What do you think?
Rate this book
Reason #2
Five Unicorn Flush
Only one woman with a magical parasite can unite the galaxy, in the mind-blowing SF sequel to Space Unicorn Blues
The Bala, magical creatures, have hidden themselves from cruel and destructive humanity, leaving the galaxy in shambles. Without unicorn-powered faster-than-light travel, mankind is scattered, starving and isolated across the stars. Cowboy Jim has the sole surviving FTL drive, and he and his Reason soldiers are determined to track down and re-enslave the Bala. But on their new planet, the Bala are on the brink of civil war: should they accept Unicorn rule, or follow necromancer Bao Zhi and exact revenge on their human oppressors? Only Captain Jenny, with her new elfin parasite, can return peace to the galaxy.
File Under: Science Fiction [ Elves on the Brain - Lust for Magic - Best Served Hot - FTL Hell ]
The Bala, magical creatures, have hidden themselves from cruel and destructive humanity, leaving the galaxy in shambles. Without unicorn-powered faster-than-light travel, mankind is scattered, starving and isolated across the stars. Cowboy Jim has the sole surviving FTL drive, and he and his Reason soldiers are determined to track down and re-enslave the Bala. But on their new planet, the Bala are on the brink of civil war: should they accept Unicorn rule, or follow necromancer Bao Zhi and exact revenge on their human oppressors? Only Captain Jenny, with her new elfin parasite, can return peace to the galaxy.
File Under: Science Fiction [ Elves on the Brain - Lust for Magic - Best Served Hot - FTL Hell ]
311 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2019
16 people are currently reading
1351 people want to read
About the author
T.J. Berry
5 books109 followersTJ Berry has been a political blogger, bakery owner, and spent a disastrous two weeks working in a razor blade factory. She now writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror from Los Angeles with considerably fewer on-the-job injuries. She's the author of Space Unicorn Blues and Five Unicorn Flush from Angry Robot Books. Find her on Twitter @TJaneBerry.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 28, 2020
This book picks up 6 weeks after Space Unicorn Blues ends and has all the same sass, adventure and fun as the first book!
I am now fully committed to reading anything T.J. Berry decides to write...
And I'm hoping with the way this ended she decides to write more in this series.
Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC.
I am now fully committed to reading anything T.J. Berry decides to write...
And I'm hoping with the way this ended she decides to write more in this series.
Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC.
May 25, 2019
A wonderful sequel to Space Unicorn Blues, a book I also loved.
This book continues the stories of half-unicorn Gary Cobalt, space captain Jenny Perata and all the other amazing characters we were introduced in the first book, while also expanding the universe and introducing more great characters. It's pretty much as good as the first one, so definitely pick it up. And if you haven't read the first one yet, please go read it.
The world of the Space Unicorn books continues to be wacky and weird, but while this story is definitely very comical and supposed to make you laugh your ass off, it also has some incredibly profound and meaningful things to say about topics such as freedom, xenophobia, forgiveness, redemption and trauma. One minute I was giggling, next I was made emotional by a harrowingly brutal tale of slavery and abuse told by one of the downtrodden, magical Bala characters who, in this book, are coming to terms with their escape from humans and dealing with the aftermath of the trauma they've had to live through. It's a perfect combination of humor and depth.
It also amazes me just how diverse the cast of characters are. In the main cast, we have multiple LGBT+ characters (there's a bi character, an ace character, gay characters, lesbian characters, a trans character...), multiple characters of color as well as disabled characters. I love every single one of the main characters and the relationships they have formed over the course of the two books are extremely important to me.
I really hope TJ Berry will write a third book. There are some stuff at the end that strongly hint at a another sequel, so I am hopeful. I am not ready to say goodbye to all these great characters and the bizarre galaxy they live in.
This book continues the stories of half-unicorn Gary Cobalt, space captain Jenny Perata and all the other amazing characters we were introduced in the first book, while also expanding the universe and introducing more great characters. It's pretty much as good as the first one, so definitely pick it up. And if you haven't read the first one yet, please go read it.
The world of the Space Unicorn books continues to be wacky and weird, but while this story is definitely very comical and supposed to make you laugh your ass off, it also has some incredibly profound and meaningful things to say about topics such as freedom, xenophobia, forgiveness, redemption and trauma. One minute I was giggling, next I was made emotional by a harrowingly brutal tale of slavery and abuse told by one of the downtrodden, magical Bala characters who, in this book, are coming to terms with their escape from humans and dealing with the aftermath of the trauma they've had to live through. It's a perfect combination of humor and depth.
It also amazes me just how diverse the cast of characters are. In the main cast, we have multiple LGBT+ characters (there's a bi character, an ace character, gay characters, lesbian characters, a trans character...), multiple characters of color as well as disabled characters. I love every single one of the main characters and the relationships they have formed over the course of the two books are extremely important to me.
I really hope TJ Berry will write a third book. There are some stuff at the end that strongly hint at a another sequel, so I am hopeful. I am not ready to say goodbye to all these great characters and the bizarre galaxy they live in.
April 19, 2019
Full review is here on my blog!~
Ahhhh man this book was fun!
Following the events of the last book, the Bala (magical creatures, everything from centaurs to sirens to dryads) have been moved to their new planet, far far away from humanity, who have spent years harvesting them for magical parts.
Jenny Perata is aboard her bright yellow racing striped ship, the Stagecoach Mary, and is determined to find her wife Kaila, a dryad, no matter how long it’ll take. Without the requisite unicorn horn to power the FTL drive, it’ll take her many lifetimes, but she’s still going to try. On her way, she runs into a colony ship with humans aboard, and her guts tell her there is unicorn horn on there somewhere too. So, she investigates, to great shenanigans.
On the other side of the quadrant, Gart Cobalt, half-unicorn, is finding that there is some trouble in paradise. All of the Bala were brought to this planet to flee the slavery and torture at the hands of the humans, but not all of them were being tortured or enslaved. Some of them had quite nice lives back in human space and they’d really like to go back and have access to human technology and things of that sort again. When a centaur MMA fighter starts stirring some of the Bala up to go seek revenge on humanity, it gets even harder for Gary and the other unicorns to avert a Bala civil war.
I started this one late one night before bed, thinking that I could just stop, sleep, and then wake up refreshed to go to work. That was my first mistake. Before I knew it, it was 3am and I was having a lot of trouble putting this one down for that sleep thing.
Space Unicorn Blues was interesting in that it made a character who I wanted to hate likable. Jenny has a long history with Gary, and it isn’t a good one. But, nonetheless, Gary is what he is, and so while he doesn’t exactly forgive her for what she’s done, he understands that she is legitimately sorry for it. I still love Gary’s character. He is exactly what he is, but in this one we get to see far more of the Bala, especially Gary’s father Findae. It’s interesting to see how different from Findae he is.
Jenny both has no use of her legs and suffers from chronic pain as a result of a war injury, and uses a wheelchair much of the time. It’s interesting to see how she navigates space travel, zero-G, and the rather difficult task of moving both herself and her chair through airlocks, tight hallways, and other places that are just not set up to accommodate anyone without the use of their legs. Jenny faces a lot of ableism, as the Reason (the human society) does not generally abide disability.
Despite all of the things that Jenny has done in her life, both good and bad, I couldn’t help but cheer for her. She’s so snarky and has a comeback for everyone, and she absolutely doesn’t let anything (or anyone) hold her back. The ship AI in Jenny’s ship, the Stagecoach Mary, is also snarky AF. She knows Jenny pretty well, and does her best to see a couple of ‘Jenny Perata plans’ from start to finish, despite them being Jenny Perata levels of crazy.
There was plenty going on in this one. Not only is Gary meeting new and often strange creatures on the new Bala planet, Jenny is doing everything from being possessed to getting blown out an airlock in her underpants. So, there’s lots of action, and plenty of it is absolutely hilarious. I have a lot of stuff in this book highlighted just for making me laugh. It’s funny in all the right places, but it’s also serious when it needs to be, and takes on some serious and deep situations. There were times that my feels got suitably jostled. I feel for Gary, especially, who heals from almost any wound, but still suffers PTSD from all that was done to him. Gary is the most unicorn of the unicorns in this one, despite being only half.
So all told, I think it’s pretty safe to say that I liked this one just as much as I liked the first book. Perhaps even a little more! It was brilliant!~ I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Thanks to the author as well as Angry Robot via NetGalley for the review copy.
Ahhhh man this book was fun!
Following the events of the last book, the Bala (magical creatures, everything from centaurs to sirens to dryads) have been moved to their new planet, far far away from humanity, who have spent years harvesting them for magical parts.
Jenny Perata is aboard her bright yellow racing striped ship, the Stagecoach Mary, and is determined to find her wife Kaila, a dryad, no matter how long it’ll take. Without the requisite unicorn horn to power the FTL drive, it’ll take her many lifetimes, but she’s still going to try. On her way, she runs into a colony ship with humans aboard, and her guts tell her there is unicorn horn on there somewhere too. So, she investigates, to great shenanigans.
On the other side of the quadrant, Gart Cobalt, half-unicorn, is finding that there is some trouble in paradise. All of the Bala were brought to this planet to flee the slavery and torture at the hands of the humans, but not all of them were being tortured or enslaved. Some of them had quite nice lives back in human space and they’d really like to go back and have access to human technology and things of that sort again. When a centaur MMA fighter starts stirring some of the Bala up to go seek revenge on humanity, it gets even harder for Gary and the other unicorns to avert a Bala civil war.
I started this one late one night before bed, thinking that I could just stop, sleep, and then wake up refreshed to go to work. That was my first mistake. Before I knew it, it was 3am and I was having a lot of trouble putting this one down for that sleep thing.
Space Unicorn Blues was interesting in that it made a character who I wanted to hate likable. Jenny has a long history with Gary, and it isn’t a good one. But, nonetheless, Gary is what he is, and so while he doesn’t exactly forgive her for what she’s done, he understands that she is legitimately sorry for it. I still love Gary’s character. He is exactly what he is, but in this one we get to see far more of the Bala, especially Gary’s father Findae. It’s interesting to see how different from Findae he is.
Jenny both has no use of her legs and suffers from chronic pain as a result of a war injury, and uses a wheelchair much of the time. It’s interesting to see how she navigates space travel, zero-G, and the rather difficult task of moving both herself and her chair through airlocks, tight hallways, and other places that are just not set up to accommodate anyone without the use of their legs. Jenny faces a lot of ableism, as the Reason (the human society) does not generally abide disability.
Jenny’s problem was never with her chair, but with a world that refused to accommodate it.
Despite all of the things that Jenny has done in her life, both good and bad, I couldn’t help but cheer for her. She’s so snarky and has a comeback for everyone, and she absolutely doesn’t let anything (or anyone) hold her back. The ship AI in Jenny’s ship, the Stagecoach Mary, is also snarky AF. She knows Jenny pretty well, and does her best to see a couple of ‘Jenny Perata plans’ from start to finish, despite them being Jenny Perata levels of crazy.
There was plenty going on in this one. Not only is Gary meeting new and often strange creatures on the new Bala planet, Jenny is doing everything from being possessed to getting blown out an airlock in her underpants. So, there’s lots of action, and plenty of it is absolutely hilarious. I have a lot of stuff in this book highlighted just for making me laugh. It’s funny in all the right places, but it’s also serious when it needs to be, and takes on some serious and deep situations. There were times that my feels got suitably jostled. I feel for Gary, especially, who heals from almost any wound, but still suffers PTSD from all that was done to him. Gary is the most unicorn of the unicorns in this one, despite being only half.
So all told, I think it’s pretty safe to say that I liked this one just as much as I liked the first book. Perhaps even a little more! It was brilliant!~ I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Thanks to the author as well as Angry Robot via NetGalley for the review copy.
April 12, 2019
This is a really fun space opera with a dark, thoughtful and deeply political vein running all the way through it. A daredevil wheelchair using space captain, an elderly bisexual necromancer pretending to be a quarter of his age, a whole bunch of humans trying to sabotage their own fleet so they don't commit genocide, and a royal family of grumpy, grumpy unicorns.
Honestly, it's very hard to describe this book without sounding completely unhinged. Read it for yourself!
PS: I didn't read the first book first which is probably a terrible idea, but I got the gist pretty easily of what had happened in Book 1. Still kind of wish I'd read that one first, though. Learn from my mistakes.
Honestly, it's very hard to describe this book without sounding completely unhinged. Read it for yourself!
PS: I didn't read the first book first which is probably a terrible idea, but I got the gist pretty easily of what had happened in Book 1. Still kind of wish I'd read that one first, though. Learn from my mistakes.
August 3, 2019
After dropping another book for being too disappointing to bear, I looked to the sequel to Space Unicorn Blues to lift my spirits. It did exactly what I asked. The last few days of reading have been a delight thanks to the return of this weirdo crew and their antics.
It's set in the same universe as the first book: a sprawling Space Opera where it turns out unicorns, leprechauns, and trolls are all real, but they're aliens who live on other planets. The book swells with personality, and it's wonderful watching those personalities care for each other and bang off each other in the massive conflicts they get sucked into. There are space cannibals, unicorn horn poachers, and a culture in search of a new home and place in the galaxy. Along the way, there is also even better disability rep than the first novel. The novel recognizes that even in a magical universe, disabled people will be trampled and dismissed, and will have to make the worlds accessible for themselves.
It's funny, heartwarming, and strange in unique ways. The world is better for having Five Unicorn Flush in it.
It's set in the same universe as the first book: a sprawling Space Opera where it turns out unicorns, leprechauns, and trolls are all real, but they're aliens who live on other planets. The book swells with personality, and it's wonderful watching those personalities care for each other and bang off each other in the massive conflicts they get sucked into. There are space cannibals, unicorn horn poachers, and a culture in search of a new home and place in the galaxy. Along the way, there is also even better disability rep than the first novel. The novel recognizes that even in a magical universe, disabled people will be trampled and dismissed, and will have to make the worlds accessible for themselves.
It's funny, heartwarming, and strange in unique ways. The world is better for having Five Unicorn Flush in it.
April 3, 2019
TJ Berry returns to fine form with Five Unicorn Flush, the sequel to the much beloved Space Unicorn Blues.
Having been sent with the rest of the magical Bala to a far-off planet, ostensibly safe from humans, Gary the half-unicorn is contending with mounting problems. Humanity had spent decades enslaving the Bala, even harvesting them for their body parts... but the new planet doesn't have television. Stranded with the tech they've become used to, the Bala are murmuring about revolt- there are no coffee shops around, after all, and no cell phones to call a friend.
Meanwhile, former Reason captain Jenny is desperately trying to seek the new Bala planet, longing to be reunited with her dryad wife. The path there is bumpy, paved with cannibals and familiar faces who seek the Bala for their own, sometimes nefarious reasons.
As with the previous book, this is a rollicking good time, liberally tinged with humor. It's less serious than the first, perhaps- there's death and destruction, but the tone is distinctly lighter, even as the stakes feel almost as heavy. The point of view has switched; there's less Gary the unicorn, and far more of Jenny. While she's an interesting character who I admire quite a bit, part of me missed seeing so much of Gary's internal thought processes; something about him felt more remote in this book than it had in the previous one.
That said, Berry still does an adept job of creating a wheelchair using character who kicks ass- her chair is a tool, rather than a burden, as too many authors tend to write.
The book is fast paced and difficult to put down. If there was ever a summer sci-fi beach read, this would be it.
Having been sent with the rest of the magical Bala to a far-off planet, ostensibly safe from humans, Gary the half-unicorn is contending with mounting problems. Humanity had spent decades enslaving the Bala, even harvesting them for their body parts... but the new planet doesn't have television. Stranded with the tech they've become used to, the Bala are murmuring about revolt- there are no coffee shops around, after all, and no cell phones to call a friend.
Meanwhile, former Reason captain Jenny is desperately trying to seek the new Bala planet, longing to be reunited with her dryad wife. The path there is bumpy, paved with cannibals and familiar faces who seek the Bala for their own, sometimes nefarious reasons.
As with the previous book, this is a rollicking good time, liberally tinged with humor. It's less serious than the first, perhaps- there's death and destruction, but the tone is distinctly lighter, even as the stakes feel almost as heavy. The point of view has switched; there's less Gary the unicorn, and far more of Jenny. While she's an interesting character who I admire quite a bit, part of me missed seeing so much of Gary's internal thought processes; something about him felt more remote in this book than it had in the previous one.
That said, Berry still does an adept job of creating a wheelchair using character who kicks ass- her chair is a tool, rather than a burden, as too many authors tend to write.
The book is fast paced and difficult to put down. If there was ever a summer sci-fi beach read, this would be it.
November 6, 2019
Thank you to Gemma at Angry Robots, and Angry Robots for sending me what is one of the wackiest, Monty python style sci-fi novels I’ve read. It’s like if you mixed the Expanse, the Orville and Star Trek all together. It’s that wacky. And very enjoyable.
What can I say about this novel? It’s amazing in the sense it has epic spaceship fights. It’s amazing in the sense that it shows disabilities and I applaud this. Jenny is a lucky woman because staying in a wheelchair is not the best option, and her partner, Kalia is there for her. I have not read the first book, but now I will.
Gary Cobalt is the Jesus Christ of this Universe. He’s literally the epitome of all goodness. Many times I sympathized with this half-unicorn and the half-human creature. I wonder if the Bala do worship Gods?
Or is there a religion at all? He has a big problem trying to get the Bala (all creatures of magic that we’ve read in our mythology) to live in this world when its basically just a big prison and no one dares venture out.
Well Actually and Stagecoach Mary was two well done AI characters. I really wanted to see more of them in the novel. Their viewpoint of interpreting this whole mess is unique. I also feel that the Human Experiment failed badly.
You’ve got wars, killings, etc. All the stuff you’d get in a basic sci-fi show. In a sense, it’s very much like Doctor Who.
The dialogue, the writing, the prose is fantastic. I did feel many times for Jenny, but she’s done wrong and she’s willing to make up for it. You don’t often find people like that. Gary’s father, Findae is a representation of the old arrogant English aristocracy. He’s literally the best enjoyable character in the book.
It’s also funny that some of the Bala had a comfortable life with their human masters and want to go back. I do feel Spartacus must have sensed this when he lead the slave revolt against Rome as well. Sometimes the slave became the master. And well, it is an odd thing really.
Even so, this novel has its serious moments, and it has gore. But not too much that it would strike you instantly on the face, there’s a setup. What I love is how Berry always an explanation for what’s happening. So crazy Russian mafia go on a ship and riot ensures?
The result of that doesn’t need to be explained, you’ll figure that out quickly. So you are well accustomed to what comes next, but it is there.
Horm, I felt was more under-used in the novel. I would have liked to see her more of her viewpoint. I do feel Gary needs a partner to defend him. He tries to do good but nobody wants it. Could this make Gary turn into something else? Who is to say.
My rating is a solid 5/5. Can’t wait to read the first book, and then for the third :)
What can I say about this novel? It’s amazing in the sense it has epic spaceship fights. It’s amazing in the sense that it shows disabilities and I applaud this. Jenny is a lucky woman because staying in a wheelchair is not the best option, and her partner, Kalia is there for her. I have not read the first book, but now I will.
Gary Cobalt is the Jesus Christ of this Universe. He’s literally the epitome of all goodness. Many times I sympathized with this half-unicorn and the half-human creature. I wonder if the Bala do worship Gods?
Or is there a religion at all? He has a big problem trying to get the Bala (all creatures of magic that we’ve read in our mythology) to live in this world when its basically just a big prison and no one dares venture out.
Well Actually and Stagecoach Mary was two well done AI characters. I really wanted to see more of them in the novel. Their viewpoint of interpreting this whole mess is unique. I also feel that the Human Experiment failed badly.
You’ve got wars, killings, etc. All the stuff you’d get in a basic sci-fi show. In a sense, it’s very much like Doctor Who.
The dialogue, the writing, the prose is fantastic. I did feel many times for Jenny, but she’s done wrong and she’s willing to make up for it. You don’t often find people like that. Gary’s father, Findae is a representation of the old arrogant English aristocracy. He’s literally the best enjoyable character in the book.
It’s also funny that some of the Bala had a comfortable life with their human masters and want to go back. I do feel Spartacus must have sensed this when he lead the slave revolt against Rome as well. Sometimes the slave became the master. And well, it is an odd thing really.
Even so, this novel has its serious moments, and it has gore. But not too much that it would strike you instantly on the face, there’s a setup. What I love is how Berry always an explanation for what’s happening. So crazy Russian mafia go on a ship and riot ensures?
The result of that doesn’t need to be explained, you’ll figure that out quickly. So you are well accustomed to what comes next, but it is there.
Horm, I felt was more under-used in the novel. I would have liked to see her more of her viewpoint. I do feel Gary needs a partner to defend him. He tries to do good but nobody wants it. Could this make Gary turn into something else? Who is to say.
My rating is a solid 5/5. Can’t wait to read the first book, and then for the third :)
July 1, 2019
I just love this wonderful mix of SciFi spaceopera and Fantasy. Please bring on number 3 fast :)
May 31, 2019
Magnificent story, and copyediting
This is a beautiful and amazing continuation of a lovely and dark story, but oh boy the kindle edition I got had heaps of grammatical errors and missing words. The editing team should take another look over the manuscript and fix it to increase the ease of reading.
This is a beautiful and amazing continuation of a lovely and dark story, but oh boy the kindle edition I got had heaps of grammatical errors and missing words. The editing team should take another look over the manuscript and fix it to increase the ease of reading.
May 7, 2019
Space Unicorns
The Care and Feeding Of
Courtesy of a 7yo. Space Cuttlefish!
MANY thanks to Angry Robot Books for the eARC. And also Netgalley. But Angry Robot Books!
So there was a snafu with NetGalley. We know how it can go. An ARC is there. Then it's archived. Then it's WOO! On my BIRTHDAY! I got this ARC on my BIRTHDAY.
Had it done like the next day or so. 2 tops. Chips if you got 'em.
Welcome, friends! Welcome to another Rambling Review. That's what I do because I can't seem to keep these coherent or in any semblance of continuity. But that's okay. This time we're going SciFi with Five Unicorn Flush, by TJ Berry, the sequel to Space Unicorn Blues that came out in 2018, also TJ Berry.
I read Space Unicorn Blues last year. I think it wasn't too long after its release, honestly. Sometime in the summer. It was a long year. I work at a bookstore. I see tons of books come and go. But this one? The title? Space Unicorns? I grabbed it and read it. I saw there was gonna be another one but I'd have to wait A YEAR.
A whole year.
And wait I did. Until I saw it pop up on NetGalley. Applied. Approved. Denied. Not by anyone's fault. The archive dates are already determined. It was my bad for forgetting about NetGalley for a couple years or so.
Coming back to the Bala and Jenny and Kaila and everyone was like visiting with old high school buddies long after you're an adult. You just kinda slip back into that mild stupidity that comes with being with high school buddies as an adult. I would imagine. I haven't really done that.
Anyway.
When we left Space Unicorn (half) Gary Cobalt and our wonderful Jenny Perata, SPOILER for SUB, the Bala had just been whisked away to a planet far from the humans that had cut them up, ground them up, exploited them and used their parts to fuel FTL travel. The humans, mostly, are part of the Reason. Think huge retail conglomerate but also military. The mentality of the worst retail environment you can think to work, but military. It's pretty scary. Use up the unicorns for their horns. Kill them all and take their horns to power your ship. WHAT. No horn left? Maybe it's because we killed them all?
Nah.
So the Pymmie, an alien race of all-powerful Munchkin beings (like the game) zap all the Bala (think mystical creatures from Earth myth and legend) to a planet away from humans. It was Jenny's idea. But Jenny's wife, Kaila, is a dryad. So Kaila went, too. So we've got casual f/f pairing here.
Most of FUF is split into parts. We have Gary Cobalt, the son of Findae the Unicorn of the House of Cobalt, where Unicorns have ruled the Bala for centuries. He's trying to carve out a life for the Bala on their new pink-ass planet. We've got Gary settling civil disputes and everything.
Then we have the wonderful Jenny Perata. Her hips were crushed under a blast door while she was trying to save her crew, so she's in a wheelchair. I do like how this story points out the injustices done to Jenny because of her different abilities. How places are harder to reach because of her chair, how much easier it is to have gravity off.
We have Bao Zhu. Remember him? It took me a bit just because it's been almost a year since I've read SUB. But then it all came back in a handy bit of memory/exposition. That was actually super helpful for me. He's on a Reason ship, all disguised, trying to get to the Bala homeworld but also not?
Ricky Tang has also returned! She was fantastic, if frustrating, in SUB. Not much has changed in FUF! I was glad to see Ricky back.
I would say that FUF, while not hard scifi, is still so much fun to read. I love all of these characters. Even the Sisters of the Supersymmetrical Axion. And boy is there a shocker in this book. It took me completely by surprise!
It's a grand space opera with aliens and pink planets and humans being jerks, which is pretty realistic considering what humans are like. Yes, there are those who like the Bala and stuff, but mostly humans are garbage. Which is fine.
I would say that you would have HAD to have read Space Unicorn Blues before tackling this one. This is a sequel, after all.
It's not a long read. And I sincerely hope there will be at least one more volume in the series. You can't leave me hanging like that. I mean really.
So we have our cast of motley characters traipsing through space looking for things. Gary is still a favorite. He's just so good. And Findae is just so Findae. And Boges is just so mysterious. And Jenny is so badass. And we have half-angels and centaurs and pixies and everything.
I know I haven't said a lot about the plot. But I didn't want to spoil stuff. But the characters are still the driving force. I do love character-driven novels sometimes. The plot is there, but the characters are what's the strongest.
The complexity of Jenny and Gary's relationship is likely my favorite. They're just trying to get by. Jenny was, as we know from SUB, the hero of Copernicus Citadel. She defeated the Bala and it ultimately led to their harvest and enslavement. But still Gary gave her another chance. Even after he was locked up, tortured, his forehead scraped for horn to power FTL. He gave her another chance.
The world of SUB and FUF doesn't deserve Gary Cobalt.
Also space cannibals. I saw that comin' from a lightyear away. Hoo. Man. Didn't make it any less disturbing, though. Well Actually ... it made it moreso because I guessed it.
I didn't mention the AIs. There are a couple of them and I have always liked spaceship AIs. Especially when their sassy, like Mary, Jenny's AI on her ship, Stagecoach Mary. While I watched a lot of Star Trek growing up, that AI could never prepare me for TJ Berry's AI. I love these sassy computers.
I highly suggest this series, especially if there's going to be a third installment. It's fun. It's scifi. It's a rolicking romp through space and all the stuff in between space. Even if you don't like scifi, read this. It'll make you laugh and give you goosebumps and make you cry out in frustration and rage at times. All the emotions.
Read it. 5/5 stars because I do so love it.
The Care and Feeding Of
Courtesy of a 7yo. Space Cuttlefish!
MANY thanks to Angry Robot Books for the eARC. And also Netgalley. But Angry Robot Books!
So there was a snafu with NetGalley. We know how it can go. An ARC is there. Then it's archived. Then it's WOO! On my BIRTHDAY! I got this ARC on my BIRTHDAY.
Had it done like the next day or so. 2 tops. Chips if you got 'em.
Welcome, friends! Welcome to another Rambling Review. That's what I do because I can't seem to keep these coherent or in any semblance of continuity. But that's okay. This time we're going SciFi with Five Unicorn Flush, by TJ Berry, the sequel to Space Unicorn Blues that came out in 2018, also TJ Berry.
I read Space Unicorn Blues last year. I think it wasn't too long after its release, honestly. Sometime in the summer. It was a long year. I work at a bookstore. I see tons of books come and go. But this one? The title? Space Unicorns? I grabbed it and read it. I saw there was gonna be another one but I'd have to wait A YEAR.
A whole year.
And wait I did. Until I saw it pop up on NetGalley. Applied. Approved. Denied. Not by anyone's fault. The archive dates are already determined. It was my bad for forgetting about NetGalley for a couple years or so.
Coming back to the Bala and Jenny and Kaila and everyone was like visiting with old high school buddies long after you're an adult. You just kinda slip back into that mild stupidity that comes with being with high school buddies as an adult. I would imagine. I haven't really done that.
Anyway.
When we left Space Unicorn (half) Gary Cobalt and our wonderful Jenny Perata, SPOILER for SUB, the Bala had just been whisked away to a planet far from the humans that had cut them up, ground them up, exploited them and used their parts to fuel FTL travel. The humans, mostly, are part of the Reason. Think huge retail conglomerate but also military. The mentality of the worst retail environment you can think to work, but military. It's pretty scary. Use up the unicorns for their horns. Kill them all and take their horns to power your ship. WHAT. No horn left? Maybe it's because we killed them all?
Nah.
So the Pymmie, an alien race of all-powerful Munchkin beings (like the game) zap all the Bala (think mystical creatures from Earth myth and legend) to a planet away from humans. It was Jenny's idea. But Jenny's wife, Kaila, is a dryad. So Kaila went, too. So we've got casual f/f pairing here.
Most of FUF is split into parts. We have Gary Cobalt, the son of Findae the Unicorn of the House of Cobalt, where Unicorns have ruled the Bala for centuries. He's trying to carve out a life for the Bala on their new pink-ass planet. We've got Gary settling civil disputes and everything.
Then we have the wonderful Jenny Perata. Her hips were crushed under a blast door while she was trying to save her crew, so she's in a wheelchair. I do like how this story points out the injustices done to Jenny because of her different abilities. How places are harder to reach because of her chair, how much easier it is to have gravity off.
We have Bao Zhu. Remember him? It took me a bit just because it's been almost a year since I've read SUB. But then it all came back in a handy bit of memory/exposition. That was actually super helpful for me. He's on a Reason ship, all disguised, trying to get to the Bala homeworld but also not?
Ricky Tang has also returned! She was fantastic, if frustrating, in SUB. Not much has changed in FUF! I was glad to see Ricky back.
I would say that FUF, while not hard scifi, is still so much fun to read. I love all of these characters. Even the Sisters of the Supersymmetrical Axion. And boy is there a shocker in this book. It took me completely by surprise!
It's a grand space opera with aliens and pink planets and humans being jerks, which is pretty realistic considering what humans are like. Yes, there are those who like the Bala and stuff, but mostly humans are garbage. Which is fine.
I would say that you would have HAD to have read Space Unicorn Blues before tackling this one. This is a sequel, after all.
It's not a long read. And I sincerely hope there will be at least one more volume in the series. You can't leave me hanging like that. I mean really.
So we have our cast of motley characters traipsing through space looking for things. Gary is still a favorite. He's just so good. And Findae is just so Findae. And Boges is just so mysterious. And Jenny is so badass. And we have half-angels and centaurs and pixies and everything.
I know I haven't said a lot about the plot. But I didn't want to spoil stuff. But the characters are still the driving force. I do love character-driven novels sometimes. The plot is there, but the characters are what's the strongest.
The complexity of Jenny and Gary's relationship is likely my favorite. They're just trying to get by. Jenny was, as we know from SUB, the hero of Copernicus Citadel. She defeated the Bala and it ultimately led to their harvest and enslavement. But still Gary gave her another chance. Even after he was locked up, tortured, his forehead scraped for horn to power FTL. He gave her another chance.
The world of SUB and FUF doesn't deserve Gary Cobalt.
Also space cannibals. I saw that comin' from a lightyear away. Hoo. Man. Didn't make it any less disturbing, though. Well Actually ... it made it moreso because I guessed it.
I didn't mention the AIs. There are a couple of them and I have always liked spaceship AIs. Especially when their sassy, like Mary, Jenny's AI on her ship, Stagecoach Mary. While I watched a lot of Star Trek growing up, that AI could never prepare me for TJ Berry's AI. I love these sassy computers.
I highly suggest this series, especially if there's going to be a third installment. It's fun. It's scifi. It's a rolicking romp through space and all the stuff in between space. Even if you don't like scifi, read this. It'll make you laugh and give you goosebumps and make you cry out in frustration and rage at times. All the emotions.
Read it. 5/5 stars because I do so love it.
May 26, 2019
Where has TJ Berry been all my life? This book was an even more engaging read than Space Unicorn Blues. I have enjoyed the development of these characters and am eagerly looking forward to the next (fingers crossed) book. I could go on about the adventure and intrigue, but honesty, that should be a given, for the genre. What I was most impressed by was her ability to seamlessly and sensitively represent a wide variety of perspectives throughout what could have easily been a rollicking, yet interpersonally flat space opera. Not only did the characters develop across the 2 books, but Berry’s skill appears to, as well. That said, the pre-order had a number of editing errors, across the book, that were distracting.
June 4, 2019
This is everything I’ve ever hoped for from a sequel and more. I honestly have no idea what I’m going to do now that it’s over.
Seriously, the plot? The characters? Jenny fucking Perata? I LOVE THEM. I love this book more than words can express - it’s hilarious, it’s lovely, it’s exciting. I just need TJ Berry to come to my house and let me read the next book like, now, please.
Seriously, the plot? The characters? Jenny fucking Perata? I LOVE THEM. I love this book more than words can express - it’s hilarious, it’s lovely, it’s exciting. I just need TJ Berry to come to my house and let me read the next book like, now, please.
May 14, 2019
This is a great book.
August 13, 2023
I had such fun reading this story! All of my favorite characters were back and hilarious as ever! If anything, they managed to take their shenanigans up a notch! I laughed out loud so many times but there were also times where my heartstrings were pulled too. The stakes in this story were much higher than before because it wasn’t just about individuals trying to find their own way but about entire races dealing with the aftereffects of choices made in book one. The characters were all trying to do what they thought was best and sometimes it led to rather grim situations. Despite the tension that is felt throughout this book there is also strengthening of alliances and formations of new friendships as well. If you are looking for a hilarious space opera that has characters that stay with you then this is a story that I would highly recommend.
This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.
This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.
August 9, 2021
I flew through the first book and enjoyed it. This book seemed to only be a vessel to sell books and bridge a gap for a third book. No real/new character development, everyone seems to be exactly who they were at the end of the previous book, plus this book didn’t develop or tell a new story.
I am completely on board a book series. I love the feeling of “making friends” with the characters and seeing how their lives are going, but you’ve got to give them something to do, something to learn, or at least write a complete story arc.
I am completely on board a book series. I love the feeling of “making friends” with the characters and seeing how their lives are going, but you’ve got to give them something to do, something to learn, or at least write a complete story arc.
August 30, 2019
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
I’ve been excited to read Berry’s The Reason series for over a year. So excited that I kept it reserved for a time when I could kick back and relax to really enjoy it. Alas, that never happened and here I am a few months past the release of the second book. And let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. Five Unicorn Flush is brimming with imagination that provides solid characters, a fascinating universe, and a promise of a brighter future. Berry writes in an accessible, exciting style, expertly balancing insightful storytelling and delightful space opera thrills and chills. It manages to be a deep look at the bonds of slavery and the struggles of the enslaved to start over, while also filling the pages with explosive battles, death-defying acts, and constant action that continues to reveal new and exciting things about this universe. To say I’m impressed with this book would be a huge understatement. I enjoyed every minute of it and only wish I hadn’t wasted so long getting into it.
This was my first foray into this universe so my impressions don’t take previous plot points into account. There are a few spoilers below, so stop if you don’t want any of the fun ruined. Now on to a few of my favorite things:
A SOCIETY OF MAGICAL BEINGS
In this regard, I’m floored by Berry’s ability to take the many fairy tale creatures of bygone myths and create fully sentient beings with complicated cultures, societies, and habits. It’s clear their lives prior to freedom were horrible and, though this freedom was much desired, they continue to struggle with fitting in side by side. There remains a significant amount of prejudice between species and hardheaded thinking when planning the future of their new planet. There’s so much going on in these scenes and we see the individual hardships each species has experienced. You get to know the Bala better as a whole because of this thoughtful narrative.
EXPERT JUGGLING OF CHARACTERS
A true space opera should have a large number of characters constantly bouncing around into ever increasing shenanigans. Berry does this expertly, giving us multiple protagonist focal points. We see Gary, our lead unicorn, struggling to maintain order on this new planet. We see Jenny getting into horrifying-yet-hilarious murky waters as she tries to find her wife. Their storylines provide the majority of the action and excitement. Not knowing their backstories, I was equally enamored with each character, though I get the feeling there are some definite dark pasts I’m not fully aware of. As a side note, the AIs are top notch, providing hilarious commentary throughout. I LOVE a good AI.
GOODBYE TECHNOLOGY
Now that the universe has essentially come to a halt (thanks to the lack of fuel for their FTL drives), we see everyone forced to evaluate their lives. Gone is the access to hundreds of planets and cities. For the Bala, all technology has disappeared, forcing them to go into an almost fairy tale-like existence on this wild planet, as a couple of the characters angrily note. The struggle to move beyond the comforts of modern society permeate every page. We see the Bala warring against each other to get back to their previous lives. We see stranded ships resorting to horrifying means of survival. We see whole planets turning on themselves, erupting into riot chaos. It really makes you think about our current world and how screwed we’d be if the lights all shut off. That sense of everyone being stranded adds an underlying anxiety to the book that provides ample fuel for the character’s basest fears.
I’ve been excited to read Berry’s The Reason series for over a year. So excited that I kept it reserved for a time when I could kick back and relax to really enjoy it. Alas, that never happened and here I am a few months past the release of the second book. And let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. Five Unicorn Flush is brimming with imagination that provides solid characters, a fascinating universe, and a promise of a brighter future. Berry writes in an accessible, exciting style, expertly balancing insightful storytelling and delightful space opera thrills and chills. It manages to be a deep look at the bonds of slavery and the struggles of the enslaved to start over, while also filling the pages with explosive battles, death-defying acts, and constant action that continues to reveal new and exciting things about this universe. To say I’m impressed with this book would be a huge understatement. I enjoyed every minute of it and only wish I hadn’t wasted so long getting into it.
This was my first foray into this universe so my impressions don’t take previous plot points into account. There are a few spoilers below, so stop if you don’t want any of the fun ruined. Now on to a few of my favorite things:
A SOCIETY OF MAGICAL BEINGS
In this regard, I’m floored by Berry’s ability to take the many fairy tale creatures of bygone myths and create fully sentient beings with complicated cultures, societies, and habits. It’s clear their lives prior to freedom were horrible and, though this freedom was much desired, they continue to struggle with fitting in side by side. There remains a significant amount of prejudice between species and hardheaded thinking when planning the future of their new planet. There’s so much going on in these scenes and we see the individual hardships each species has experienced. You get to know the Bala better as a whole because of this thoughtful narrative.
EXPERT JUGGLING OF CHARACTERS
A true space opera should have a large number of characters constantly bouncing around into ever increasing shenanigans. Berry does this expertly, giving us multiple protagonist focal points. We see Gary, our lead unicorn, struggling to maintain order on this new planet. We see Jenny getting into horrifying-yet-hilarious murky waters as she tries to find her wife. Their storylines provide the majority of the action and excitement. Not knowing their backstories, I was equally enamored with each character, though I get the feeling there are some definite dark pasts I’m not fully aware of. As a side note, the AIs are top notch, providing hilarious commentary throughout. I LOVE a good AI.
GOODBYE TECHNOLOGY
Now that the universe has essentially come to a halt (thanks to the lack of fuel for their FTL drives), we see everyone forced to evaluate their lives. Gone is the access to hundreds of planets and cities. For the Bala, all technology has disappeared, forcing them to go into an almost fairy tale-like existence on this wild planet, as a couple of the characters angrily note. The struggle to move beyond the comforts of modern society permeate every page. We see the Bala warring against each other to get back to their previous lives. We see stranded ships resorting to horrifying means of survival. We see whole planets turning on themselves, erupting into riot chaos. It really makes you think about our current world and how screwed we’d be if the lights all shut off. That sense of everyone being stranded adds an underlying anxiety to the book that provides ample fuel for the character’s basest fears.
June 27, 2019
This wound up being overall disappointing through a combination of poor or nonexistent editing causing timeframe problems, some character POV’s being added where not needed, absolutely no perspective from any of the antagonists, and just an overall too large scope for one 300 page book.
I like Gary a lot as the main protagonist, but he’s the only one dealing with 90% of the issues on the new Bala planet, and he is given less than half of the pages in the book to deal with them. Let’s go through the list-
1. Resettling an entire population of a variety of species on an unknown (and hostile) world with few resources.
2. Angry settlers that want to go back to their hated captors because they have technology.
3. Gary feels responsible to find and care for Kaila because he made a promise to her wife. He has literally no idea where on the planet she is.
4. His dad is being, like, a total drama queen.
5. Gary is still dealing with the fallout of being held captive for a decade, followed by a recent release from prison for the murder of his close friend.
6. Oh and some of the Bala are randomly disappearing and possibly being eaten and no one knows why.
So, aside from that, our other POV’s are from two human characters that dearly want to join the Bala on their planet as they have friends and loved ones there. The only issue is that one is traveling on a ship of people intent on bringing the Bala back into slavery and potentially murdering anyone who gets in their way.
So both of these characters try their best to slow down the other humans, though due to the aforementioned terrible timeframe issues, they actually seem to speed up the progress of the terrible humans. I mean this literally - the last thing of note that Bao Zhu does is to say that it should take them years to find the new Bala planet thanks to his interference. The ship arrives at the Bala planet The Next Day.
I feel that most of these issues would have been solved through giving the characters more space to actually accomplish some of the mountain of tasks that they were set.
Gary could easily have been given a full book to deal with the new planet, his prima donna dad, and random inserted disappearances.
Jenny was on a ship with a snarky AI and almost gets eaten by space cannibals, and then gets possessed by a ghost elf. That’s a lot to deal with in only a few chapters.
Bao Zhu... is kinda boring and didn’t serve much purpose other than bringing Ricky Tang back into the story. But more interestingly, what’s that a-hole Cowboy Jim up to? And why is Lakshmi even mentioned in the book as she has no bearing on a single thing that happens?
So, disappointing compared to the first book, and I’m bummed I bought this one versus just borrowing from the library.
I like Gary a lot as the main protagonist, but he’s the only one dealing with 90% of the issues on the new Bala planet, and he is given less than half of the pages in the book to deal with them. Let’s go through the list-
1. Resettling an entire population of a variety of species on an unknown (and hostile) world with few resources.
2. Angry settlers that want to go back to their hated captors because they have technology.
3. Gary feels responsible to find and care for Kaila because he made a promise to her wife. He has literally no idea where on the planet she is.
4. His dad is being, like, a total drama queen.
5. Gary is still dealing with the fallout of being held captive for a decade, followed by a recent release from prison for the murder of his close friend.
6. Oh and some of the Bala are randomly disappearing and possibly being eaten and no one knows why.
So, aside from that, our other POV’s are from two human characters that dearly want to join the Bala on their planet as they have friends and loved ones there. The only issue is that one is traveling on a ship of people intent on bringing the Bala back into slavery and potentially murdering anyone who gets in their way.
So both of these characters try their best to slow down the other humans, though due to the aforementioned terrible timeframe issues, they actually seem to speed up the progress of the terrible humans. I mean this literally - the last thing of note that Bao Zhu does is to say that it should take them years to find the new Bala planet thanks to his interference. The ship arrives at the Bala planet The Next Day.
I feel that most of these issues would have been solved through giving the characters more space to actually accomplish some of the mountain of tasks that they were set.
Gary could easily have been given a full book to deal with the new planet, his prima donna dad, and random inserted disappearances.
Jenny was on a ship with a snarky AI and almost gets eaten by space cannibals, and then gets possessed by a ghost elf. That’s a lot to deal with in only a few chapters.
Bao Zhu... is kinda boring and didn’t serve much purpose other than bringing Ricky Tang back into the story. But more interestingly, what’s that a-hole Cowboy Jim up to? And why is Lakshmi even mentioned in the book as she has no bearing on a single thing that happens?
So, disappointing compared to the first book, and I’m bummed I bought this one versus just borrowing from the library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2020
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
The Bala are a race commonly referred to as 'Space Unicorns.' They have tremendous healing abilities and their unicorn horns are the only known means to power faster-the-light-speed ships. So of course humans have hunted the Bala nearly into extinction. It's pretty hard to hunt something to extinction when it can practically resurrect itself with its healing powers ... but the intergalactic beings known as 'Reason' are doing just that.
Gary Cobalt is one of the last known Bala and he has taken a small group of remaining Bala to hide out on a remote planet to try to stay out of sight of the Reason. But there's dissent among the Bala which could completely derail their chances of staying alive.
Cowboy Jim is a pilot with the Reason, flying the last FTL ship and he's searching for the Bala so as to enslave the entire race.
Only one person can possibly bring peace to the galaxy, but is Captain Jenny up to the task?
As with the first book, I really like the way author T.J. Berry takes a kind of goofy idea (unicorns in space) and makes a fast-paced space opera that really catches the reader's attention.
In the previous book, I felt that there was action just for the sake of making something happen, rather than driving the story forward. That wasn't the case so much here. This time I felt that there was enough plot to drive the action.
It may seem a little strange that one of the driving forces of the book is a political action, but the pending civil war - among a group of enslaved and hunted beings - is really fascinating. As a reader I immediately took a side and couldn't understand the opposing views. Which had me thinking about current politics.
There is still plenty of humor here, but it is the growth of the characters that really makes this book worth reading. The assortment of characters, and the unique issues that each has (a unicorn with PTSD, a pilot in a wheelchair, LGBTQ issues), really helps this book stand out as character-driven space opera.
Looking for a good book? Five Unicorn Flush is the second book in the "Reason" series by T. J. Berry and is better than the first and shows that this is developing into a fun-to-read space opera series.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
The Bala are a race commonly referred to as 'Space Unicorns.' They have tremendous healing abilities and their unicorn horns are the only known means to power faster-the-light-speed ships. So of course humans have hunted the Bala nearly into extinction. It's pretty hard to hunt something to extinction when it can practically resurrect itself with its healing powers ... but the intergalactic beings known as 'Reason' are doing just that.
Gary Cobalt is one of the last known Bala and he has taken a small group of remaining Bala to hide out on a remote planet to try to stay out of sight of the Reason. But there's dissent among the Bala which could completely derail their chances of staying alive.
Cowboy Jim is a pilot with the Reason, flying the last FTL ship and he's searching for the Bala so as to enslave the entire race.
Only one person can possibly bring peace to the galaxy, but is Captain Jenny up to the task?
As with the first book, I really like the way author T.J. Berry takes a kind of goofy idea (unicorns in space) and makes a fast-paced space opera that really catches the reader's attention.
In the previous book, I felt that there was action just for the sake of making something happen, rather than driving the story forward. That wasn't the case so much here. This time I felt that there was enough plot to drive the action.
It may seem a little strange that one of the driving forces of the book is a political action, but the pending civil war - among a group of enslaved and hunted beings - is really fascinating. As a reader I immediately took a side and couldn't understand the opposing views. Which had me thinking about current politics.
There is still plenty of humor here, but it is the growth of the characters that really makes this book worth reading. The assortment of characters, and the unique issues that each has (a unicorn with PTSD, a pilot in a wheelchair, LGBTQ issues), really helps this book stand out as character-driven space opera.
Looking for a good book? Five Unicorn Flush is the second book in the "Reason" series by T. J. Berry and is better than the first and shows that this is developing into a fun-to-read space opera series.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2021
I have to be blunt: overall, this book is a complete mess. I'm apparently very much in the minority, given the book's 4+ average, and on paper I should have been the ideal reader for this, but it just didn't work for me.
The good: I appreciated the attention to diversity, and there are some interesting, if not well-executed, ideas in the setting.
But those good points just can't compensate for clumsy and stilted dialogue; plot holes big enough to pilot an asteroid through; other plot points to which an entire chapter might be devoted only to be contradicted or simply ignored immediately after; barebones or sometimes just wildly inexplicable characterization; and worldbuilding full of internal inconsistencies, conveniently ignored fatal flaws, and (albeit seemingly incompetent) dei ex machina.
On top of all that, the book appears not to have been copy-edited. I noted nearly 50 typos/misspellings, grammatical mistakes, changes of number mid-sentence, missing words, extraneous words, inconsistent formatting, etc. The book was just over 300 pages, so that's an obvious mistake, on average, roughly every 6 pages. That's embarrassingly unprofessional on the part of the publisher--that's well beyond "poorly edited" into nearly self-published territory--and for me it completely spoiled the flow and immersion.
I found the first book "ok," quite flawed but with some intriguing aspects, though I was disappointed that it ended (or, well, didn't) in such a transparently obvious setup for a sequel. But this follow-up just didn't deliver anything to make me likely to continue, even as it sets up its own completely transparent bid for another sequel.
The good: I appreciated the attention to diversity, and there are some interesting, if not well-executed, ideas in the setting.
But those good points just can't compensate for clumsy and stilted dialogue; plot holes big enough to pilot an asteroid through; other plot points to which an entire chapter might be devoted only to be contradicted or simply ignored immediately after; barebones or sometimes just wildly inexplicable characterization; and worldbuilding full of internal inconsistencies, conveniently ignored fatal flaws, and (albeit seemingly incompetent) dei ex machina.
On top of all that, the book appears not to have been copy-edited. I noted nearly 50 typos/misspellings, grammatical mistakes, changes of number mid-sentence, missing words, extraneous words, inconsistent formatting, etc. The book was just over 300 pages, so that's an obvious mistake, on average, roughly every 6 pages. That's embarrassingly unprofessional on the part of the publisher--that's well beyond "poorly edited" into nearly self-published territory--and for me it completely spoiled the flow and immersion.
I found the first book "ok," quite flawed but with some intriguing aspects, though I was disappointed that it ended (or, well, didn't) in such a transparently obvious setup for a sequel. But this follow-up just didn't deliver anything to make me likely to continue, even as it sets up its own completely transparent bid for another sequel.
February 4, 2025
Really thought this one might get a higher rating than book one. I stuck it out after barely getting thru that one because I like Jenny and only Jenny and this one started out with Jenny and enough action to keep me turning pages. And it kept it up through a lot of the book! Then. Completely lost me at the end. It was just. Annoying. Like literally why are THESE the pieces getting resolved after THAT story? And a particular element of the situation they left Jenny in is starting to feel like a pattern in a few too many sci fi series I’ve read in the last five years and it’s officially my least favorite. Actively hate it thanks.
March 4, 2025
Not as good as the last one.
(Listened on audible)
Like most sequels, this is not as good as the first book. The chemistry between the characters is lost as they are scattered throughout the universe.
However the new characters that were introduced are good and don’t overwhelm the story. And I like the fact that consequences of the last book are felt by both sides.
I didn’t like the plot twist mainly because it feels like it was introduced last minute.
Will still get the next instalment though.
(Listened on audible)
Like most sequels, this is not as good as the first book. The chemistry between the characters is lost as they are scattered throughout the universe.
However the new characters that were introduced are good and don’t overwhelm the story. And I like the fact that consequences of the last book are felt by both sides.
I didn’t like the plot twist mainly because it feels like it was introduced last minute.
Will still get the next instalment though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2020
I think I enjoyed this installment more than the first. One of the best parts of this series is the inclusive nature of the representation that never feels gimmicky. I think Jenny Peralta is one of my favorite characters because she's done some shady and wrong things but has learned from them and is constantly evolving into a better version of herself. Overall I enjoyed this enough to finish in one sitting and I look forward to see where this series is headed in the future.
August 31, 2020
This was entertaining, but no where near as good as the first one. It's clearly set up for more in this series, but I think I've read enough. Part of me wishes the first one had been a stand-alone story. It continues to annoy me how horrible people are to each other in this world, and the characters that really should have gotten their just desserts didn't in the end. The Pymmie are so all-powerful, it really seems like they should be able to do more to solve the problems they can see.
January 4, 2020
I like books that can take an absurd premise and make it into a real story, let alone keep it going for more than one book. Assuming this is going be a trilogy when the third book shows up. As the ending makes it clear that there is supposed to be one more book at least to resolve things from this one.
October 5, 2022
After finishing this, for the second time, I still can't make up my mind whether to take the storyline seriously or not. This book gets only a 2 star rating as there was a lot more fantasy in this one than in the first book and I'm not really a lover of fantasy books, especially when they are purported to be SF.
November 10, 2023
Excellent book! I enjoyed it as much as the first one. The last chapter threatened to go off the rails a bit - I find that I don't have a lot of patience for denouement, and this one was starting to test my patience, but luckily, it didn't extend too long. A lot of fun, and I'm excited to see where Berry takes this series next.
June 9, 2019
I love this series for me it’s a page turner and maybe hopefully a graphic novel with the authors image of the characters.
The only spoiler I have is that it’s going to be another book by how it ends in my opinion I can’t wait.
The only spoiler I have is that it’s going to be another book by how it ends in my opinion I can’t wait.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2019
It was entertaining but a little bit too close to like a “just accept everybody” we are all xenophobic sort of thing. Still enjoyed the story but it didn’t have the depth of creative ideas that the first one did.
October 4, 2019
Still has some madcap escapades but not nearly as action-packed as Space Unicorn Blues. Definitely suffers from second book syndrome. Character arcs seem to have stalled a little. Overall good but not incredible.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews