Song of the Space Siren

Space Team #4

by Barry J. Hutchison

"On par with Douglas Adams" - ReadcommendationsCal Carver and his Space Team may have lost their ship, but they haven't lost their knack for attracting trouble.

Just hours after setting foot on a new planet, Cal and the crew find themselves caught up in an interplanetary kidnapping plot. Reuniting the suspiciously-silent young victim with her parents on their far-off home world will make Cal rich beyond his wildest dreams. Unfortunately, half the pirates and bounty hunters in the galaxy have the same idea, and they're more than happy to take the girl by force.With their experimental new ship plagued by problems, a deranged space-warlord determined to watch Cal eating his own arm, and a whole lot of galaxy to get through, Space Team is about to embark on its most dangerous mission yet.The fourth hilarious instalment in the bestselling Space Team scifi adventure series, and the perfect jumping-on point for new readers.

Genres: Science Fiction, Audiobook, Humor, Fiction, Space Opera, Comedy, Fantasy

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2017

About the author

Barry J. Hutchison is an award-winning author, screenwriter and writer of comics. Having written over 70 books for children and teenagers, Barry is now writing books for adults. Space Team is his first grown-up novel.

Barry lives in the Highlands of Scotland with his wife, two children, and irritatingly upbeat dog.

Reviews

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

07/02/2018 Mini-Review:

I don't ever expect this series to be all that serious because the overall tone is very light but it has surprising depth in the characters, world and layers of humor. The general play of events make you think that the cast and plot is fairly straight forward. Then all of the details pile up into this intricate whole that draws out real reactions. Some responses surprise me because I didn't think I would feel or think that way.

I like it! Action, idiotic humor and the zest to do the right thing-most of the time. They save a young girl, turn a whole world upside down, zap a bad guy and run foul of a big baddie. You know, the usual. I can't wait to see what war will do the gang or how they will end up turning a war inside out.

[Narilka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any time I need a funny pick me up, I know it's time to read another Space Team book. Song of the Space Siren did not disappoint. In fact, I'm impressed with how touching it ended up being in addition to the zany fun. In Space Team fashion the team manages to wreck a crime scene, rescue a young girl, turn a civilization upside down, anger a super creepy mad scientist and still manage to save a planet from a big monster. I think Cal may be having heroic tendencies! Kevin remains the best/worst ship AI of all time. And Splurt is still my favorite.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Phil Tron. I love Tron's performance for these books.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I figured it out while reading this book. Hutchison is an absolute pro, at ending each chapter, or paragraph break with a small cliff hanger. I say to myself, ok I'll finish this chapter and go do this, or finish this chapter and go to sleep, you get the picture. Every time I get to the end of one of those though, I find myself screaming, WHAT HAPPENS?!! So I can't stop reading right there, I have to keep plowing on and find out what happened. I can't say that every single chapter in all the books written by Hutchison are action packed, although there is a ton of action. It just feels like he has a way of making every chapter feel urgent and full of good information to drive the story along, there never feels like there is a lull in the story when I'm reading. I actually started this novel at 8 am, read for an hour and then worked on the projects I had for my house that day. Later on, I picked it up and couldn't put it down, I finished it at around midnight. This series is a fantastic, laugh out loud, action adventure series. I urge you to give the first book a try and you'll immediately be hooked. That's a Cal Carver guarantee!

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was fun.

World: The world building is solid. Once again building on the tropes of the genre and spinning it on it's head. The new locale and the new alien race was interesting and not wholly new but still fun.

Story: Great pacing and humor. Banter once again was awesome. I laughed out loud when Cal had his gun at the start. The series is good. It knows what it is, it's self aware and it's just out to have a good time.

Characters: Interesting new characters and fits the genre to a T. Not a lot of development for the main cast but that's fine.

Lol.

Onward to the next book!

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

High literature this ain't, but it is a fun read with loveable characters who have a surprising amount of depth living in a world (well, galaxy) with a surprising amount of consistency for a comedic sci-fi series. Headed off to Book 5 now...

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storylines are becoming more and more generic, relying on basic, overused formulas. My teen son still loves the stories, but I'm becoming a bit bored of them. The characters are still a lot of fun, fortunately.

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Space Team is better than Firefly., and I can clearly imagine a TV show, wouldn't it be great! I do hope this series goes on and and on and......

[Shane Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is just plain funkin fun

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another funny and fun installment in the “Space Team” saga.

[Dee Haddrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another hilarious and fun story in the Space Team series. These books never fail to elicit laughter, and that is a lot thanks to the awesome narration by Phil Thron.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series so much and the audiobooks are so much fun!! I will continue this series as long as they are written.

[Mrs V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unique series just gets better.

Just within the first chapter there were two great laugh out loud instances that proved that this installment was going to be as good as the previous 4. This is due to the great writing and vivid imagination of BJH (how weird his brain must be!)

The new ship helps Cal and his crew fight various enemies whilst trying to save the life of a teenager who has a strange and dangerous talent. Thus laying the basis of another roller coaster ride with scares and laughs galore.

The characters develop well, showing that they are not just one dimensional, and Miz, well, is there no-one or thing that she doesn't want to, hmmmm, you know.....

.........only book 5 will tell us.

[Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

💯 Read for the 2020 MacHalo Splendiferous Book Bingo Thingie (MSBBT™) challenge over at the MacHalo Asylum 💯

  
    •• 18. Set Phasers to Stun ••
  

The galaxy was a big place, and held countless pleasures, but he doubted very few of them could compare to the feeling of draining a full bladder. He rocked on his heels, just enjoying the moment. He was so busy enjoying the moment, in fact, that he didn’t notice the knife until the cold steel pressed against his throat.
“Don’t move,” hissed a voice in his ear.
Cal swallowed. It barely made it past the blade. “I can’t stop peeing,” he replied.
“What?” spat the voice.
“Once I’ve started, I can’t stop,” Cal said. “There’s nothing I can do about it. If you have a problem with that, you’ll have to kill me.”
“Just hurry up,” the voice growled.
Cal continued to pee. The knife scraped against his stubble as the person holding it shifted their grip.
“What’s taking so long?” the voice demanded.
“I had quite a lot to drink,” said Cal. “Just give me a minute.”
He continued to pee.
Page 191 @67%

I am running out of ways to say

  
    S P A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A C E
  

Quotes:

Cal gestured to the door. “You’ve met us, right? You’ve seen us in action. Do any of us seem perfect to you?”
“Oh my, no, sir. Far from it,” said Kevin. “You in particular.”
“Thanks for that,” said Cal. “But that’s my point. We’re not perfect because, well, maybe because there is no perfect. There’s just making do with what you’ve got. That’s what we’re doing. Hell, that’s all anyone’s doing.”
Page 147 @51%

The galaxy was a big place, and held countless pleasures, but he doubted very few of them could compare to the feeling of draining a full bladder. He rocked on his heels, just enjoying the moment. He was so busy enjoying the moment, in fact, that he didn’t notice the knife until the cold steel pressed against his throat.
“Don’t move,” hissed a voice in his ear.
Cal swallowed. It barely made it past the blade. “I can’t stop peeing,” he replied.
“What?” spat the voice.
“Once I’ve started, I can’t stop,” Cal said. “There’s nothing I can do about it. If you have a problem with that, you’ll have to kill me.”
“Just hurry up,” the voice growled.
Cal continued to pee. The knife scraped against his stubble as the person holding it shifted their grip.
“What’s taking so long?” the voice demanded.
“I had quite a lot to drink,” said Cal. “Just give me a minute.”
He continued to pee.
Page 191 @67%

[Douglas Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Song of the Space Siren is Book Four of Space Team. Today we learn about BANOFFEE PIE! The team also saves a young girl, meets the creator of their current ship, and Cal gets a stomach ache.

Okay, not really as high jinks as it sounds, but you get the picture. Like the books prior (see one, two, and three), this book contains a lot of cliches, tongue in cheek comments, and silly things happening.Our hero, Cal, is constantly hungry until he is introduced to the replicator. Yes, you got it. It makes food out of energy. And the first thing he wants is a steak.

Well, yes. I see that happening. I'd want one as well if I had to eat the gunk he was given. But in order to get a proper replication happening the machine does a bunch of wild things. First it stabs the tongue, then inserts something into the nose and foam is injected, and finally it scans the brain. Funny, yes. And Cal wanted pie. If you're not familiar with it and the pending tooth ache you can see the recipe here.

And like usual, Cal takes it to the limit. From one slice to a giant slice. But that is just a side journey in the book. You get to meet a mad scientist and save the girl from a giant Space Spider Dragon (Space Dragon Spider). While this goes on the team encounters a whole new world of strange while Cal brings people together and lets them know there is more to life than just throwing a girl into a volcano.

The only beef is the editing is starting to get a little sloppy. So just look past it for the next little while.

[Tory Thai · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a mess, I couldn't follow it at all. The plot was nonsensical and random. I waited for a laugh, but nothing. It felt like the author just threw stuff at the wall and hoped it'd stick. Skip it.

Seriously, how did this book get published? I know it's not high literature, but this felt like a cash grab. I didn't enjoy it at all. The characters weren't even fun to read about because the plot was overloaded with pointless action.

This book felt so rushed. It just throws you into a new scene every other minute. I never really got a chance to connect with anything. It's like watching a movie on fast forward. Seriously, give me a moment to breathe!

The humor feels really forced and kinda childish. It's all slapstick, like something out of a cartoon. There's no subtlety or wit to it. Which is normally fine but it felt cobbled together like a checklist was trying to be met. I'm kinda disappointed, honestly. I loved this series, gave such high reviews on the prior books and this felt totally out of nowhere nonsense. I'm a fan enough to still give the next few book a try and hope this was just a one off bad adventure.

[Emz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amusing adventure with the crazy crew. Cal goes into the fixing business but ends up breaking things. For once, Cal does the right thing but ends up doing the wrong thing by rescuing a young girl from kidnappers, setting into motion a whole lot of dangerous situations. From space pirates to spiders—or was it spider dragons? No, definitely dragon spiders, anyway, one of the two. With an awful lot of banoffee pie thrown in for good measure, Cal manages to escape these perilous encounters by employing clever and intelligent tactical strategy. Nah, only kidding; he puts a sheet over his head. Here, Cal deploys his fundamental understanding of Occam’s razor to great effect.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to be one of the best audiobooks I have ever enjoyed. It's light and fluffy it's ridiculous Douglas Adams meets Star Trek and Star wars with everything in between.

And this particular episode had one of the funniest - I'm still chuckling thinking about it - sequences I have ever enjoyed.

Excellent narration couldn't say better hyphen the only thing that fell down is they're starting to drag it out a bit so it's a four and a half not a five. But it still gets on my top 10 as a series this year for 2024

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my comfort (audio)book series. These books consistently make me laugh out loud. The full cast, VFX, and voice acting is top notch.

Do these books compare to the classic novels and liturature assigned to English majors at prestigious universities? Obviously, I'm way smarter after reading them. Ask anyone.

I've gleefully made it through 4 of these books so far, but will probably rewatch the 2002 hit film Spiderman, starting Tobey Macguire, before starting the 5th. For no real reason other than I haven't seen it in a while.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a job, don't mind it going fonking wrong, you can hire the Space Team!! The team return, this time with a new ship and a new crew member, the slightly forgetful and maybe mad ships AI, Kevin. Cal and team try to reunite a kidnapped girl with her family, but nothing is ever easy and straight forward when the Space Team are involved!! Another good book, with Kevin being a good addition to the team.

[Jeff Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quickly becoming my favorite book series of the past few years. Each installment is funny, exciting, interesting, and keeps me reading from cover to cover (or listening from beginning to end). I really appreciate the way the author continually brings back past characters and wraps them into new adventures, and constantly surprises with his creativity and sense of humor. I highly recommend this entire series.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funniest series I’ve ever read. Sometimes you just need to laugh. There is no real swearing because their communication chips don’t allow it so their expletives come out warped (shiz, fonk). The only downside in my book, and it’s a huge downside, is that there is occasional blasphemy. There are no sex scenes but there are some shady characters that raise alarming questions/ideas. These books are not appropriate for any of my children.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny stories in this series... this one is no exception. I love the characters and the plots always take you places where you haven't been before. This author is very creative and I plan to keep buying the rest of the series. Well worth the cost, since I couldn't find them in my library system.

[Gary Blevins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've now finished my fourth book in the series and I have but one thing to say,

I fonkin' love this shizz!!!! (If you're a fan and have your Zertex translator installed you'll understand).

Another great book in the series. The characters are great. The chemistry, comedy and hi-jinks are awesome.

If you're read the others you'll love this one.

[Jeanne Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great stuff here!

I'm a great fan of Douglas Adams, so you know I'm one who loves the ridiculous. I'm loving this series so far. Cal and his inept crew of aliens roam the galaxy, rescuing the good guys and fighting the bad guys, giving me snickers and snorts and laugh out louds along the way. I can hardly wait to see where they're going on their next adventures.

[Jack Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series. Totally idiotic pleasure.

Each book in the series seems to better the last. If you are looking for an epic Pulitzer Prize contender, this ain't it. For pure, laugh out loud fun, you are in right place. Ignore the electronic version grammatical goofs and just have fun with it.

[Red Tide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still funny

Same comments as for the other books. They are fun and there is a whacky internal logic that elevates it above pure slapstick. It so reminds me sometimes of Howard the Duck.

I may just read the whole series for awhile. The crazy story logic in this series is more engaging than the stories it makes fun of.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little frustrated that NOBODY on the space team thought of the OBVIOUS solution for the big baddie, but I did like that the final overall solution was not what I expected, and didn't actually add to their enemy count. Despite myself, this team is growing on me, and I'm enjoying their various adventures, even though they are completely ridiculous.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a MASSIVE sci-fi fan, but oh how I love Space Team and all who belong to her. The characters are developing nicely - and they're a great cast of misfits. The plots are well thought out and not at all obvious. And they're hilarious. Definitely British humour.

And Phil Thron narrates the audio books PERFECTLY :)

[Julius Parulek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another solid entry in the series

Easy to read , light and fun ride given by Mr. Hutchinson. This time around we have less character focus and more story. The story is sadly not that great, but Carver provides quite many laughs that compensated the simplistic execution a bit. 2.4 stars.

[AnnSophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still cruising along with this chaotic crew. Book 4 keeps the momentum going with the usual mix of nonsense, action, and a bit of heart. It didn’t stand out as much as Book 3 (less Splurt = less joy?), but it was a solid, easy listen. At this point, I know what I’m in for: low-stakes fun, occasional chuckles, and a cast I’ve grown surprisingly fond of. Not amazing, but I’m not stopping either.