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Epic Failure #3
System Failure
Not yet published
Expected 31 Dec 50War is spreading through the galaxy—and it’s becoming abundantly clear that there’s an outside force at play in this explosive and hilarious new installment of the Epic Failure series that reads like Catch-22 meets David Weber.
With the galaxy thrown into chaos by mutual breaches of the Two Hundred Years’ peace, what seemed like an isolated incident on the Thelicosa/Merida border has become an epidemic. In the midst of this chaos, the Thelicosan and Meridan fleets on their respective borders have come to a sort of tense peace after the events in Book II but now it’s somebody wants war. And it’s not the Free Systems of the galaxy.
No. It’s a mom-and-pop convenience store gone galactic. It’s the purveyors of balloons and nachos and supplies for bowling lanes. It’s the company that made the droids and a large part of the technology that all of the Free Systems are using in their militaries.
It’s Snaggardirs. And they want to snag it all.
With the galaxy thrown into chaos by mutual breaches of the Two Hundred Years’ peace, what seemed like an isolated incident on the Thelicosa/Merida border has become an epidemic. In the midst of this chaos, the Thelicosan and Meridan fleets on their respective borders have come to a sort of tense peace after the events in Book II but now it’s somebody wants war. And it’s not the Free Systems of the galaxy.
No. It’s a mom-and-pop convenience store gone galactic. It’s the purveyors of balloons and nachos and supplies for bowling lanes. It’s the company that made the droids and a large part of the technology that all of the Free Systems are using in their militaries.
It’s Snaggardirs. And they want to snag it all.
432 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication December 31, 2050
64 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Joe Zieja
6 books162 followersJoe Zieja is an author with a long history of doing things that have almost nothing to do with writing at all. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Joe dedicated over a decade of his life to wearing The Uniform, marching around in circles and shouting commands at people while in turn having commands shouted at him. It was both a great deal of fun and a great nuisance, and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Joe’s also a commercial voiceover artist and a composer of music for video games and commercials. He’s probably interrupted your Spotify playlist at least once to encourage you to click on the banner below and isn’t the least bit upset that you ignored him.
Joe’s also a commercial voiceover artist and a composer of music for video games and commercials. He’s probably interrupted your Spotify playlist at least once to encourage you to click on the banner below and isn’t the least bit upset that you ignored him.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 30, 2023
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/11/04/...
The Epic Failure series started off as a fun diversion for me, something to pick up between heavier reads as a light and fluffy palate cleanser, but somewhere along the way I grew to really love it! So when I found out that System Failure coming out, it looked to be the conclusion of this humorous series and I knew I had to check it out.
If you’ve read the previous installments, then chances are you’ll already know the kind of hijinks to expect from book three. Joe Zieja continues the running joke of having his protagonist Captain Rogers fall inadvertently into roles he is frightfully ill-suited and unqualified for, as the more he screws up or tries to slack off, the more he seems to get promoted. Everyone thinks he’s the genius he isn’t, and now he’s somehow found himself the head of the Joint Force tasked with fending off the latest threat to the galaxy. This time it’s the Snaggardirs, and no, they’re not some brutal new race of space alien looking to invade, they’re actually a chain of entertainment centers and party supply stores that has gone galactic, like Chuck E. Cheese in space on steroids. Of course, it doesn’t help that they also happen to be the manufacturers behind all the droids and much of the technology that runs the Free Systems military.
Meanwhile, tensions between the Thelicosan and Meridan fleets are still high, held in check by a delicate truce while details of a more permanent peace treaty can be ironed out. As usual, Rogers finds himself in the middle of the whole fiasco, and if things weren’t messy enough, sparks are also flying between him and the Viking, the Marine captain with whom he has been having a complicated love affair, but not necessarily the good kind.
What I love about these books are the common threads that run through them, tying the whole series together. Over time, Zieja has also perfected the tone of the humor, growing more confident with the style of comedy and the kind of jokes he wants to tell. While slapstick and snappy one-liners are still the order of the day, they seem to come easier and are delivered with more effectiveness in System Failure, but this might also be due to the familiarity with these characters and the outlandish situations they seem to constantly find themselves in.
Speaking of which, Captain Rogers is a riot as always. Even though it might seem farcical to talk about a character’s growth in a book like this, that is indeed what we’ve seen with our protagonist over the course of the series. There are important things to him now, like his friends and his ideals. Still, I was glad to see that through it all, Rogers has retained all the wackiness and important personality traits that make up his character. The series just wouldn’t be the same without his tendency to always try to find the path of least work possible, which just makes it funnier when his plans to slack off backfire on him spectacularly. Not to mention, he and the Viking are adorable, mainly due to the fact the two of them are so different, and also because Rogers so desperately wants to protect the woman he loves, who clearly need no protecting.
If you appreciate humor in your space opera, there’s no question you’ll need to at least give the Epic Failure series a chance. It’s a bit silly, sometimes a little too cheesy, but books two and three really stepped up the plot while keeping a good balance between the story and comedic elements. What people find funny being so subject, you have to be okay with a fair amount of absurdity given how wildly preposterous the scenarios can get. However, a fantastic cast of oddball characters keep the interest high, as does the energetic pace. There’s nothing too deep or complicated here, just plain old good pure fun.
Overall, I enjoyed System Failure and felt it was a good send-off for the trilogy and its characters. It gave me the rollicking, space-faring entertainment I wanted, and at the end of the day, isn’t that what’s most important? So if you’re looking for a fun science fiction adventure, make sure you remember the name Joe Zieja—with any luck, he’ll be writing more sci-fi humor real soon.
Audiobook Comments: For this third book I made the switch to audio, and at first I was wary because I’m always a bit skeptical of authors narrating their own books. But wow, Zieja knocked it out of the park! His reading was professional and pitch-perfect, and no wonder—after listening to his stellar performance, I got curious and looked up his bio and apparently, he’s quite the accomplished voice actor as well as an author. And of course, the benefit of having an author-narrated book is that he knows what all the characters are supposed to sound like and exactly what to emphasis in the story, which absolutely made the experience more personal and immersive.
The Epic Failure series started off as a fun diversion for me, something to pick up between heavier reads as a light and fluffy palate cleanser, but somewhere along the way I grew to really love it! So when I found out that System Failure coming out, it looked to be the conclusion of this humorous series and I knew I had to check it out.
If you’ve read the previous installments, then chances are you’ll already know the kind of hijinks to expect from book three. Joe Zieja continues the running joke of having his protagonist Captain Rogers fall inadvertently into roles he is frightfully ill-suited and unqualified for, as the more he screws up or tries to slack off, the more he seems to get promoted. Everyone thinks he’s the genius he isn’t, and now he’s somehow found himself the head of the Joint Force tasked with fending off the latest threat to the galaxy. This time it’s the Snaggardirs, and no, they’re not some brutal new race of space alien looking to invade, they’re actually a chain of entertainment centers and party supply stores that has gone galactic, like Chuck E. Cheese in space on steroids. Of course, it doesn’t help that they also happen to be the manufacturers behind all the droids and much of the technology that runs the Free Systems military.
Meanwhile, tensions between the Thelicosan and Meridan fleets are still high, held in check by a delicate truce while details of a more permanent peace treaty can be ironed out. As usual, Rogers finds himself in the middle of the whole fiasco, and if things weren’t messy enough, sparks are also flying between him and the Viking, the Marine captain with whom he has been having a complicated love affair, but not necessarily the good kind.
What I love about these books are the common threads that run through them, tying the whole series together. Over time, Zieja has also perfected the tone of the humor, growing more confident with the style of comedy and the kind of jokes he wants to tell. While slapstick and snappy one-liners are still the order of the day, they seem to come easier and are delivered with more effectiveness in System Failure, but this might also be due to the familiarity with these characters and the outlandish situations they seem to constantly find themselves in.
Speaking of which, Captain Rogers is a riot as always. Even though it might seem farcical to talk about a character’s growth in a book like this, that is indeed what we’ve seen with our protagonist over the course of the series. There are important things to him now, like his friends and his ideals. Still, I was glad to see that through it all, Rogers has retained all the wackiness and important personality traits that make up his character. The series just wouldn’t be the same without his tendency to always try to find the path of least work possible, which just makes it funnier when his plans to slack off backfire on him spectacularly. Not to mention, he and the Viking are adorable, mainly due to the fact the two of them are so different, and also because Rogers so desperately wants to protect the woman he loves, who clearly need no protecting.
If you appreciate humor in your space opera, there’s no question you’ll need to at least give the Epic Failure series a chance. It’s a bit silly, sometimes a little too cheesy, but books two and three really stepped up the plot while keeping a good balance between the story and comedic elements. What people find funny being so subject, you have to be okay with a fair amount of absurdity given how wildly preposterous the scenarios can get. However, a fantastic cast of oddball characters keep the interest high, as does the energetic pace. There’s nothing too deep or complicated here, just plain old good pure fun.
Overall, I enjoyed System Failure and felt it was a good send-off for the trilogy and its characters. It gave me the rollicking, space-faring entertainment I wanted, and at the end of the day, isn’t that what’s most important? So if you’re looking for a fun science fiction adventure, make sure you remember the name Joe Zieja—with any luck, he’ll be writing more sci-fi humor real soon.
Audiobook Comments: For this third book I made the switch to audio, and at first I was wary because I’m always a bit skeptical of authors narrating their own books. But wow, Zieja knocked it out of the park! His reading was professional and pitch-perfect, and no wonder—after listening to his stellar performance, I got curious and looked up his bio and apparently, he’s quite the accomplished voice actor as well as an author. And of course, the benefit of having an author-narrated book is that he knows what all the characters are supposed to sound like and exactly what to emphasis in the story, which absolutely made the experience more personal and immersive.
November 14, 2019
An absolutely fun diversion of a book, it is remarkable that a book I picked up on a whim has turned into a full fledged trilogy with a proper arc and character development while being hilarious right through. Some of the gags now have been there for the entire trilogy but it never gets old like the profanity filter on a character - everytime it happens, its funny and Zieja makes it even funnier when he introduces newer aspects of profanity
It is also a parable on how some people continually fail upwards - Captain Rogers despite being eminently and hilariously unqualified for any of the posts that he has had, still gets rewarded despite him not wanting to do any work. The ending is possibly the only element that quite didnt work as well but overall an absolute fun series filled with goofy characters and weird humor. An absolute blast
It is also a parable on how some people continually fail upwards - Captain Rogers despite being eminently and hilariously unqualified for any of the posts that he has had, still gets rewarded despite him not wanting to do any work. The ending is possibly the only element that quite didnt work as well but overall an absolute fun series filled with goofy characters and weird humor. An absolute blast
December 29, 2020
Funny, but not enough, conclusion, but not enough. Mostly repeating the two previous books.
At least we get answers to the big mystery, but it wasn't interesting enough.
At least we get answers to the big mystery, but it wasn't interesting enough.
October 23, 2021
More space fun, best one in series. Action, killing, adolescent humour.
April 20, 2024
Well better than I expected for an author I've never heard of.
A fun mix of Spaceballs and Galaxy Quest humour about a galactic threat by disgruntled Jupiterians and a reluctant Captain Rogers and his not so merry (or bright) crew trying their best to avoid the un-aliving of said galaxy.
There was a pretty decent story/plot if you ignored the humour.
A love interest with a she-hulk marine, a zookeeper with hidden depths and a badmouthed droid with attitude, no C3PO, more like FUKU2.
The story moved along at a good pace and keeps you engaged, likeable characters and pretty good world building.
A 7/10 for the series from me.
A fun mix of Spaceballs and Galaxy Quest humour about a galactic threat by disgruntled Jupiterians and a reluctant Captain Rogers and his not so merry (or bright) crew trying their best to avoid the un-aliving of said galaxy.
There was a pretty decent story/plot if you ignored the humour.
A love interest with a she-hulk marine, a zookeeper with hidden depths and a badmouthed droid with attitude, no C3PO, more like FUKU2.
The story moved along at a good pace and keeps you engaged, likeable characters and pretty good world building.
A 7/10 for the series from me.
January 2, 2024
so this trilogy was silly more than funny - and overall I enjoyed it. I am glad it ended in 3 books because the third one felt a bit long...
This third book ended the immediate story but there are still questions about what the droids are going to do and what is going on with Deet-
I would read more by this author
This third book ended the immediate story but there are still questions about what the droids are going to do and what is going on with Deet-
I would read more by this author
October 16, 2019
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Every author closing out a series—a trilogy or something longer running—has a daunting task (not that stand-alones or duology's aren't daunting themselves, but it seems easier to me). They have to tell a self-contained story; weaving in the character and story arcs that have been percolating since the first book; resolve the new and old arcs; leave the characters in a place that readers will find satisfying; and provide some sort of ending to all of that to leave everyone in a place where you can move onto the next thing. For writers like Joe Zieja there's an additional challenge—you have to make the whole thing funny.
Thankfully, Zieja does all of that very, very well.
Rogers' fleet (including the Thelicosans) arrive at the home base for the Free Systems to meet with their High Command. Fully aware that the only military commander that's had any kind of success with this new enemy is Captain Rogers, he's named the head of the Joint Force tasked with preventing Snaggardirs from destroying the galaxy.
They also realize that the only way Rogers has had any kind of success is by throwing out all the rule books—including The Art of War II: Now In Space by Sun Tzu Jr. So they tell him to do just that. They don't care how ridiculous or uneducated his plans are, as long as they get the job done. Snaggardirs has given the Free Systems a very limited time to acquiesce or face the destruction of the galaxy. And they seem to be able to pull that off.
So with help from a very unexpected source, Rogers reaches out to the same space pirates we haven't seen since the disastrous opening to Mechanical Failure and also is forced to accept help from a Thelicosan practitioner of something that's a combination of horoscopes and astrophysics (you'll have to read the book to understand it). These, um, unconventional tools are added to the rag-tag bunch that has come to help Rogers in a last-ditch effort to save reality as we know it.
As usual, Rogers is the focus. He's been on a journey of personal growth since we first met him—despite his best intentions, it should be stressed. He really comes a long way just in these pages and it's pretty cool to see.
Of course, I can't go without talking about Deet—the droid that Rogers assembled from junk. He's also on a journey of personal growth—just a different kind. In addition to trying to understand how to justify and explain his existence, he's trying to learn to empathize, as well as lie convincingly (or at all), and he continues to improve his [EXPLETIVE] swearing. He does get better at it and made me laugh out loud several times (both in his successes and failures). There was one misstep that he made, and I re-read that sentence a few times to figure out what he may be trying to say. Naturally, after I gave up and moved on, I learned that no one understood what he was going for.
I should add a little something about Tunger. I found him amusing in Mechanical Failure, but I thought he was overused (and became a little annoying). In Communication Failure, I stopped finding him all that entertaining, mostly trying. Which is how he started in System Failure. But he soon became a very cool character and one of the real strengths of the book. He really might be the best thing that Zieja did throughout the series.
It seems like a bonus to me—not at all the kind of thing one expects from a book like this—we're given an antagonist that the reader can almost sympathize with. Yes, their methods and strategies are wrong and harmful to innocents. But you can't help but understand why a people would set off in this direction. I can't imagine anyone reading about their plight will start hoping for a failure for Rogers and the rest, don't get me wrong. But you just might see where the Jupiterians are coming from.
There's a key acronym in the book that a. is fitting, b. is funny, c. took me far too long to get. Once I stopped feeling stupid, I realized it was a great example of this being one of those books where even if you don't get the jokes, the book holds up as a story well enough that you won't even notice there are jokes you don't get until later.
There's one figure with access to the top of Snaggardirs who isn't on board with their destroying the galaxy plan. So they set out to sabotage it by helping Rogers. Their scheme was pretty clever, but with one giant flaw. Which made their sacrifice sad—and their attempts at success very funny. It's a good mix for the reader (a pathetic one for the character).
I'm not sure it's entirely fair (and I don't mean to disparage any of the books I'm about to mention in any way), but while reading this, I couldn't help but compare this to two other humorous series and their conclusions. I hate to compare any comedic SF to The Hitchhiker's Trilogy, but how do you not? This series never got as funny as the best of Hitchhiker's (maybe a couple of times it got pretty close, though), but it was a cohesive and believable story, populated with better characters and a solid ending -- unlike Adams repeated attempts at a conclusion that never really felt satisfying. Similarly, Epic Failure trilogy went out strong, with its strongest material still working, unlike The Tales of Pell which went a little off-course in the final volume and didn't stick the landing the way that System Failure managed to do.
Zieja successfully called back to elements of the first book (some I'd forgotten about, some I thought had fully served their purpose) and built on the developments of the second to give this volume a bit more heft and greater stakes. Then he added a great story new to this novel and wrapped up everything in a satisfying and definitive way. All while making me chortle, chuckle, grin and occasionally laugh. Who can ask for [EXPLETIVE] more? I don't know what Zieja has planned next, but sign me up for whatever it is.
---
"You are literally placing the fate of the galaxy in my hands." [Rogers] thought for a moment. "Again. You need to stop doing this."
Every author closing out a series—a trilogy or something longer running—has a daunting task (not that stand-alones or duology's aren't daunting themselves, but it seems easier to me). They have to tell a self-contained story; weaving in the character and story arcs that have been percolating since the first book; resolve the new and old arcs; leave the characters in a place that readers will find satisfying; and provide some sort of ending to all of that to leave everyone in a place where you can move onto the next thing. For writers like Joe Zieja there's an additional challenge—you have to make the whole thing funny.
Thankfully, Zieja does all of that very, very well.
Rogers' fleet (including the Thelicosans) arrive at the home base for the Free Systems to meet with their High Command. Fully aware that the only military commander that's had any kind of success with this new enemy is Captain Rogers, he's named the head of the Joint Force tasked with preventing Snaggardirs from destroying the galaxy.
They also realize that the only way Rogers has had any kind of success is by throwing out all the rule books—including The Art of War II: Now In Space by Sun Tzu Jr. So they tell him to do just that. They don't care how ridiculous or uneducated his plans are, as long as they get the job done. Snaggardirs has given the Free Systems a very limited time to acquiesce or face the destruction of the galaxy. And they seem to be able to pull that off.
So with help from a very unexpected source, Rogers reaches out to the same space pirates we haven't seen since the disastrous opening to Mechanical Failure and also is forced to accept help from a Thelicosan practitioner of something that's a combination of horoscopes and astrophysics (you'll have to read the book to understand it). These, um, unconventional tools are added to the rag-tag bunch that has come to help Rogers in a last-ditch effort to save reality as we know it.
As usual, Rogers is the focus. He's been on a journey of personal growth since we first met him—despite his best intentions, it should be stressed. He really comes a long way just in these pages and it's pretty cool to see.
Of course, I can't go without talking about Deet—the droid that Rogers assembled from junk. He's also on a journey of personal growth—just a different kind. In addition to trying to understand how to justify and explain his existence, he's trying to learn to empathize, as well as lie convincingly (or at all), and he continues to improve his [EXPLETIVE] swearing. He does get better at it and made me laugh out loud several times (both in his successes and failures). There was one misstep that he made, and I re-read that sentence a few times to figure out what he may be trying to say. Naturally, after I gave up and moved on, I learned that no one understood what he was going for.
I should add a little something about Tunger. I found him amusing in Mechanical Failure, but I thought he was overused (and became a little annoying). In Communication Failure, I stopped finding him all that entertaining, mostly trying. Which is how he started in System Failure. But he soon became a very cool character and one of the real strengths of the book. He really might be the best thing that Zieja did throughout the series.
It seems like a bonus to me—not at all the kind of thing one expects from a book like this—we're given an antagonist that the reader can almost sympathize with. Yes, their methods and strategies are wrong and harmful to innocents. But you can't help but understand why a people would set off in this direction. I can't imagine anyone reading about their plight will start hoping for a failure for Rogers and the rest, don't get me wrong. But you just might see where the Jupiterians are coming from.
There's a key acronym in the book that a. is fitting, b. is funny, c. took me far too long to get. Once I stopped feeling stupid, I realized it was a great example of this being one of those books where even if you don't get the jokes, the book holds up as a story well enough that you won't even notice there are jokes you don't get until later.
There's one figure with access to the top of Snaggardirs who isn't on board with their destroying the galaxy plan. So they set out to sabotage it by helping Rogers. Their scheme was pretty clever, but with one giant flaw. Which made their sacrifice sad—and their attempts at success very funny. It's a good mix for the reader (a pathetic one for the character).
I'm not sure it's entirely fair (and I don't mean to disparage any of the books I'm about to mention in any way), but while reading this, I couldn't help but compare this to two other humorous series and their conclusions. I hate to compare any comedic SF to The Hitchhiker's Trilogy, but how do you not? This series never got as funny as the best of Hitchhiker's (maybe a couple of times it got pretty close, though), but it was a cohesive and believable story, populated with better characters and a solid ending -- unlike Adams repeated attempts at a conclusion that never really felt satisfying. Similarly, Epic Failure trilogy went out strong, with its strongest material still working, unlike The Tales of Pell which went a little off-course in the final volume and didn't stick the landing the way that System Failure managed to do.
Zieja successfully called back to elements of the first book (some I'd forgotten about, some I thought had fully served their purpose) and built on the developments of the second to give this volume a bit more heft and greater stakes. Then he added a great story new to this novel and wrapped up everything in a satisfying and definitive way. All while making me chortle, chuckle, grin and occasionally laugh. Who can ask for [EXPLETIVE] more? I don't know what Zieja has planned next, but sign me up for whatever it is.
August 31, 2024
2024 reread: an action packed end to a great trilogy, this series is weirdly insightful and a ton of fun, and I loved my time here! Zieja understands the balance between comedy and seriousness perfectly, and this is a high recommendation from me if you love that kind of thing.
October 27, 2024
Big finish to the epic space opera. Very funny and lots of fun, as Zieja brings home the satire and slapstick in a satisfying conclusion.
At some point in the middle of this book I realized this was ne plus ultra of the The Peter Principle, taken to absurd extremes. For those unfamiliar, the Peter Principle states that employees keep getting promoted until they reach a position where they are incompetent. Since our main protagonist, Rogers, isn’t competent at anything, he gets put in charge of everything. Naturally this means he screws up constantly except when accidentally falling backward into the correct solution to a problem.
Zieja also left open a few minor plotlines for potential sequels, such as the final disposition of the robot Deet. Deet is easily my favorite character among this motley crew, and the broken language program that keeps him from properly cursing is both brilliant and hilarious. Zieja gets to keep the PG-13 feeling of the book while simultaneously slipping in some explicitly non-explicit language. Deet is incredibly foul-mouthed but it made me laugh constantly. “What in the [UNFAVORABLE AFTERLIFE LOCATION] are you doing?!” the robot will exclaim. “I tried using empathy with the guards but those [MALE OFFSPRING OF FEMALE CANINES] wouldn’t let me in.”
I also like the little touches of silliness in these books, like the fact that the fleet’s flagship is called the Flagship. Other ship names include the Rigor Mortis, the Infuriating, and the Awesome 2. Those tidbits amused me.
Zieja narrates these books himself and he does a terrific job.
At some point in the middle of this book I realized this was ne plus ultra of the The Peter Principle, taken to absurd extremes. For those unfamiliar, the Peter Principle states that employees keep getting promoted until they reach a position where they are incompetent. Since our main protagonist, Rogers, isn’t competent at anything, he gets put in charge of everything. Naturally this means he screws up constantly except when accidentally falling backward into the correct solution to a problem.
Zieja also left open a few minor plotlines for potential sequels, such as the final disposition of the robot Deet. Deet is easily my favorite character among this motley crew, and the broken language program that keeps him from properly cursing is both brilliant and hilarious. Zieja gets to keep the PG-13 feeling of the book while simultaneously slipping in some explicitly non-explicit language. Deet is incredibly foul-mouthed but it made me laugh constantly. “What in the [UNFAVORABLE AFTERLIFE LOCATION] are you doing?!” the robot will exclaim. “I tried using empathy with the guards but those [MALE OFFSPRING OF FEMALE CANINES] wouldn’t let me in.”
I also like the little touches of silliness in these books, like the fact that the fleet’s flagship is called the Flagship. Other ship names include the Rigor Mortis, the Infuriating, and the Awesome 2. Those tidbits amused me.
Zieja narrates these books himself and he does a terrific job.
November 15, 2019
The Epic Failure Trilogy is probably the funniest dystopia I've ever read, and "System Failure" is a fitting cap to the trilogy.
Humor is probably one of the more rational ways to approach a dysfunctional situation. This dystopian world often hauntingly parallels our own. Yet Joe Zieja's wry sense of humor and droll portrayals of unfolding sequences frequently had me laughing so hard I couldn't see through the tears.
Zieja's protagonist, R. Wilson Rogers, is most certainly a flawed hero. He's pretty honest with himself and others about his shortcomings. The fact that this does not for one moment stop him from being made the leader of a combined force that is humanity's last hope to save the galaxy from annihilation baffles and terrifies him. Weirdly, the more honest he is, the more people seem willing to follow him.
Rogers and his supporting cast--notable among them are Deet the robot; Tunger the would-be spy; Rogers' dream woman The Viking; Grand Marshal Keffoule, and of course the Jupiterians of Snaggardirs--return for a final round of fun, natural results, and impending galactic armageddon.
How could anyone stand to miss out on that?
Humor is probably one of the more rational ways to approach a dysfunctional situation. This dystopian world often hauntingly parallels our own. Yet Joe Zieja's wry sense of humor and droll portrayals of unfolding sequences frequently had me laughing so hard I couldn't see through the tears.
Zieja's protagonist, R. Wilson Rogers, is most certainly a flawed hero. He's pretty honest with himself and others about his shortcomings. The fact that this does not for one moment stop him from being made the leader of a combined force that is humanity's last hope to save the galaxy from annihilation baffles and terrifies him. Weirdly, the more honest he is, the more people seem willing to follow him.
Rogers and his supporting cast--notable among them are Deet the robot; Tunger the would-be spy; Rogers' dream woman The Viking; Grand Marshal Keffoule, and of course the Jupiterians of Snaggardirs--return for a final round of fun, natural results, and impending galactic armageddon.
How could anyone stand to miss out on that?
December 28, 2020
Lots of improvements in this third and final installment of the Epic Failure trilogy.
Deet's expletives get more specific with his newfound curiosity. There are more complications and more characters involved because of the Jupiterian uprising that started with the droids in the previous book. To his disdain, Rogers gets more responsibility. Some relationships flourish, some new ones arise, and some die away peacefully. A funny, satisfying ending to the saga with good action and conflict.
If you like sci-fi humor and easy jokes you don't have to overthink to enjoy, you'll like this series. It's a fun read.
Deet's expletives get more specific with his newfound curiosity. There are more complications and more characters involved because of the Jupiterian uprising that started with the droids in the previous book. To his disdain, Rogers gets more responsibility. Some relationships flourish, some new ones arise, and some die away peacefully. A funny, satisfying ending to the saga with good action and conflict.
If you like sci-fi humor and easy jokes you don't have to overthink to enjoy, you'll like this series. It's a fun read.
October 4, 2019
This is what I call Space Opera.
Humor never gets the appreciation it deserves even though it's much harder to write than drama or monster movies. I didn't get a free book for this review.
If you've read the previous two books then you know what you're in for. This book delivers solutions that you didn't know were possible.
If you have not read them then start with the first book Mechanical Failure. This is a great trilogy for driving and covering the miles but kind of disruptive if you're reading it in public. You won't go to sleep while wizards explain their latest technique.
Humor never gets the appreciation it deserves even though it's much harder to write than drama or monster movies. I didn't get a free book for this review.
If you've read the previous two books then you know what you're in for. This book delivers solutions that you didn't know were possible.
If you have not read them then start with the first book Mechanical Failure. This is a great trilogy for driving and covering the miles but kind of disruptive if you're reading it in public. You won't go to sleep while wizards explain their latest technique.
October 30, 2019
The end of a trilogy but only the beginning of thinking about the admiral seeking asteroids. Whole lot of them murdering asteroids about.
Now that the enemy has revealed themselves it's time for our (acting) Admiral to be given far greater powers than he's ever waited and once again being thrust into battles completely out of his skill zone. For failure is the only way and it's worked well the last few times.
Now that the enemy has revealed themselves it's time for our (acting) Admiral to be given far greater powers than he's ever waited and once again being thrust into battles completely out of his skill zone. For failure is the only way and it's worked well the last few times.
February 17, 2020
The first book in this trilogy, Communication Failure, was my favorite fiction last year. The second and third books still had plenty of laugh-out-loud funny moments, but book 2 had a little bit of “middle book syndrome,” and I really didn’t care for the way the trilogy wrapped up. I suppose the ending made sense and was humorous in a Monty Python kind of way, but it was a surprisingly downbeat and left a lot of loose ends.
September 28, 2020
I read this book in a day, bored on a rainy camping trip and if it weren't for the literally nothing to do I probably would have thrown this book in the river.
The stupid is cranked to the max, every character it seems is always holding the idiot ball.
Characters out of character.
What's really bad is that this is probably the technically best written of the books, but at this point in the series I just think everyone is stupid and emotionally stunted and can't really connect.
The stupid is cranked to the max, every character it seems is always holding the idiot ball.
Characters out of character.
What's really bad is that this is probably the technically best written of the books, but at this point in the series I just think everyone is stupid and emotionally stunted and can't really connect.
March 13, 2021
Last book of the trilogy which was exciting, entertaining, humorous, and even surprising. Zieja's characters are multidimensional, not only the main ones but the supporting ones as well. The story itself is well crafted with sarcasm, introspection, and wisdom that transcends the humor and absurdity presented in situations anyone in the military might find themselves into. I bought the e-books and the audiobooks, which might seem excessive, but I really enjoy listening to his narration.
September 20, 2019
Probably one of the BEST plot twists I've ever read in my life XD This book was the perfect ending to the series, especially that ENDING! I couldn't stop laughing, and I've started re-listening to it already.
December 15, 2019
Decent close, felt kind of same-old same-old since most the of the humor consisted of running jokes from previous episodes. No real standout gags orlines either. Also, several plotlines left open, so not really much sense of closure. Just the author’s style, I guess.
February 10, 2020
Seldom is a book such utter nonsense that I biff it after 3 pages, but such is System Failure. The cover blurb compares it favourably to Terry Pratchett, which is a huge insult to Pratchett. This book is full of spite, & political propaganda. Libertarian, militaristic & foul.
December 7, 2022
Another great adventure in the Epic Failure Trilogy series with many mistakes made and the connection between Rogers and droid Deet the main entertainment. But there is plenty of other ACTION
For those who like some slapstick mixed in with their science fiction this is your series
For those who like some slapstick mixed in with their science fiction this is your series
May 22, 2024
3.5 .Did not like the conclusion, could have just not included the last 3 sentances for a 4x better ending. But i love the books, hilarious breath of freash air from a lot of other books, did not like the ending at all and it kind of ruined it for me
January 10, 2025
Space Comedy
Space comedy? Too much slapstick for my taste. Bad jokes did not make me laugh. I think this series of three books sounds as if they were written by a seventh grader.
Space comedy? Too much slapstick for my taste. Bad jokes did not make me laugh. I think this series of three books sounds as if they were written by a seventh grader.
September 22, 2019
If you are looking for a fun space romp with memorable characters, read the Epic Failure trilogy.
October 18, 2019
An excellent end to a very funny series.
November 11, 2019
A [EXPLETIVE] excellent read and hilarious ending to the trilogy. Very Douglas Adams-like humor that had me laughing my [REAR ORIFICE] off. Highly recommend it.
December 22, 2019
Really enjoyed this trilogy.
Well narrated by the author.
Well narrated by the author.
December 24, 2019
חמוד. מתלבטת מה לקרוא עכשיו. לא במצב רוח לשום דבר.
January 15, 2020
Can I just say...TUNGER XD
February 4, 2020
A disappointing end to the series, but still enjoyable
March 2, 2020
A good book and a good end to this trilogy.
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