What do you think?
Rate this book
Space Janitor #1
The Vacuum of Space
When her maintenance bot found a body, Triana lost her lunch.
Then she lost the body.
How did she lose her memory?
When a highly connected security agent interrupts her routine with stories of murder and missing bodies, Triana can’t ignore him; it’s cooperate or find a new job. A girl has to pay the rent, even on a crappy studio compartment.
Since working with a shiny detective beats a shuttle dirt-side, Triana lends her programming skills to Agent O’Neill’s investigation. Together, they find more victims and evidence of a major cover-up.
It will take all Triana’s technical talents, most of O’Neill’s connections, and some really excellent croissants to stop the murders, save her job, and ultimately, her life.
In space, no one can hear you clean
This book was previously published as Murder is Messy
Then she lost the body.
How did she lose her memory?
When a highly connected security agent interrupts her routine with stories of murder and missing bodies, Triana can’t ignore him; it’s cooperate or find a new job. A girl has to pay the rent, even on a crappy studio compartment.
Since working with a shiny detective beats a shuttle dirt-side, Triana lends her programming skills to Agent O’Neill’s investigation. Together, they find more victims and evidence of a major cover-up.
It will take all Triana’s technical talents, most of O’Neill’s connections, and some really excellent croissants to stop the murders, save her job, and ultimately, her life.
In space, no one can hear you clean
This book was previously published as Murder is Messy
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2018
388 people are currently reading
614 people want to read
About the author
Julia Huni
55 books172 followersAuthor of the Colonial Exploration Corps, Space Janitor, Recycled World, and Krimson Empire series.
I grew up in the US Pacific Northwest, and after twenty years roaming the country with the US Air Force, I'm back. I have a spouse, three kids, and a dog named Pippin.
I've been an IT guy, a choir director, an executive assistant, a stay-at-home mom, a college instructor, and that lady at the information booth in a tourist town. But writer is the best job ever, because I get to make stuff up. Stuff I wish were true; stuff I'm glad isn't true.
When I'm not writing, I like to knit, read, bake, and ski. I also love to travel.
I grew up in the US Pacific Northwest, and after twenty years roaming the country with the US Air Force, I'm back. I have a spouse, three kids, and a dog named Pippin.
I've been an IT guy, a choir director, an executive assistant, a stay-at-home mom, a college instructor, and that lady at the information booth in a tourist town. But writer is the best job ever, because I get to make stuff up. Stuff I wish were true; stuff I'm glad isn't true.
When I'm not writing, I like to knit, read, bake, and ski. I also love to travel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
October 15, 2020
Funny? Well, I totally missed that. Yes, it's light and there is a romance on offer, but funny? Nah, I don't think so. Yes, there was a heap of potential here. The world building, the characters and the initial set-up were very well done, and there was nothing wrong with the writing per se.
The problem was the author took a great idea and a good character and then squandered it all. Triana is a maintenance bot operator (janitor) she has mad tech skills and likes her ordinary life. Til one of her bots stumbles over a dead body - and the mystery kicks off.
I liked Ty. I liked the idea of a grand conspiracy on the space station and bodies going missing. BUT. Then the author added a not so surprising big twist that blew Triana's character up - and did no one any favours. She was suddenly useless, cut off, whiney, and... boring. Ty's reaction was petulant and didn't seem in keeping with his job/mission. We also discover that Triana is a nitwit - she had no idea that her life wasn't her own/that it was being engineered??? Every factor of it??
And the murder mystery??? WTH? Why did the murderer do what they did? It's never explained. Okay maybe they were just nuts, but then explain why those victims? The murderer and their actions was overwrought and unwieldy.
If the author had just kept Triana as a janitor and left all the top level stuff alone this could have been interesting and different. Instead all the so called 'twists' were unsurprising and depressingly predictable. I lost respect for our h very early on in the piece and the clumsy mystery resolve failed on all levels to save it.
Oh, if only she had actually just been a space janitor and thrown into top level stuff thanks to her relationship with Ty and forced to navigate their culture - now that would have been an interesting story.
The problem was the author took a great idea and a good character and then squandered it all. Triana is a maintenance bot operator (janitor) she has mad tech skills and likes her ordinary life. Til one of her bots stumbles over a dead body - and the mystery kicks off.
I liked Ty. I liked the idea of a grand conspiracy on the space station and bodies going missing. BUT. Then the author added a not so surprising big twist that blew Triana's character up - and did no one any favours. She was suddenly useless, cut off, whiney, and... boring. Ty's reaction was petulant and didn't seem in keeping with his job/mission. We also discover that Triana is a nitwit - she had no idea that her life wasn't her own/that it was being engineered??? Every factor of it??
And the murder mystery??? WTH? Why did the murderer do what they did? It's never explained. Okay maybe they were just nuts, but then explain why those victims? The murderer and their actions was overwrought and unwieldy.
If the author had just kept Triana as a janitor and left all the top level stuff alone this could have been interesting and different. Instead all the so called 'twists' were unsurprising and depressingly predictable. I lost respect for our h very early on in the piece and the clumsy mystery resolve failed on all levels to save it.
Oh, if only she had actually just been a space janitor and thrown into top level stuff thanks to her relationship with Ty and forced to navigate their culture - now that would have been an interesting story.
March 29, 2022
I give this a reluctant 3, it's probably more of a 2.5. This started well enough, I wasn't a big fan of the writing style but the plot interested me somewhat. Things kinda went downhill after that. I wasn't a big fan of Liana...or Ty, or Kara or just anyone. Everyone was bland and unlikeable. I feel like the author tried to make a lot of things happen in this first book that could have worked out better had it been drawn out. I don't really know what to say, there was definitely potential but it just didn't pan out. Nothing felt properly developed. I think it's clear that I wont be carrying on with this series.
Side note: the idea of a "Space Janitor" is so cool to me. Instead of how it is here, I imagined it as someone who got on a ship and cleared away debris and whatnot. Idk, just seems like a really cool idea.
Side note: the idea of a "Space Janitor" is so cool to me. Instead of how it is here, I imagined it as someone who got on a ship and cleared away debris and whatnot. Idk, just seems like a really cool idea.
dnf
June 22, 2023[From what I read of it] this will work for fans of 'klutz' romantic comedy. It's not my style, unfortunately, but it starts out pacey, and will hit the right note for many. [Think the kind of romcon where the girl is constantly in a mild welter of embarrassment, but add SF detecting.]
May 1, 2020
Zark! I loved this book!
The Vacuum of Space is *so much fun*. It’s clever, funny, fast paced action and comedy. Yeah, I guess you could call it Sci-Fi if you really wanted, but that’s not what’s driving the story. It follows the exploits of Triana, a lowly maintenance tech on Station Kelly-Kornienko who’s got more in common with Dave Lister from Red Dwarf than she has with Princess Leia, (except for the smart mouth.) But when Triana’s maintenance bots find a body we discover that everyone’s got things to hide.
I loved this book, I totally recommend it to you as lockdown reading or for any other time. Me, I’m off to find the sequel!
Paul Arvidson
5*
The Vacuum of Space is *so much fun*. It’s clever, funny, fast paced action and comedy. Yeah, I guess you could call it Sci-Fi if you really wanted, but that’s not what’s driving the story. It follows the exploits of Triana, a lowly maintenance tech on Station Kelly-Kornienko who’s got more in common with Dave Lister from Red Dwarf than she has with Princess Leia, (except for the smart mouth.) But when Triana’s maintenance bots find a body we discover that everyone’s got things to hide.
I loved this book, I totally recommend it to you as lockdown reading or for any other time. Me, I’m off to find the sequel!
Paul Arvidson
5*
September 15, 2021
I read this as part of the SPSFC (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) and man this was a fun book. Funny characters and a good plot. I had a great time with it. I would actually classify it as a romantic comedy muder mystery in space. You should check it out.
December 24, 2021
I really enjoyed this. Fun characters, interesting world with just the right level of intrigue and mystery. I've got the whole series, but I'm rationing them out so I have something I know I'll really enjoy in reserve!
October 24, 2025
Fast-paced and fun, this is the perfect murder mystery set in space!
It's not as heavy on the humor as I thought it'd be, but it's still entertaining and has some funny moments. I loved the plot twists, and I loved all the characters. I do wish some of them were a bit more fleshed out, but it's got only ~220 pages, so I can't expect too much. Besides, there are tons of sequels, and I'll get to learn more about them further on.
The romance is on point, Triana is a badass, and Kara is a cutie. I can't wait to read more!
It's not as heavy on the humor as I thought it'd be, but it's still entertaining and has some funny moments. I loved the plot twists, and I loved all the characters. I do wish some of them were a bit more fleshed out, but it's got only ~220 pages, so I can't expect too much. Besides, there are tons of sequels, and I'll get to learn more about them further on.
The romance is on point, Triana is a badass, and Kara is a cutie. I can't wait to read more!
March 11, 2020
Rarely have I come across such a huge pile of stinking Nope. I made it about 15% through the first of this series and packed it in. Imagine the worst book you have ever tried to read...now multiply its badness by a gazillion. That will get you somewhere close to how bad this is.
August 19, 2023
A to Z Reading Challenge: V
I really, really wanted to like this book. I loved the premise, and at the beginning I thought I was on to a winner. But...nah. It was surprisingly bland, and one of the most interesting parts of reading the whole thing was when my husband helped me compose my fictional letter to Nalini Singh to ask her to please write me a space mystery because she'd do a much better job.
(Ummmm: I happened to be reading one of her books at the same time and bitching to my patient and equally nerdy spouse about how I wasn't enjoying this one, and...well, things kind of went from there. But if Nalini Singh ever decides to write a space mystery she has my full support.)
Anywho, back to the book at hand.
The heroine/narrator, who first of all had to get over the handicap of the name Triana, didn't do much space janitoring. Her narration was kind of...basic straight white woman, just on a space station. Her friendship with alleged best friend Kim boiled down to "Kim's being such a slut, I can't believe she's such a trollop, she's the sluttiest slut in the sluttiverse but she IS my best friend and I love her sooooooo much." Her romance was so bland, every time things started getting slightly steamy I wanted to beg them to please, for the love of all that was good and merciful and in the name of Columbo's trench coat, get back to the mystery.
There were a couple of good scenes that inched this over to three stars for me: the American Ninja Warrior in Space-type thing (I can't even remember what that competition was called now and it has been literally three days since I finished the book), and then the climactic struggle was a legitimately good action sequence. But in the end, I really only have one thing to say about this book.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I loved the premise, and at the beginning I thought I was on to a winner. But...nah. It was surprisingly bland, and one of the most interesting parts of reading the whole thing was when my husband helped me compose my fictional letter to Nalini Singh to ask her to please write me a space mystery because she'd do a much better job.
(Ummmm: I happened to be reading one of her books at the same time and bitching to my patient and equally nerdy spouse about how I wasn't enjoying this one, and...well, things kind of went from there. But if Nalini Singh ever decides to write a space mystery she has my full support.)
Anywho, back to the book at hand.
The heroine/narrator, who first of all had to get over the handicap of the name Triana, didn't do much space janitoring. Her narration was kind of...basic straight white woman, just on a space station. Her friendship with alleged best friend Kim boiled down to "Kim's being such a slut, I can't believe she's such a trollop, she's the sluttiest slut in the sluttiverse but she IS my best friend and I love her sooooooo much." Her romance was so bland, every time things started getting slightly steamy I wanted to beg them to please, for the love of all that was good and merciful and in the name of Columbo's trench coat, get back to the mystery.
There were a couple of good scenes that inched this over to three stars for me: the American Ninja Warrior in Space-type thing (I can't even remember what that competition was called now and it has been literally three days since I finished the book), and then the climactic struggle was a legitimately good action sequence. But in the end, I really only have one thing to say about this book.
April 17, 2024
Absolutely delightful. More toward the silly end of the spectrum, which is exactly what I was in the mood for. “Maintenance technician on a space station solves a murder mystery” may as well have been designed in a lab specifically for me. It sounded like I was gonna like it, and I sure did!
A note on format: I really did not like the audiobook narrator. The acting choice was simply to give each character a different ethnic accent. I propose that if you were born and raised and spent your whole life on a space station light years away from earth, you would simply not retain exaggerated regional accents. It was weird! (The cop was Irish, I mean, come on.) Anyway, none of my libraries had the print book or the ebook, but I liked it so much. I bought all four books in the series to read in the future.
A note on format: I really did not like the audiobook narrator. The acting choice was simply to give each character a different ethnic accent. I propose that if you were born and raised and spent your whole life on a space station light years away from earth, you would simply not retain exaggerated regional accents. It was weird! (The cop was Irish, I mean, come on.) Anyway, none of my libraries had the print book or the ebook, but I liked it so much. I bought all four books in the series to read in the future.
March 18, 2022
interesting
An author I love suggested this as an interesting read and he was right. It’s not super funny but there’s a spark of something there. It’s more of a mixture of mystery and science fiction with a dash of romance sprinkled on top.
An author I love suggested this as an interesting read and he was right. It’s not super funny but there’s a spark of something there. It’s more of a mixture of mystery and science fiction with a dash of romance sprinkled on top.
February 4, 2022
Actual Rating: 3 (6/10)
I read this book as part of my SPSFC badge!
I was very intrigued by the murder mystery in The Vacuum of Space sadly for me it didn't feel like it was the main focus on the story.
Hear my out, I'm basically a plot driven reader and this one felt like but turned out to be more character focus.
Some of the world elements were really cool to discover but at the same time it felt like we spent too much time on them, like the sports circuit or the constant thristing over food (which made me kinda hungry not gonna lie). Also I gotta say I really don't enjoy love stories in general, and this wasn't an exception, as for me we spent too much time on it.
Either way I actually recommend The Vacuum of Space to all of my cozy mystery readers out there, who I'm sure would enjoy the hell out it.
I read this book as part of my SPSFC badge!
I was very intrigued by the murder mystery in The Vacuum of Space sadly for me it didn't feel like it was the main focus on the story.
Hear my out, I'm basically a plot driven reader and this one felt like but turned out to be more character focus.
Some of the world elements were really cool to discover but at the same time it felt like we spent too much time on them, like the sports circuit or the constant thristing over food (which made me kinda hungry not gonna lie). Also I gotta say I really don't enjoy love stories in general, and this wasn't an exception, as for me we spent too much time on it.
Either way I actually recommend The Vacuum of Space to all of my cozy mystery readers out there, who I'm sure would enjoy the hell out it.
March 16, 2021
It's a dirty galaxy and someone has to clean it...
This was a fantastic book. I was part of the kickstarter that funded the audio book. The narration was brilliant, as was the BookFunnel application for streaming it. The humor was great, as was the action, tension, and story development.
A lowly janitor stumbles upon a body! The next day, no one remembers anything about the body. Something is going on in the space station, and it is up to her to figure it out!
Witty, fun, and a well-rounded excellent adventure.
The narration was also done really well, and I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the audio books in the series as they release. I hope they all come out to buy direct with the BookFunnel application delivery!
This was a fantastic book. I was part of the kickstarter that funded the audio book. The narration was brilliant, as was the BookFunnel application for streaming it. The humor was great, as was the action, tension, and story development.
A lowly janitor stumbles upon a body! The next day, no one remembers anything about the body. Something is going on in the space station, and it is up to her to figure it out!
Witty, fun, and a well-rounded excellent adventure.
The narration was also done really well, and I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the audio books in the series as they release. I hope they all come out to buy direct with the BookFunnel application delivery!
August 1, 2018
The secrets we hide
Even if like me you're not into "space" books you'll love this. She is one of the maintenance workers (making sure that the bots are cleaning as they should, in other words she's a janitor) when one of her bots finds a dead body. Even though the police come the body goes missing, the real police cannot find any evidence of one and it's not the first one! But she has skills that she keeps quiet about. Like making copies of everything and having made computer skills. As the investigation progresses secrets come to light. Secrets about her and others. Will the handsome security agent forgive her? Will they find the killer? Will anyone else become a victim? An absolutely fabulous plot and the "spacey" part is so believable and understated that it is a pleasure to read. Wonderful complex characters and relationships just add to this terrific read.
Even if like me you're not into "space" books you'll love this. She is one of the maintenance workers (making sure that the bots are cleaning as they should, in other words she's a janitor) when one of her bots finds a dead body. Even though the police come the body goes missing, the real police cannot find any evidence of one and it's not the first one! But she has skills that she keeps quiet about. Like making copies of everything and having made computer skills. As the investigation progresses secrets come to light. Secrets about her and others. Will the handsome security agent forgive her? Will they find the killer? Will anyone else become a victim? An absolutely fabulous plot and the "spacey" part is so believable and understated that it is a pleasure to read. Wonderful complex characters and relationships just add to this terrific read.
May 3, 2020
A fun, quirky read. Triana is a space janitor on a city-sized space station. She loves chocolate and programming bots. The latter is significant because, by and large, she hates dealing with people. But seems like you have to anyway when you discover a body in an out of the way place where only bots tend to go.
Triana, of course, has a few (???!!!) other secrets, but discovering those is a lot of the fun!
A highly recommended fun read! Planning to read the whole series!
Triana, of course, has a few (???!!!) other secrets, but discovering those is a lot of the fun!
A highly recommended fun read! Planning to read the whole series!
August 20, 2018
4.5 great new funny space mystery
Okay so this is a category not written in much, but highly enjoyable. So, this is a mystery, a bit of a space opera, a touch of romance, a tiny bit of social commentary, and some humor all mixed together and shook well. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.
Okay so this is a category not written in much, but highly enjoyable. So, this is a mystery, a bit of a space opera, a touch of romance, a tiny bit of social commentary, and some humor all mixed together and shook well. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.
August 30, 2018
A fun, fast cozy mystery with plenty of twists and turns. It's clever, funny and truly unusual.
You may want croissants and/or chocolate desperately when you're done!
Full disclosure - Julia is my developmental editor and sister, but it's a really great book!
You may want croissants and/or chocolate desperately when you're done!
Full disclosure - Julia is my developmental editor and sister, but it's a really great book!
December 19, 2022
Zark! A great start that splat with gravity. Strong, brilliant, female mind vapped to a pampered nitwit.
April 15, 2022
Well worth reading!
If you’re into humorous sci-fi novels with strong female protagonists, you won’t be disappointed with Julia Huni’s The Vacuum of Space.
Although I do have issues with books written in the present tense due to the inherent limitations of such a style, in this case I was able to move past it because the novel is so engaging.
Triana Moore is a space janitor, or computer programmer/technician, depending on your preference for titles. She escapes from the upper rungs of society on a space station, preferring to keep company with lower level or lower class working people. She finds them down to earth, real and not driven by acquisition, consumption, and material gain.
But Triana’s comfortable life gets rocked to the core when people on the station start dying. She even knows some of the victims. Enter Agent O’Neill, a handsome detective, who teams up with Triana and her programming expertise to try and solve the grisly murders.
The novel contains elements of romance, suspense, humor and an underlying theme that the pursuit of material gain as a road to happiness is riddled with potholes and ultimately a dead end.
If you’re into humorous sci-fi novels with strong female protagonists, you won’t be disappointed with Julia Huni’s The Vacuum of Space.
Although I do have issues with books written in the present tense due to the inherent limitations of such a style, in this case I was able to move past it because the novel is so engaging.
Triana Moore is a space janitor, or computer programmer/technician, depending on your preference for titles. She escapes from the upper rungs of society on a space station, preferring to keep company with lower level or lower class working people. She finds them down to earth, real and not driven by acquisition, consumption, and material gain.
But Triana’s comfortable life gets rocked to the core when people on the station start dying. She even knows some of the victims. Enter Agent O’Neill, a handsome detective, who teams up with Triana and her programming expertise to try and solve the grisly murders.
The novel contains elements of romance, suspense, humor and an underlying theme that the pursuit of material gain as a road to happiness is riddled with potholes and ultimately a dead end.
February 8, 2024
Funny, not too serious adventure on a space station
A young technician responsible for small maintenance robots discovers a corpse and tries to solve the murder case together with an attractive detective.
Before I discovered this book, I didn't even know that a "cozy science fiction" genre even exists :-) Now I do. And so at the beginning of the story there is a lot of languishing, but very quickly the plot focuses on solving the murders. This is good for the book and has the effect that as the plot progresses it becomes more and more dense, which has a positive effect on the reading pleasure.
Even if it is debatable whether this is really a science fiction or perhaps more of a crime novel that happens to be set on a space station, the worldbuilding is still fun and the author has given some thought to it life, hierarchies and leisure activities in space.
“The Vacuum of Space” is a nice book for evenings where you want to be entertained with appropriate tension without having to concentrate too much. I had fun and will definitely read the two subsequent volumes and other novels by the author.
******************************************************************************
Unterhaltsames, nicht allzu ernsthaftes Abenteuer auf einer Raumstation
Eine junge, für kleine Wartungsroboter zuständige Technikerin, entdeckt eine Leiche und versucht zusammen mit einem attraktiven Detektive den Mordfall aufzuklären.
Bevor ich dieses Buch entdeckt habe, wusste ich nicht einmal, dass es ein Genre „Cosy Science Fiction“ gibt :-) Jetzt weiß ich es. Und so gibt es zu Beginn der Geschichte zwar einiges an Geschmachte, doch sehr schnell konzentriert sich die Handlung auf die Aufklärung der Morde. Das tut dem Buch gut und hat den Effekt, dass mit Fortschreiten der Handlung sich diese immer weiter verdichtet, was sich positiv auf das Lesevergnügen auswirkt.
Auch wenn sich trefflich darüber streiten lässt, ob es sich bei diesem Werk wirklich über einen Science Fiction handelt oder vielleicht doch eher um einen Krimi, der eher zufällig auf einer Raumstation spielt, so macht das Worldbuilding doch Spaß und die Autorin hat sich einige Gedanken über das Leben, die Hierarchien und Freizeitvergnügungen im All gemacht.
„The Vacuum of Space“ ist ein nettes Buch für Abende, bei denen man vergnüglich mit angemessener Spannung unterhalten werden möchte, ohne sich dabei allzu sehr konzentrieren zu müssen. Ich hatte meinen Spaß und werde die beiden Folgebände und andere Romane der Autorin sicher ebenfalls lesen.
A young technician responsible for small maintenance robots discovers a corpse and tries to solve the murder case together with an attractive detective.
Before I discovered this book, I didn't even know that a "cozy science fiction" genre even exists :-) Now I do. And so at the beginning of the story there is a lot of languishing, but very quickly the plot focuses on solving the murders. This is good for the book and has the effect that as the plot progresses it becomes more and more dense, which has a positive effect on the reading pleasure.
Even if it is debatable whether this is really a science fiction or perhaps more of a crime novel that happens to be set on a space station, the worldbuilding is still fun and the author has given some thought to it life, hierarchies and leisure activities in space.
“The Vacuum of Space” is a nice book for evenings where you want to be entertained with appropriate tension without having to concentrate too much. I had fun and will definitely read the two subsequent volumes and other novels by the author.
******************************************************************************
Unterhaltsames, nicht allzu ernsthaftes Abenteuer auf einer Raumstation
Eine junge, für kleine Wartungsroboter zuständige Technikerin, entdeckt eine Leiche und versucht zusammen mit einem attraktiven Detektive den Mordfall aufzuklären.
Bevor ich dieses Buch entdeckt habe, wusste ich nicht einmal, dass es ein Genre „Cosy Science Fiction“ gibt :-) Jetzt weiß ich es. Und so gibt es zu Beginn der Geschichte zwar einiges an Geschmachte, doch sehr schnell konzentriert sich die Handlung auf die Aufklärung der Morde. Das tut dem Buch gut und hat den Effekt, dass mit Fortschreiten der Handlung sich diese immer weiter verdichtet, was sich positiv auf das Lesevergnügen auswirkt.
Auch wenn sich trefflich darüber streiten lässt, ob es sich bei diesem Werk wirklich über einen Science Fiction handelt oder vielleicht doch eher um einen Krimi, der eher zufällig auf einer Raumstation spielt, so macht das Worldbuilding doch Spaß und die Autorin hat sich einige Gedanken über das Leben, die Hierarchien und Freizeitvergnügungen im All gemacht.
„The Vacuum of Space“ ist ein nettes Buch für Abende, bei denen man vergnüglich mit angemessener Spannung unterhalten werden möchte, ohne sich dabei allzu sehr konzentrieren zu müssen. Ich hatte meinen Spaß und werde die beiden Folgebände und andere Romane der Autorin sicher ebenfalls lesen.
January 26, 2024
3.5 stars
Cute.
Fun.
Lite.
Mystery.
Middle of the road but entertaining.
I was frustrated because there was absolutely no world building. No history at all. That’s what was missing.
Cute.
Fun.
Lite.
Mystery.
Middle of the road but entertaining.
I was frustrated because there was absolutely no world building. No history at all. That’s what was missing.
May 20, 2024
A quick, fun read. I think I'll continue with the series.
July 10, 2020
A fast and fun read that satisfied my itch to read a space fantasy. I really enjoyed the world and setting and Triana and Ty were easy to like as our lead characters. I believed in these two and it will be easy to keep reading the series. Great escapism.
February 3, 2024
Very funny story
November 23, 2025
I enjoyed it, but it wasn't funny.
December 12, 2022
Space cozy mystery. A very unique setting. To be honest, I thought there would be more to the space. Unfortunately it could be set anywhere, as the setting didn’t play any role in the story, and didn't even give the right mood or atmosphere.
I’m also a bit tired of those stories, when children try to totally black out their parents from their lives. I believe there is a better way to overcome that issue, especially when you have a normal, loving parent. Really, it’s a privilege to have a good parent to waste it so silly.
Triana is so stubborn, lives in a crappy studio, hardly managing to pay the rent, but independent and that’s good, but I still don’t understand the real motive here. She’s just running from her mother and trying to prove that she could live alone? Shouldn’t you live alone for a more mature reason? Wouldn’t it be better to still live alone, but at the same time fix the relationship with her mom? Ok, I’m done here.
I’m also a bit tired of those stories, when children try to totally black out their parents from their lives. I believe there is a better way to overcome that issue, especially when you have a normal, loving parent. Really, it’s a privilege to have a good parent to waste it so silly.
Triana is so stubborn, lives in a crappy studio, hardly managing to pay the rent, but independent and that’s good, but I still don’t understand the real motive here. She’s just running from her mother and trying to prove that she could live alone? Shouldn’t you live alone for a more mature reason? Wouldn’t it be better to still live alone, but at the same time fix the relationship with her mom? Ok, I’m done here.
January 30, 2021
There's nothing funny in this book.
I can't imagine why other reviewers have said there is and frankly, I'd be suspicious.
The idea behind this book is good, Triana is a space janitor who goes on about the hard working reality of the working class and stumbles upon a body. When she reports it, things get a little weird and she loses some of her memory. There's some interesting mystery that fizzles out completely with no satisfying conclusion, yet no unanswered questions. Characters (and the plot) have U-turn personalities, and many characters important for the mystery are introduced in the last third of the book. This is not a mystery that you can play detective with.
The worldbuilding is the best perk of this book, though it is loose and wonky, with things like Google and nail polish taking a long time to dry mentioned alongside being able to change the colour of your skin or iris very quickly and y'know, space station mechanics. I liked the concept of the rings and the bots. I feel that this author has good potential for worldbuilding and a good imagination.
The character development and the plot are however a very big let down. I think if the author were to rewrite the series with a stronger worldbuilding premise and a plot that doesn't reveal itself like a Columbo 'Just one more thing' with a brand new character, it could be a good book.
Something one might detect often from reading indie writers is their opinions on certain things, such as religion, the function of the family, the way we should dress, the way we should live, the kind of people we should love... Yeah. It's definitely in there. But it's mostly subtle. They try to be deliberately kind to some perspectives they clearly do not share, but it is... obvious. I would be very curious to see if the author would be able to write about religious perspectives they may not share as main characters. Not as atheist or Christian, but something else.
That said, I'm unlikely to give another book from this author a go as the plot was a big let down to me. I was looking for a light sci-fi to read, but it was a drag to get through it. It would be great if new authors could stop adding taglines such as 'a funny sci-fi mystery'. The author has clearly put in a lot of work into the series, and I feel it degrades their efforts if they have to sell their work in the title. I hope they continue to write on their projects, because although it wasn't for me, it is clearly a work of love.
I can't imagine why other reviewers have said there is and frankly, I'd be suspicious.
The idea behind this book is good, Triana is a space janitor who goes on about the hard working reality of the working class and stumbles upon a body. When she reports it, things get a little weird and she loses some of her memory. There's some interesting mystery that fizzles out completely with no satisfying conclusion, yet no unanswered questions. Characters (and the plot) have U-turn personalities, and many characters important for the mystery are introduced in the last third of the book. This is not a mystery that you can play detective with.
The worldbuilding is the best perk of this book, though it is loose and wonky, with things like Google and nail polish taking a long time to dry mentioned alongside being able to change the colour of your skin or iris very quickly and y'know, space station mechanics. I liked the concept of the rings and the bots. I feel that this author has good potential for worldbuilding and a good imagination.
The character development and the plot are however a very big let down. I think if the author were to rewrite the series with a stronger worldbuilding premise and a plot that doesn't reveal itself like a Columbo 'Just one more thing' with a brand new character, it could be a good book.
Something one might detect often from reading indie writers is their opinions on certain things, such as religion, the function of the family, the way we should dress, the way we should live, the kind of people we should love... Yeah. It's definitely in there. But it's mostly subtle. They try to be deliberately kind to some perspectives they clearly do not share, but it is... obvious. I would be very curious to see if the author would be able to write about religious perspectives they may not share as main characters. Not as atheist or Christian, but something else.
That said, I'm unlikely to give another book from this author a go as the plot was a big let down to me. I was looking for a light sci-fi to read, but it was a drag to get through it. It would be great if new authors could stop adding taglines such as 'a funny sci-fi mystery'. The author has clearly put in a lot of work into the series, and I feel it degrades their efforts if they have to sell their work in the title. I hope they continue to write on their projects, because although it wasn't for me, it is clearly a work of love.
September 20, 2024
First book in the “Space Janitor” series and it’s called, “The Vacuum of Space”. Now that sounded promising. (Janitor… Vacuum… see what they did there?) Unfortunately, it failed to live up to the promise of its title.
There were hints of what I thought I was going to get, for example our intrepid space janitor, Triana, knows the station inside out: from the poshest of posh top levels down to the scummiest of scummy lower levels. This was a good start, as being able to move quickly and confidently, more or less unseen, through the whole of the space station would be a useful skill for a budding janitor detective. But being a janitor was not enough for the author; she had to make our humble janitor a super hacker with a secret and (despite her apparently plain looks) an ability to attract a high class, “shiny“ detective.
I started off quite liking Triana but, as she flip-flopped between confident and competent individual to petulant and stroppy dependant teenager, I grew to like her less. Also, I found the teenage romance element somewhat wearing, but then, I guess I’m not the target audience. Finally, what I suspect was supposed to be a big surprise, was (I thought) no surprise at all.
The story carried me along and I never seriously considered abandoning the book, so two stars feels a bit rough, but I can’t convince myself it’s worth three. Sorry, but as I said, I’m probably not the book’s target audience.
There were hints of what I thought I was going to get, for example our intrepid space janitor, Triana, knows the station inside out: from the poshest of posh top levels down to the scummiest of scummy lower levels. This was a good start, as being able to move quickly and confidently, more or less unseen, through the whole of the space station would be a useful skill for a budding janitor detective. But being a janitor was not enough for the author; she had to make our humble janitor a super hacker with a secret and (despite her apparently plain looks) an ability to attract a high class, “shiny“ detective.
I started off quite liking Triana but, as she flip-flopped between confident and competent individual to petulant and stroppy dependant teenager, I grew to like her less. Also, I found the teenage romance element somewhat wearing, but then, I guess I’m not the target audience. Finally, what I suspect was supposed to be a big surprise, was (I thought) no surprise at all.
The story carried me along and I never seriously considered abandoning the book, so two stars feels a bit rough, but I can’t convince myself it’s worth three. Sorry, but as I said, I’m probably not the book’s target audience.
November 7, 2023
A fun science fiction read. I would have like to see more Space Janitor action - this plot ended up being more a cozy murder mystery set in space. The MC isn't even really a Janitor, more a bot controller making sure nothing hangs up the cleaning bots as they go about their business. She doesn't need to do much more than sit in a room and monitor things.
Until the a body hangs up a cleaning bot.
That being said, cool space station action, an okay murder mystery, nice romantic sparks between our MC and her love interest. Overall, a good science fiction set in a space station.
Personal notes: I would have preferred the MC to have remained an "everywoman", instead of the twist. I could have done with less "twentieth century nostalgia" and inside-science-fiction-fandom jokes; these weren't even hidden easter eggs - several were just thrown in the face. And, like I said, more actual Space Janitor activity.
(Read through kindle unlimited)
Until the a body hangs up a cleaning bot.
That being said, cool space station action, an okay murder mystery, nice romantic sparks between our MC and her love interest. Overall, a good science fiction set in a space station.
Personal notes: I would have preferred the MC to have remained an "everywoman", instead of the twist. I could have done with less "twentieth century nostalgia" and inside-science-fiction-fandom jokes; these weren't even hidden easter eggs - several were just thrown in the face. And, like I said, more actual Space Janitor activity.
(Read through kindle unlimited)
Read
May 18, 2021This was a quick and fun read if you're looking for something not too serious. I'm inclined to tag it more as adventure than mystery, since events tend to spring themselves on main character Triana rather than her finding them through investigation.
The book is narrated entirely in first person, present tense by Triana. The prose is generally smooth and easy to read. I noticed just a few typos, and a couple of awkward repetitions: eg having two separate characters' "eyes snap" to something within a few paragraphs of each other really stuck out.
With us being in Triana's head all the time, I got a bit impatient on a couple of occasions when she would spend a couple of paragraphs describing someone's appearance or the surroundings, which felt like she'd forgotten about her immediate situation. But in general, I enjoyed following her on her adventures. No doubt there are more to come.
The book is narrated entirely in first person, present tense by Triana. The prose is generally smooth and easy to read. I noticed just a few typos, and a couple of awkward repetitions: eg having two separate characters' "eyes snap" to something within a few paragraphs of each other really stuck out.
With us being in Triana's head all the time, I got a bit impatient on a couple of occasions when she would spend a couple of paragraphs describing someone's appearance or the surroundings, which felt like she'd forgotten about her immediate situation. But in general, I enjoyed following her on her adventures. No doubt there are more to come.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews