envisioned a future in which space mining is commonplace. ("It's just my job, five days a week."--Elton john.) In 2778 it is actually cheaper to send humans to space than it is to send robots-because they are more expendable than expensive equipment. Everything is ultimately controlled by your friendly neighborhood corporate employer, in the worst case you can imagine of owing "my soul to the company store." The punishment for a serious infraction of company policy such as stealing? Medical experimentation and vivisection-probably sans anesthetic. When Jimmy Vik is idly working a demolition job while contemplating if he has wasted his entire adult life and he finds a vein of nearly pure gold surveys missed, you can imagine what he decides to do. This sets off a catastrophic chain of events no one could have envisioned. Off Rock is what I call a "caper" or "heist" novel, a genre I normally detest, but Shea pulls it off with aplomb. Off Rock is a fast moving and fun read I really enjoyed.
April 22, 2017
Nothing particularly bad, nothing exactly standout. I hyped this one too much in my head before its release, I think.
May 21, 2017
DNF. Not terrible (in fact, has earmarks of a decent caper), but I just couldn't get into it. May give it another try sometime.
January 10, 2022
2,5* but because of the humor 3* on Goodreads.
June 21, 2025
An okay heist-esque caper in space except with a few annoying plot holes here and there.
June 26, 2018
If you read enough science fiction, you soon discover writers who like to do a little genre mixing. One such writer is Kieran Shea, who has mixed his sci-fi with the caper genre and come up with "Off Rock." The story revolves around one Jimmy Vik, a mining technician working in deep space. In the course of his daily grind on a small planetary object, Jimmy discovers a pocket of gold. Jimmy, after getting over being amazed, realizes that finding gold is one thing; getting it off the small planetary object and back to Earth is another. Jimmy now has to enlist some help, and the caper is off and running. I found "Off Rock" to be a fun read and highly recommend it for a lazy summer afternoon.
July 4, 2017
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Kieran Shea's Off Rock is, pardon my language, one hell of a good, pulpy and deliciously quirky science fiction novel for adults, because it's pure escapism from start to finish. When I started reading it, I found myself thoroughly engaged by the story and its many twists and turns. It's been a while since I've read as enjoyable and entertaining a science fiction novel as this one, because it was a lot of fun.
Because I'm fond of good heist stories, I was eager to read Off Rock. It seemed like the kind of a novel that would interest me and my instincts were correct, because I found everything about it enjoyable. It was exactly the kind of an entertaining heist story that I expected it to be.
Perhaps the best way to describe Off Rock is to say that it feels like a wild hybrid of classic heist films (Ocean's Eleven etc) and certain films made by the Coen brothers with a tiny dash of Firefly, Harry Harrison's The Stainless Steel Rat and pulp fiction thrown into the mix, because the story is enjoyable and author's humour is of the quirky variety.
Off Rock is a story about Jimmy Vik, who has spent nearly two decades working for deep-space mining companies and wonders if he has wasted the better part of his life. When he suddenly finds a significant gold pocket during a routine mining operation in the Kappa Quadrant on a Cyclopean-Class moon known as Kardashev 7-A, he believes that his luck may have finally changed and he might be able to live the rest of his life in relative leisure. However, smuggling the gold "off rock" is anything but easy and straightforward, because there are risks. The penalties for keeping information from the mining company Azoick and stealing from them may lead to incarceration and medical experimentation. Jimmy has to find a way to move the gold without anyone finding out about it. He teams up with a man called Jock Roscoe, who's no stranger to shady deeds...
I won't write more about the story, but I'll mention that if you're into heist stories, you'll love the unfolding story and the ending.
The characterisation works well, because the author sheds light on the protagonists' backgrounds and fleshes out certain aspects of their lives. He easily creates a fascinating and quirky cast of characters that ranges from smugglers to covert assassins.
Jimmy Vik is a well-created character and a fascinating protagonist, because he is anything but perfect. He is 35 years old and thinks that he has wasted his life. Finding the gold pocket makes him question his situation, because taking a huge risk may pay off and he might get an opportunity to enjoy life on his own terms.
Leelawati "Leela" Pendergast is Jimmy's ex-girlfriend who now works as his supervisor. She doesn't understand why Jimmy suddenly broke up with her, because they were good together and their relationship seemed to work well, and it affects her way of dealing with Jimmy.
Piper Kollár is a gorgeous and striking blonde. She works as an agent and an assassin for the Chimeric Circle. She took the liquidation gig, because she and her fiancé need money. The compensation from the gig will more than cover their nuptials and their honeymoon, and it will also reduce the mortgage on their new apartment.
Jock Roscoe is a shady and tattooed man who knows a lot about how to cheat people and how to get things - even difficult ones - done. He has big debts that keep on haunting him.
Zaafer Daavi is a tech guy who has a candy fetish. He loves candy and binge-eats them.
There isn't much worldbuilding in this novel, but I find it a good thing, because the main focus is on the story and the characters. The author nicely focuses on keeping tight reins on the plot and doesn't waste time on elements that would hinder the development of the happenings. It's great that the author takes his time to develop things, because in this kind of stories it's essential to have a good and thoroughly designed plot. When things get rolling, the author delivers all the goods and then some.
Kieran Shea writes fluently about trust issues, because Jimmy has to wonder who to trust. It was fun to read about how Jimmy kept things secret and wondered how much information he should reveal to others. The author also writes well about what happens between Jimmy and Leela, because things are delicate between them due to their abrupt breakup.
Just like all the best heist stories, Off Rock truly begins to shine when things go bad and the characters have to deal with what happens. That's when the real fun begins. I won't go into details about the happenings, but I can reveal that readers are in for quite a ride.
Kieran Shea's writing style feels energetic and fresh. He writes fast-paced prose that is easy to like and fun to read. His writing style strongly reminds me of old pulp classics and classic crime stories. I find it refreshing that he dares to write pure entertainment in an unapologetic way and has a keen eye for bad-assery.
In this novel, Kieran Shea combines many elements in a highly enjoyable way. He uses elements taken from classic screwball comedies, heist stories and sci-fi films to create a story that is filled with intriguing moments, humour, action and adventure. There are a few scenes which can be seen as appreciative nods towards classic heist films.
I give this novel full five stars for its entertainment values. I look forward to reading more novels by Kieran Shea, because he clearly has a talent for writing this kind of science fiction. I haven't yet had an opportunity to take a look at his Koko novels, but I intend to read them soon, because I've heard nothing but good of them.
If you're in need of addictive summer reading, you should read Kieran Shea's Off Rock, because it's an unputdownable reading experience. When you're enjoying the peace and quiet of a hot summer day and want to be thoroughly entertained by a good and exciting story, Off Rock is a perfect companion to you.
Excellent escapism!
Kieran Shea's Off Rock is, pardon my language, one hell of a good, pulpy and deliciously quirky science fiction novel for adults, because it's pure escapism from start to finish. When I started reading it, I found myself thoroughly engaged by the story and its many twists and turns. It's been a while since I've read as enjoyable and entertaining a science fiction novel as this one, because it was a lot of fun.
Because I'm fond of good heist stories, I was eager to read Off Rock. It seemed like the kind of a novel that would interest me and my instincts were correct, because I found everything about it enjoyable. It was exactly the kind of an entertaining heist story that I expected it to be.
Perhaps the best way to describe Off Rock is to say that it feels like a wild hybrid of classic heist films (Ocean's Eleven etc) and certain films made by the Coen brothers with a tiny dash of Firefly, Harry Harrison's The Stainless Steel Rat and pulp fiction thrown into the mix, because the story is enjoyable and author's humour is of the quirky variety.
Off Rock is a story about Jimmy Vik, who has spent nearly two decades working for deep-space mining companies and wonders if he has wasted the better part of his life. When he suddenly finds a significant gold pocket during a routine mining operation in the Kappa Quadrant on a Cyclopean-Class moon known as Kardashev 7-A, he believes that his luck may have finally changed and he might be able to live the rest of his life in relative leisure. However, smuggling the gold "off rock" is anything but easy and straightforward, because there are risks. The penalties for keeping information from the mining company Azoick and stealing from them may lead to incarceration and medical experimentation. Jimmy has to find a way to move the gold without anyone finding out about it. He teams up with a man called Jock Roscoe, who's no stranger to shady deeds...
I won't write more about the story, but I'll mention that if you're into heist stories, you'll love the unfolding story and the ending.
The characterisation works well, because the author sheds light on the protagonists' backgrounds and fleshes out certain aspects of their lives. He easily creates a fascinating and quirky cast of characters that ranges from smugglers to covert assassins.
Jimmy Vik is a well-created character and a fascinating protagonist, because he is anything but perfect. He is 35 years old and thinks that he has wasted his life. Finding the gold pocket makes him question his situation, because taking a huge risk may pay off and he might get an opportunity to enjoy life on his own terms.
Leelawati "Leela" Pendergast is Jimmy's ex-girlfriend who now works as his supervisor. She doesn't understand why Jimmy suddenly broke up with her, because they were good together and their relationship seemed to work well, and it affects her way of dealing with Jimmy.
Piper Kollár is a gorgeous and striking blonde. She works as an agent and an assassin for the Chimeric Circle. She took the liquidation gig, because she and her fiancé need money. The compensation from the gig will more than cover their nuptials and their honeymoon, and it will also reduce the mortgage on their new apartment.
Jock Roscoe is a shady and tattooed man who knows a lot about how to cheat people and how to get things - even difficult ones - done. He has big debts that keep on haunting him.
Zaafer Daavi is a tech guy who has a candy fetish. He loves candy and binge-eats them.
There isn't much worldbuilding in this novel, but I find it a good thing, because the main focus is on the story and the characters. The author nicely focuses on keeping tight reins on the plot and doesn't waste time on elements that would hinder the development of the happenings. It's great that the author takes his time to develop things, because in this kind of stories it's essential to have a good and thoroughly designed plot. When things get rolling, the author delivers all the goods and then some.
Kieran Shea writes fluently about trust issues, because Jimmy has to wonder who to trust. It was fun to read about how Jimmy kept things secret and wondered how much information he should reveal to others. The author also writes well about what happens between Jimmy and Leela, because things are delicate between them due to their abrupt breakup.
Just like all the best heist stories, Off Rock truly begins to shine when things go bad and the characters have to deal with what happens. That's when the real fun begins. I won't go into details about the happenings, but I can reveal that readers are in for quite a ride.
Kieran Shea's writing style feels energetic and fresh. He writes fast-paced prose that is easy to like and fun to read. His writing style strongly reminds me of old pulp classics and classic crime stories. I find it refreshing that he dares to write pure entertainment in an unapologetic way and has a keen eye for bad-assery.
In this novel, Kieran Shea combines many elements in a highly enjoyable way. He uses elements taken from classic screwball comedies, heist stories and sci-fi films to create a story that is filled with intriguing moments, humour, action and adventure. There are a few scenes which can be seen as appreciative nods towards classic heist films.
I give this novel full five stars for its entertainment values. I look forward to reading more novels by Kieran Shea, because he clearly has a talent for writing this kind of science fiction. I haven't yet had an opportunity to take a look at his Koko novels, but I intend to read them soon, because I've heard nothing but good of them.
If you're in need of addictive summer reading, you should read Kieran Shea's Off Rock, because it's an unputdownable reading experience. When you're enjoying the peace and quiet of a hot summer day and want to be thoroughly entertained by a good and exciting story, Off Rock is a perfect companion to you.
Excellent escapism!
June 18, 2017
Well. This was not perfect. Minuses: kind of an obnoxious writing style, which bothered me most at the beginning and at the end. The sentences describing inner thoughts of characters were pretty awkward. Not so great character development--the main character makes a very sudden unexplained change that bothered me. So. No 5 star here.
Pluses: Wow. VERY fun and fast-paced story in the middle that made me completely forget about the writing awkwardness for a large part of the book.
Verdict: Fun, fast sci-fi fluff, makes for a nice hot summer's day read.
Pluses: Wow. VERY fun and fast-paced story in the middle that made me completely forget about the writing awkwardness for a large part of the book.
Verdict: Fun, fast sci-fi fluff, makes for a nice hot summer's day read.
April 30, 2017
Enjoyed it tremendously. The characters immediately jump off the page, fully-fleshed and ready to go. Fast-paced, brisk and always engaging.
September 3, 2022
A quirky sci-fi heist tale, Off Rock by Kieran Shea manages to cram a lot of action and drama into its efficient packaging. Kind of like a spaceship, in fact, or a deep space mining shaft. It has a bit of a Red Dwarf feel to it, crossed with The Stainless Steel Rat, with a touch of Office Space . . . in space.
Jimmy Vik isn't a bad guy, but he lacks ambition, isn't good with relationships, and has a tenuous grasp on morality. When he stumbles across a vein of gold while planting charges for a demolition, he suddenly sees a way out of his dead-end job. It's dangerous, but the payoff is worth it. The only problem is he's going to need help - and not the kind that can be easily trusted.
The quirky factor here comes in the form of the characters, including your stock smuggler with a gambling problem, a deliberately stereotypical third-world grunt with a candy fetish, and a blonde bombshell assassin. Beneath all that quirkiness is a sharp-edged corporate satire that rides the coattails of Jimmy's relationship with Leela, his ex-girlfriend and now-supervisor.
Like any great heist caper, of course, where Off Rock gets good is when everything goes bad. To say that nobody can be trusted and that everything goes spectacularly wrong is an understatement. It's a slow-burning tale for the most part, but the final third races along to an explosive conclusion. I burned through it in an afternoon, and the twists at end were brilliant.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Jimmy Vik isn't a bad guy, but he lacks ambition, isn't good with relationships, and has a tenuous grasp on morality. When he stumbles across a vein of gold while planting charges for a demolition, he suddenly sees a way out of his dead-end job. It's dangerous, but the payoff is worth it. The only problem is he's going to need help - and not the kind that can be easily trusted.
The quirky factor here comes in the form of the characters, including your stock smuggler with a gambling problem, a deliberately stereotypical third-world grunt with a candy fetish, and a blonde bombshell assassin. Beneath all that quirkiness is a sharp-edged corporate satire that rides the coattails of Jimmy's relationship with Leela, his ex-girlfriend and now-supervisor.
Like any great heist caper, of course, where Off Rock gets good is when everything goes bad. To say that nobody can be trusted and that everything goes spectacularly wrong is an understatement. It's a slow-burning tale for the most part, but the final third races along to an explosive conclusion. I burned through it in an afternoon, and the twists at end were brilliant.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.
May 7, 2017
This is a quick action piece, half heist story, half film noir, with all of the extraneous bits cut out so we can get down to the action. It's an action movie in book form, and if you go in with that mindset it's a lot of fun.
It's a bit similar to classic Westerns like High Noon, with the focus on a main guy and his less-than-perfect life colliding with serious criminal badasses, but if Gary Cooper were a ne'er-do-well who lacks motivation until he sees an opportunity to get rich via a small score, bringing him into contact with some truly shady characters.
All of this set against corporate indifference on a mining facility in the far reaches of space. Come to think of it, it's quite a bit like the movie Outlander, which took its inspiration from High Noon. I wouldn't be surprised if Shea watched that film a couple times and decided to put his own spin on it.
Overall it's fast and fun, and he occasionally throws in two-dollar words like "salubrious" just to let you know there's more than meets the eye. :p
It's a bit similar to classic Westerns like High Noon, with the focus on a main guy and his less-than-perfect life colliding with serious criminal badasses, but if Gary Cooper were a ne'er-do-well who lacks motivation until he sees an opportunity to get rich via a small score, bringing him into contact with some truly shady characters.
All of this set against corporate indifference on a mining facility in the far reaches of space. Come to think of it, it's quite a bit like the movie Outlander, which took its inspiration from High Noon. I wouldn't be surprised if Shea watched that film a couple times and decided to put his own spin on it.
Overall it's fast and fun, and he occasionally throws in two-dollar words like "salubrious" just to let you know there's more than meets the eye. :p
December 30, 2017
It's not an extremely long or particularly thought provoking read, but I did enjoy it. I don't wanna give away any spoilers but it essentially follows a guy named Jimmy whose not really down on his luck, but isn't doing so great either. He happens to stumble across some gold and lays a plan to steal it from his employer and bring it home so he can get out of the mining business.
One of this novels strengths is that it manages to have a cast of criminal characters without being too cheesey and cliched about it. And Jimmy is a likeable enough everyman. He doesn't strike me as extremely sharp some of the time, but he definitely is not dumb either.
It's a pretty short book and I'm not sure how much longer I would want it to be, but I felt like there could have been a little bit more "world building" and details on what life is like for the miners and the kind of world they inhabit. For some reason as reading it I was kind of left with a vague impression of what the mining station would have been like and living life on it and it sort of detracted from the book a bit for me.
One of this novels strengths is that it manages to have a cast of criminal characters without being too cheesey and cliched about it. And Jimmy is a likeable enough everyman. He doesn't strike me as extremely sharp some of the time, but he definitely is not dumb either.
It's a pretty short book and I'm not sure how much longer I would want it to be, but I felt like there could have been a little bit more "world building" and details on what life is like for the miners and the kind of world they inhabit. For some reason as reading it I was kind of left with a vague impression of what the mining station would have been like and living life on it and it sort of detracted from the book a bit for me.
March 8, 2018
I took a chance on this book because I saw some positive reviews touting it as a "bank heist in space." First, it's not exactly that. It's more like "inventory shrinkage in space." Second, I didn't really care for the writing (the author seems to have a "word a day" calendar, and I got tired of hearing darkness described as "tenebrous" rather than "shadowy" and there's also a point where a character senses a "liminal slipstream" between himself and another character). Third, while the plot was just silly for the most part, it wasn't really silly enough to function as a comedy (which would have also been fine). The good news is that there is still a wide opening for someone to write a good science fiction crime caper novel.
I gave it two stars because it was a pretty quick read, but I really didn't care for it.
I gave it two stars because it was a pretty quick read, but I really didn't care for it.
June 9, 2018
Shea, Kieran. Off Rock. Kindle, 2017.
I picked up Off Rock because I remember liking the first novel in the Koko series. But this one needed a few more drafts at the very least. Our hero is a disgruntled minor somewhere in interstellar space. He wants to smuggle gold back to earth so he can retire. So far so good. But the characters are all clichés that one might find in a pulp western. Very little attention has been paid to world building. Why is gold more valuable than, say, rare earths? The style endeavors to be hip and punky, but the jokes don’t fit the characters. 2 stars.
August 3, 2017
3.5.
This book was good, and had the potential to be great. This is a fluffy fast paced science fiction heist novel with just the right amount of wry humor for me. I enjoyed jimmy and Leela most of the time - the only problem being that I never really understood their relationship.
I wanted there to be more to this book, but that may be a personal issue- really very little is wrong with the book. If you're looking for a light and fun sf summer read, this will work.
This book was good, and had the potential to be great. This is a fluffy fast paced science fiction heist novel with just the right amount of wry humor for me. I enjoyed jimmy and Leela most of the time - the only problem being that I never really understood their relationship.
I wanted there to be more to this book, but that may be a personal issue- really very little is wrong with the book. If you're looking for a light and fun sf summer read, this will work.
May 23, 2017
I kept hoping this would get better, but it never did. None of the characters' motivations made sense throughout the entire book, and the entire setting was a bit poorly imagined. There were good 'space caper' seeds planted in the first few chapters but they were never fully realized. Everything ended up seeming far too convenient and unlikely.
November 12, 2017
2.5 stars. I was really disappointed overall. This should have been much better. There were moments of greatness within and I think if the author spent more time focusing on the better aspects of his writing, this could have been really good. Instead, it read more like a YA novel with some bad words sprinkled in to keep it off the YA lists.
May 16, 2018
I'm not a caper fan, so the story didn't do much for me in the interest and originality department. But what kept me going was the snappy, punchy, occasionally raunchy writing style (the dialogue is first rate), and a solid, extremely likable couple in protagonists Jimmy & Leela. This might not have ticked all my boxes, but I think I'll read another Kieran Shea novel in the future.
February 21, 2019
This was my first time reading a book from Kieran Shea and I definitely can't wait to read more. The book was well paced with an interesting plot that was executed by a small three dimensional group of characters. My only gripe with the book was the use of a lot of terminology that was never explained or explained more.
November 1, 2021
Jimmy Vik is an asteroid miner who thinks he's going to make his big score. Leela is his ex-girlfriend and too much of prig to be believable. The rest of the characters are straight out of central casting and there's nothing very interesting in this story. The writing isn't brilliant, but it's not terrible. It's an average novel.
February 28, 2022
A close 3 stars. Okayish but no more than that.
~
☆
~
I was kind of missing a plot here. It was a light read and the author knows how to play with words and conversations. Still, the characters didn't speak to me, didn't develop and the story kept vague and a bit chaotic. It's a nice light sci-fi read.
~
☆
~
I was kind of missing a plot here. It was a light read and the author knows how to play with words and conversations. Still, the characters didn't speak to me, didn't develop and the story kept vague and a bit chaotic. It's a nice light sci-fi read.
February 1, 2018
A quick and easy read, a well written and fun romp in space with pretty well fleshed out main characters considering the book's brevity. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will look out for more from Kieran Shea.
July 18, 2018
Off Rock. Smart. Intelligent. A great robbery story for the future. A fast paced novel that pours action and all the elements of a good heist story. The grunt world set in the future gives great insight to how future mining companies could very well operate. Read this book. Have fun with it.
April 14, 2021
Not a bad book, truly funny in a couple places, but felt like it was trying too hard, especially with all the made up sci-fi vocabulary. “Quick! Get an aziotic trans-scooter into the centaurian circle!” Pleah.
May 7, 2017
I wouldn't think you could ruin a space heist book that badly, but there you go. One extra star for the concept.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews