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Neon Octopus Overlord #1
Destroyer of Planets
Enter a galaxy full of snarky comebacks, inappropriate use of tentacles, and a mythical warrior-girl on the edge in this fast-paced, Douglas Adams style space romp.
A life of captivity is getting to Kirian, the self-styled Destroyer of Planets. She has never actually destroyed any planets, but getting to choose your own title is one of the few perks you get when you work against your will for an evil Octopus Overlord.
In an attempt to regain her freedom, Kirian defies her tentacled boss and secretly saves Ari, the human she is supposed to kill. Can the two of them and a band of misfits join forces to thwart the Neon Octopus Overlord? And can a revolutionary rock song from an illegal grunge band save a planet?
A life of captivity is getting to Kirian, the self-styled Destroyer of Planets. She has never actually destroyed any planets, but getting to choose your own title is one of the few perks you get when you work against your will for an evil Octopus Overlord.
In an attempt to regain her freedom, Kirian defies her tentacled boss and secretly saves Ari, the human she is supposed to kill. Can the two of them and a band of misfits join forces to thwart the Neon Octopus Overlord? And can a revolutionary rock song from an illegal grunge band save a planet?
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 4, 2017
158 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
L.A. Johnson
10 books406 followersL.A. Johnson lives in beautiful Colorado. I write fun, original Sci-Fi you won't find anywhere else.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 9, 2017
While not laugh out loud funny, this story is quirky and unique
I hated not giving this 5 stars, but there were too many editing/proofreading errors. Other than that it is a good story, fast paced, and the characters are unique.
I will be checking out book 2 to see what new dastardly deeds Soda comes up with. And to see if the giant praying mantis gets caught. Also to see what happens to the Zombie band. So much to look forward to!
I hated not giving this 5 stars, but there were too many editing/proofreading errors. Other than that it is a good story, fast paced, and the characters are unique.
I will be checking out book 2 to see what new dastardly deeds Soda comes up with. And to see if the giant praying mantis gets caught. Also to see what happens to the Zombie band. So much to look forward to!
February 11, 2018
An intriguing book that kept me reading until the end. Totally different style for me but loved it. Ready for more. Received a free copy and reviewed voluntarily.
December 14, 2017
kindle unlimited, reminded me a bit of Hutchinson and just a little of Logsdon, not bad just means think probably writer been hit time too many in head or something but just saying
Enter a galaxy of snarky comebacks, inappropriate use of tentacles, and a mythical warrior girl on the edge in this fast-paced, Douglas Adams style space romp.
Kirian, the self-styled Destroyer of Planets has issues with authority. That's a problem since she's currently in the Neon Octopus Overlord's secret Celestial force against her will. In a desperate attempt to regain her freedom, Kirian defies her tentacled boss and secretly saves Ari, the human she is sent to kill.
Ari is an underappreciated civil servant targeted for her intelligence. She turns out to be one of the few beings left in the galaxy capable of thwarting the Overlord's corrupt plans. She just wants to go back to a normal life, but when the Overlord finds out that she's not dead, all bets are off.
Destroyer of Planets: Book 1 of the Neon Octopus Overlord Series
Whisperer to Stars: Book 2 of the Neon Octopus Overlord Series
Ruler of Galaxies: Book 3 of the Neon Octopus Overlord Series
Enter a galaxy of snarky comebacks, inappropriate use of tentacles, and a mythical warrior girl on the edge in this fast-paced, Douglas Adams style space romp.
Kirian, the self-styled Destroyer of Planets has issues with authority. That's a problem since she's currently in the Neon Octopus Overlord's secret Celestial force against her will. In a desperate attempt to regain her freedom, Kirian defies her tentacled boss and secretly saves Ari, the human she is sent to kill.
Ari is an underappreciated civil servant targeted for her intelligence. She turns out to be one of the few beings left in the galaxy capable of thwarting the Overlord's corrupt plans. She just wants to go back to a normal life, but when the Overlord finds out that she's not dead, all bets are off.
Destroyer of Planets: Book 1 of the Neon Octopus Overlord Series
Whisperer to Stars: Book 2 of the Neon Octopus Overlord Series
Ruler of Galaxies: Book 3 of the Neon Octopus Overlord Series
November 10, 2017
Tremendous
I enjoyed this book so much. The author is new to me, but I have bought book two of the series, and preordered part three. I am so certain that I want to read them.
I enjoyed this book so much. The author is new to me, but I have bought book two of the series, and preordered part three. I am so certain that I want to read them.
September 14, 2017
Great book.
Enjoyed the humor and intrigue. Love all the different characters And fast pace to this book. Will be waiting for the next book to spend more time with these aliens.
Enjoyed the humor and intrigue. Love all the different characters And fast pace to this book. Will be waiting for the next book to spend more time with these aliens.
December 31, 2017
This started off a bit slowly, there wasn't enough characterisation or description of the setting. After this shaky start, this progressed into an amusing roller coaster.
October 13, 2017
Funny, quarky, and a ton of fun! This book has a literal neon octopus as the overlord of the galaxy. And two kick-ass girls who are unknowingly working to save the galaxy. Reminiscent of Douglas Adams, this book was an entertaining read and a great break from the usual heavier fantasy I read.
April 22, 2020
I still don’t think I really know what this novel was all about, but I had an awful lot of fun not figuring it out. Put briefly, the intergalactic overlord—an alien creature that looks somewhat like a neon octopus—is quietly destroying planets throughout the galaxy. She seems (and I could be wrong here) to be destroying these planets because they have bred at least one highly intelligent person who might somehow make life more difficult for the overlord. As far as I can tell, the overlord is an incredibly lazy person who seems driven by the need to not have to do anything. Her main big bad guy opponent (a giant praying mantis) is also incredibly lazy and wants bad things to happen to his enemy without him having to actually do anything to make those bad things happen.
The laziness of the two chief bad guys appears to explain most of what happens in the novel. They act through intermediaries who hate them. The heroine (the Destroyer of Planets of the title) is trying to get free of the overlord and she has assembled a ragtag group of potential rebels to help her do this. Throw in a rock band playing illegal music and a bureaucratic genius, and you have a cast who seems to at least half-succeed by the end of the novel even though I never understood anything they were trying to accomplish or why this would help them.
So it’s a strange book with a difficult to follow plot, and yet, it’s also a lot of fun. I might just pick up the sequel to see if it helps shed light on what I’ve already read.
I received this book from Free Audiobooks.com in exchange for an honest review.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The laziness of the two chief bad guys appears to explain most of what happens in the novel. They act through intermediaries who hate them. The heroine (the Destroyer of Planets of the title) is trying to get free of the overlord and she has assembled a ragtag group of potential rebels to help her do this. Throw in a rock band playing illegal music and a bureaucratic genius, and you have a cast who seems to at least half-succeed by the end of the novel even though I never understood anything they were trying to accomplish or why this would help them.
So it’s a strange book with a difficult to follow plot, and yet, it’s also a lot of fun. I might just pick up the sequel to see if it helps shed light on what I’ve already read.
I received this book from Free Audiobooks.com in exchange for an honest review.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
December 22, 2017
Someone is Destroying Planets
There is one being that runs our galaxy. She is known as the Neon Octopus Overlord, mostly because her name, Ttszooodjdeaaaarrr, is way too hard to pronounce. Those close to her just call her Soda. Running the galaxy is hard work. It leaves almost no time to watch her favorite TV shows. To help her out, she has a cadre of indentured servants, called Celestials, to do the grunt work. Kirian, Destroyer of Planets, is one of them.
When Kirian first took the job of being a Celestial, she thought it would be cool. I mean, travel the galaxy, meet new people, kill them, what could be cooler than that? She even got to chose her own name. But lately it hasn't been the same. She keeps having black outs, and her boss, has been destroying whole planets, and she doesn't know why. Perhaps if she started saving a few of the people she was supposed to kill, she might be able to figure it out...
L A Johnson weaves a fantastic tale of increasingly unlikely and outlandish scenarios. If it seems insane, then they must be on the right path. If you like Douglas Adams, you'll enjoy this humorous adventure as Kirian tries to figure out what it all means. What do a hacker who dreams of being a musician and a super smart desk jockey know that could be a threat to the many tentacled overload? The answer may kill them.
There is one being that runs our galaxy. She is known as the Neon Octopus Overlord, mostly because her name, Ttszooodjdeaaaarrr, is way too hard to pronounce. Those close to her just call her Soda. Running the galaxy is hard work. It leaves almost no time to watch her favorite TV shows. To help her out, she has a cadre of indentured servants, called Celestials, to do the grunt work. Kirian, Destroyer of Planets, is one of them.
When Kirian first took the job of being a Celestial, she thought it would be cool. I mean, travel the galaxy, meet new people, kill them, what could be cooler than that? She even got to chose her own name. But lately it hasn't been the same. She keeps having black outs, and her boss, has been destroying whole planets, and she doesn't know why. Perhaps if she started saving a few of the people she was supposed to kill, she might be able to figure it out...
L A Johnson weaves a fantastic tale of increasingly unlikely and outlandish scenarios. If it seems insane, then they must be on the right path. If you like Douglas Adams, you'll enjoy this humorous adventure as Kirian tries to figure out what it all means. What do a hacker who dreams of being a musician and a super smart desk jockey know that could be a threat to the many tentacled overload? The answer may kill them.
November 16, 2019
With the title of this book and the name of the series tending towards the whacky, I was a little dubious about this book even though the premise seemed like an interesting one, luckily this just seems like it was a case of the author being a little heavy-handed with the title as they delivered a solid scifi story with good touches of humour to start this series of books.
While the overall plot is an enjoyable one, the strength of the book for me was in the characters themselves, the steady expansion of Kirian's crew through the book helped with keeping me engaged with the story and added more depth to the main character too.
The narrator also did a good job of helping the book, nicely enhancing it with a good and distinctive range of tones to ensure the reader didn't get confused by the varied cast unnecessarily.
Overall, a strong standalone book that leaves enough open for future instalments.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
While the overall plot is an enjoyable one, the strength of the book for me was in the characters themselves, the steady expansion of Kirian's crew through the book helped with keeping me engaged with the story and added more depth to the main character too.
The narrator also did a good job of helping the book, nicely enhancing it with a good and distinctive range of tones to ensure the reader didn't get confused by the varied cast unnecessarily.
Overall, a strong standalone book that leaves enough open for future instalments.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
September 2, 2022
Crazy science-fiction.
First of three series.
An Octopus as a destroyer
of worlds is a new one to me !
The destroyer of planet’s
Is no joke !
What’s the true reason for
destroying all those worlds ?
Or is
the whole thing is one big
Conspiracy ?
L. A. Johnson absolutely crazy imagination is totally great, I can’t wait for the rest of the series getting released in audio because the truth is that no matter what you hear you really don’t know what’s really going on, I’m totally confused but I love it.
Sandra Murphy have narrated every character perfectly.
Recommended !
Oded Ostfeld.
First of three series.
An Octopus as a destroyer
of worlds is a new one to me !
The destroyer of planet’s
Is no joke !
What’s the true reason for
destroying all those worlds ?
Or is
the whole thing is one big
Conspiracy ?
L. A. Johnson absolutely crazy imagination is totally great, I can’t wait for the rest of the series getting released in audio because the truth is that no matter what you hear you really don’t know what’s really going on, I’m totally confused but I love it.
Sandra Murphy have narrated every character perfectly.
Recommended !
Oded Ostfeld.
January 10, 2020
This one is reminiscent of the Hitchhiker's Guide. I would say it's geared toward a young adult crowd language and insinuations made in terms of the Octopus Overlord and her human male slave... honestly pretty disturbing for me even without much detail. The story was interesting and kept my attention. The narrator was great and was I really enjoyed listening to her. If you liked Hitchhiker's Guide then check out this book.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
December 17, 2018
Meh,
VERY light reading. I love a good sci-fi romp, i.e. Hitch Hikers Guide, but this really falls short. We don't really get to know any of the characters, and the humor needs work.
At 179 pages, you can easily get through it in a weekend. It's part of the Neon Octopus Overlord series, but I doubt I'll pick-up book two.
VERY light reading. I love a good sci-fi romp, i.e. Hitch Hikers Guide, but this really falls short. We don't really get to know any of the characters, and the humor needs work.
At 179 pages, you can easily get through it in a weekend. It's part of the Neon Octopus Overlord series, but I doubt I'll pick-up book two.
October 23, 2019
Wild!
What a wonderfully outrageous universe the author has created in this story. From the neon octopus overlord to a really smart girl, the characters are so interesting. I loved them all. It reminds me of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe in a zany way. I'm hoping there's more to come.
What a wonderfully outrageous universe the author has created in this story. From the neon octopus overlord to a really smart girl, the characters are so interesting. I loved them all. It reminds me of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe in a zany way. I'm hoping there's more to come.
September 16, 2018
Good and fun ... space opera?
I'm not sure how to describe it. Perhaps Guardian s of the galaxy merged with Douglas Adams. I enjoyed it immensely. I don't really know how else to describe it.
I'm not sure how to describe it. Perhaps Guardian s of the galaxy merged with Douglas Adams. I enjoyed it immensely. I don't really know how else to describe it.
July 22, 2019
Strange But Wonderful
I got this book on a whim because the summary peaked my interest. WOW what a strange but wonderful ride! A cast of unique but very colorful characters keep you entertained and the action keeps your blood pumping. Looking forward to reading book 2!
I got this book on a whim because the summary peaked my interest. WOW what a strange but wonderful ride! A cast of unique but very colorful characters keep you entertained and the action keeps your blood pumping. Looking forward to reading book 2!
February 15, 2020
Space opera at its comic best
Moral of the story; don’t trust the accountant. They may seem mild mannered, but they can totally wreck your galaxy domination plans. One of the funnier stories I’ve read recently.
Moral of the story; don’t trust the accountant. They may seem mild mannered, but they can totally wreck your galaxy domination plans. One of the funnier stories I’ve read recently.
January 12, 2018
📚📚📚📚📗
Funny, funny, funny. This book is slightly insane but I enjoyed it. The characters are crazy and so is the action. Definitely a series I'm going to read.
Funny, funny, funny. This book is slightly insane but I enjoyed it. The characters are crazy and so is the action. Definitely a series I'm going to read.
January 21, 2018
A different kind of story
Definitely not your average sci fi story. The flow of the story kept it very interesting and pulled you in from the very beginning.
Definitely not your average sci fi story. The flow of the story kept it very interesting and pulled you in from the very beginning.
January 22, 2018
A funny, quirky story that will leave you begging for more.
January 27, 2018
I found this a little confusing at times keeping track of who all the characters were and what was going on, but on the whole I enjoyed this book and will probably read the next ones.
February 1, 2018
Humorous
Cheeky, fast-paced adventure with bizarre characters. A whisper of Douglas Adam’s wit with a modern twist, I liked it tremendously.
Cheeky, fast-paced adventure with bizarre characters. A whisper of Douglas Adam’s wit with a modern twist, I liked it tremendously.
February 6, 2018
Interesting mix of characters
This was a unique mixture of characters and story elements. I will certainly try the next book in the series.
This was a unique mixture of characters and story elements. I will certainly try the next book in the series.
February 9, 2018
One rollicking space opera.
April 2, 2018
I gave up at 40%. Couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters or situations, and the "humor" fell completely flat. Very glad I only paid $.99 for this.
June 20, 2018
Meh, it was ok I guess. Amazon offered it to me when I had nothing to read and was going to be in a waiting room for a while, and I guess it was ok for that.
August 12, 2018
It feels like it is full of private jokes. And I'm not part of the in-group.
September 25, 2018
Loved this
October 10, 2018
Fun read
Definitely different i like it feels like an 80s glam band space opera ,interested in seeing where it goes next
Definitely different i like it feels like an 80s glam band space opera ,interested in seeing where it goes next
December 29, 2019
DNF...Somewhere between a quarter and half way into the book and I found I just couldn't identify with any of the characters, and I was having a hard time following the disjointed storyline...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews