Last Night on Union Station

EarthCent Ambassador #16

by E.M. Foner

Rumors are rife on Union Station and the EarthCent Ambassador finds herself defending the Stryx against the suspicions of the advanced species. Dorothy returns to SBJ Fashions from maternity leave and immediately starts spending money while giving Baa an excuse to engage in magic. Samuel and Vivian, along with some old friends, decide to participate in the Open University's cooperative education program with confusing results.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2019

About the author

I wrote Date Night on Union Station while taking a break from work on a science fiction epic I've been struggling with for years. The goal was to cheer myself up and to find out if there is still an audience for a science fiction comedy that gets its laughs from dialogue and funny situations rather than from gross-outs and shocks. As many readers have pointed out, the EarthCent series could be rated PG under the old fashioned system, no bloodshed, no graphic sex, no four letter words. And after years of imagining a galaxy for my epic in which multiple human civilizations are at war with each other, it did me a world of good to write about a galaxy where most people are just trying to make a living and find some joy in life. I received so many requests to extend the Date Night universe into a series that I put aside my epic for an extended period to write a sequel, Alien Night on Union Station. The events take place five years after the conclusion of Date Night, and the plot involves a mix of business, diplomacy, gaming and family relations. As a bonus, we finally get to meet Kelly's mother. After the positive response to Alien Night, I wrote a third book for the series, High Priest of Union Station, which is currently in the editing stage and due out in mid-October. I just started a book that extends the EarthCent galaxy with a different mission and cast of characters, though they may intersect at some point.

Reviews

[james · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foner knocks it out of the park with this installment. By now three decades have passed and the development of the characters leaves the reader feeling a part of the growth. In this book, the weaving of storylines and Easter egg clues foretelling of climactic events are well intergraded. And the witticism makes for an enthralling read.

[Kathy Bryson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing that makes the Union Station stories so appealing is the very human nature of the characters who live and interact there. It’s the interactions between family and co-workers from worrying to gossip that drive our everyday lives and makes this series so relevant. The good ambassador, however, knows how to work it! In this installment, Ambassador Kelly tries to navigate trading offspring with other embassies to a garage sale that’s rapidly growing out of control. When a rumor that the station is being sold, she tries to chase down the source while throwing a trade show while the station’s son tries out new career games and argues with the ambassador’s daughter over production expenses. Maybe in the end, the universe’s biggest constant is the futility of trying to corral your children! A fun send-up of all the best in everyday life highlighted in the depth of space! Just picked up the latest - Soup Night on Union Station - and can’t wait to see what that includes.

[Dave Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

16 books into a 17 book series and I'm still intrigued. Foner titled this one Last Night on Union Station and I can honestly say I am still hoping for more. This title was a little bit of a tease. While I don't want give a spoiler, I guess I should have realized it because of the existence of the 17th book. Nonetheless, this books strengths are it's characters. These are people you genuinely come to care about and that says a lot about the author. These books are so different from anything I've read in the Sci-Fi genre. They're not all about battles and explosions. They're about people and relationships. They're funny without being silly. I can't really totally explain their appeal, I just know I have really come to enjoy them. I hope you will too.

[john Calkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foner continues to have fun with his cast characters, this time assigning a few of the younger members to work for the embassies of other aliens. They immediately develop loyalty to their new bosses, which leads to confusion when they speak of "we" as meaning the aliens they work or their own species. Deciphering the pronoun is huge fun for the reader. By making his aliens susceptible to the same foibles as human the author continues to make fun of human society (which applies to everyone else, not us too-cool-for-school readers). May this series never end, and may all fans pick up on Foner's "AI" series, which is just as excellent.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series

This is another great addition to the series. We see the continuing story of the Stryx, the Mcalisters, and the supporting cast of aliens all dealing with an outlandish rumor that Gryph is selling Union Station. That premise sets up a great background for a yard sale in space, a trade show on the station, and some novel internships assigned to a certain group of Open University graduates.

I continue to be pleased with this series. I would recommend it to anyone that has enjoyed the humor of Pratchett or Douglas Adams, the technical aspects of Star Trek or Star Wars novels, and lovers of fantasy and science fiction settings in general.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun one. Foner continues the delicate work of aging out his initial cast and bringing in the antics and hijinks of younger characters in their places. This time around, Sam and Viv and their alien friends from the most recent few books find themselves working at each other's embassies with predictably interesting and strange results.

On a personal note, I'm very happy to find that Last Night is not actually the Last Union Station book. However, I am following the publishing order and thus detouring to read about Flower and her passengers in the Assisted Living series. This should be interesting and I hope that Foner is going to find more ways to expand the EarthCent universe beyond Union Station and Flower.

[Kevin Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

Great to have the characters back. I'm a bit saddened that I read this book in two days, now I have to wait for the next one. I did start rereading them all to catch up and refresh my memory on who is who. It is like a family that you can watch grow up and see the many ways they interact. I always enjoy the Union Station stories and will look forward to the story on Flower. I do hope you keep Kelly in it somehow. I don't think an EarthCent story would be as good without her. Again great story as always.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad that at the lastof the story it NOT the last of these stories

I really love all the characters in these stories and how they become interconnected with each other! The basis for this being the last union station story,because Gryph is selling it,are put to rest and along the way a lot more is found out about how the A.I.s set things in motion!all the characters are fun to read about! my only gripe with this series,is that I would have liked pictures of all the other characters along the way!

[Michael Wellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

I really like the books, sad that they don't have any audio component after the last one. I had alexa read this and surprisingly it was as good or better than having Wil Weaton narrate so there is that. I own all the next books but this is a good place to pause the binge to catch up on my other book series. I am looking forward to the next story arc after my diversion, but I have read all 15 books in the last 2.5 weeks! They are all great and remind me that we are all human, even the robots! Thanks for the great universe Mr Foner

[Jonathan Rehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read and series

I've really enjoyed every book in the series and this one is no exception. The whole cast makes an appearance at some point, each delightful in their own way. I love how light the books are. Pleasant without any drama, yet easily keeps my attention. Honestly I wish the real world were as simple as this fictitious one. Guess I just gotta wait for the Stryxx to open Earth.

[Roberto C Saavedra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody dies; good people doing good things and I smile continually and laugh outloud occasionally.

I've read 1 through 8 three times, 9 through 12 twice and 13 through 15 once. In a couple of days or weeks I'll start all over again.

This may seem funny, but I love that magic exists in Universe postulated by these novels, but religion doesn't.

I believe these would make better movies than Harry Potter, the Hobbit and all the Avengers.

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great feel good book

What a relief to find out this is NOT the last book in this series! The Union station books are my go-to sanctuary when life gets me down. The stories are all interesting and fast paced and ... feel good. It is very cleansing to read about these very real seeming, normally flawed, people who have a great time while treating each other with decency and respect. Another winner from Foner. Thanks, E.M.!

[Gayle Fairless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story in a connected series; new readers should start with the first

The story is a continuing newsletter in the EarhCent science fiction and fantasy series. Characters are carried on from previous stories. The style is quite newsy and light entertainment. It is easy to read at a light level. Getting into the ongoing stories and plots really means that a new reader should start at the beginning. Kelly is the EarhCent ambassador and helps to tie the series together.

[Simon Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Fun as usual, though the cast has Grown too large and trying to give each one time overall distracted from the smooth running of the story.
i found that i did not remember outside of the main cast who was who.
easy reading, without the need for sex & violence, recommended, but go to his site for who’s who after the series gets beyond no 10.
I will be reading the next in the series but will leave a gap between because i find i like them too much to not have one in reserve…

[Susanne Hillebrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series

As always, great story. All characters fell like family. I would highly recommend this series for readers Iooking for sci-fi where different sentient beings are friends and not aliens, where different cultures and viewpoints are learning experiences
and opportunities.

[Jacque Holst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really love this series.

Well written, true science fiction and funny as , well really funny. A universe of extremely advanced aliens. And humans, the new kids on the block. Seeing ourselves through thier eyes. No wars, no violence.
The bottom line is making a profit. They're better at it than we are but we're learning fast.

[Lucile Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

E. M. Foner is one of my very favorite authors. I love the world she has created, populated with the most interesting characters from many species. Each book leaves me wanting more, and "Last Night on Union Station" has upped my interest in this series. These books are addictive and filled with humor, always entertaining and uplifting.

[William Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the best of the series

How the author kept track of who was working for who, when, I have no idea. Almost nothing was predictable.

I enjoyed this book more than a few of the more recent novels. It had a good pace that kept everything just short of frantic. It was like a rom-com with very little romance.

[Emma Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant non standard Sci-fi

Fancy something sci-fi but easy and enjoyable to read then this is just the thing!!

Please please write more union station. I know that joe and kel can’t last forever but there offspring are equally disorganised and likeable whether spendthrift or adrift in Uni courses

[Jeanne Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last Book in Series?

I've read all the books in this series (wow, so many), and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I like books that follow generations of families. This family and their friends has gotten almost too large to keep all the characters straight. This feels like it could be the perfect place to end this series and begin a new one. Am I right, Foner?

[Debra Cleaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I've read all 16.
I really do enjoy this series, and while I hope it's not coming to an end I do understand that at a certain point there's nothing left to write for those characters. In any case, it has been a fun ride. It felt a little pulled together and perhaps over edited at the end, otherwise was very good.

[Groucho42 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another simple, easy, read. The multiple plots involve a garage sale and a convention, but the plots don't matter. When done well, Foner's books are enjoyable reads about multiple cultures with a bit of comedy and people who age well. This series will never be great literature, but that's not what it's aiming at. This is one of the better in the series.

[shannon Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

I just loved this visit with my old friends on Union Station. Jeeves is still up to his old tricks, Kelly is still making everyone happy, and Samuel and Vivian are working towards getting engaged. While this is all happening everyone else is in an uproar over a possible rumor that Griffin might sell the station.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a fun read

I like this series. The characters are great and something interesting always happens.

In this one there's a lot of rumors going around. And there's several funny bits as a human student ends up working for aliens and the alien for the humans.

[Connie Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still a fun series after so many installments.

This whole series is consistently well written.it's move to read some sci-fi where everyone is not trying to kill each other and trying to take o over the universe.

[Janean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good One

The last few books kind of pages for me. Too many characters and I couldn't keep track of the story lines between books. This one was back to the older ones I loves . Less jumping around. Great read.

[Marie Tippen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these characters, I really hope it isn’t the Last Night in Union Station! I feel like I want to see more of Ailia’s story, Flazint and Tzachan’s courtship, also shouldn’t Mist be coming out of Stasis soon? More please, I’m a tad addicted...

[Billy Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is simple but has points

I like this book is simple but yet it’s shows a good point and I like how it brings back good actions from the past and shows how it reflects on the present.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

No worries; more books are available.

The first thing I tried was to figure out whose last night on the station it is. There are lots of possibilities. I really like these stories because there is no explicit sex, violence, or foul language. A fun read.

[Robert Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amusing installment.

This cast of characters has come a long way, but they are still entertaining. Like all the previous books this one is a quick read. I'm looking forward to the next story.