Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer #1

by Karina Lumbert Fabian

If you love Star Trek and parodies...
If the Orville and Galaxy Quest give you as much joy as Wrath of Khan...
If you believe (as Tumblr users do) that humans will rule the galaxy because we are the only species crazy enough to tie two warp cores together, reverse the polarity and toss them into a star just to see what will happen....
....then this is the book for you.

These are the voyages of the HMB Impulsive. You know the mission. Let’s meet the crew:
• Capt Jeb Tiberius: A good ol’ boy from Texas whose religion requires firm buttocks.
• First Officer Commander Phineas Smythe: His uncanny ability to win Rock-Paper-Scissors-Redshirt-Alien means he can pick his away missions.
• Chief Engineer Commander Angus Deary: The first person to reverse the polarity by 90 degrees.
• Xenologist and Ship’s Sexy, Loreli: A plant-based life form with a perfect figure, she keeps up ship morale – and ratings.
• Chief of Security, Enigo Guillermo Ricardo Montoya Guiterrez LaFuentes: Raised on the UGS The Hood, where gang war is a cultural right, he’s not afraid to shoot a fellow crewman. That’s what stun is for!
• Ops Officer Ensign Ellie Doall: Fresh from the HMB Mary Sue, she can so just about anything all on her own – and often does.
• Transporter Chief, Dolfrick Dour: By the manipulations of technology, he reduces people to their most basic elements and rematerializes them elsewhere. Is it any wonder he’s 23rd Century Goth?

Based on the popular blog series (seven fans and rising!), Space Traipse: HMB Series 1 offers the first four episodes (plus a never-before-seen bonus) in editorially remastered binge-able format. Join the author as she reverses the polarity on clichés, breaks the fourth wall and has a rip-roaring time. But it’s not all slapstick. The stories just might touch your heart as well as tickle your funny bone. Don’t believe her? Get the book, pop open a cold one and read!

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 24, 2019

About the author

Karina Fabian is a science fiction and fantasy writers, author of 16 novels, three anthologies, a devotional and many stories and articles. Her latest science fiction novel, Discovery, features religious sisters in space, and she’s working on rebooting her DragonEye series, which stars a snarky dragon working under the direction of the Church. She teaches writing and is an active member of the Catholic Writers Guild. http://fabianspace.com

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the last several weeks I have read 3 novels, and 2 collections of short stories edited by Karina Fabian. Prior to that there had been a n 8 year gap in my reading one of her offerings. That was my loss. And I am making up for lost time. I cannot seem to put her books down. I have read these, and already picked up 3 others. Those I have added to my reading queue. I have read some of her contributions in anthologies and love her short form fiction. I love her religious themed fiction. But this offering is something completely different. I grew up watching reruns of Star Trek the Original Series, and the animated series during its original run. I have long been a fan of the shows and when much younger read many novelizations. I loved reading the old James Blish Star Trek stories. Reading the stories in this volume took my back to that early reading, but with a much more humorous slant. These stories are part homage, part satire, part commentary, part parody, and they are a whole lot of fun!

These stories follow the captain and the crew of the HMB Impulsive. The descriptions of the main crew members are:

• Capt Jeb Tiberius: A good ol’ boy from Texas whose religion requires firm buttocks.
• First Officer Commander Phineas Smythe: His uncanny ability to win Rock-Paper-Scissors-Redshirt-Alien means he can pick his away missions.
• Chief Engineer Commander Angus Deary: The first person to reverse the polarity by 90 degrees.
• Xenologist and Ship’s Sexy, Loreli: A plant-based life form with a perfect figure, she keeps up ship morale – and ratings.
• Chief of Security, Enigo Guillermo Ricardo Montoya Guiterrez LaFuentes: Raised on the UGS The Hood, where gang war is a cultural right, he’s not afraid to shoot a fellow crewman. That’s what stun is for!
• Ops Officer Ensign Ellie Doall: Fresh from the HMB Mary Sue, she can so just about anything all on her own – and often does.
• Transporter Chief, Dolfrick Dour: By the manipulations of technology, he reduces people to their most basic elements and rematerializes them elsewhere. Is it any wonder he’s 23rd Century Goth?

The cast breaks the fourth wall in a most Dead Pool like manner. The stories in this volume are:

Best Laid Plans of Vegetation and Cybernetic Beings
Polarity Panic
Foot in the Door
Day in the Life
Rest Stop

Join the crew as they navigate the minefields of space, time, and place. Find out what happens when Xenologist and Ship’s Sexy, Loreli puts down roots on a plant that considers their soil sacred, and above all desire its purity. Or engage with the crew as they try and see to a Romeo and Juliet-esk type wedding to bring peace between two worlds. Or a piece written with a massive Hat Tip to Star Trek TOS episode Shore Leave.

A wonderful collection of tales. Great for fans of trek, fans of parodies, or people who just love great science fiction stories. The tales reminded me of Spider Robinson’s Cross Time Saloon books in many ways. A great ensemble crew. Interesting adventures. And a whole lot of fun.

Many of Fabian’s earlier works and Anthologies are out of print, but well worth tracking down. Grab these new stories I am sure you will be entertained. I am already working on the second collection, and grabbed the Season 3 the day it released. Give this volume a try, I am certain you will be entertained, and you will likely pick up the rest of the series as well.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Karina Fabian. As well as author profile and interview with Karina.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally very funny with lots of fourth wall breakage.

[Jane Lebak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed my paperback on the way out the door to take my daughter to the emergency room where we ended up staying all day, and I finished it while waiting in the surgical waiting room for her to come out of her appendectomy. Through the whole day, she and I were handing the book back and forth, and I have to say, it was great ER reading. (It actually occurred to me during our stay how many books I've read in Emergency Rooms...)

What we've got here is a fun Star Trek parody written by a serious science fiction writer who knows the genre and knows the conventions, and isn't afraid to poke fun at them. But at the same time, she creates thoughtful characters you can attach to and really enjoy riding along with. The characters are playing for humor but aren't themselves a mockery, if that makes sense. There's a Pratchett-esque bent to the storytelling, and there's plenty to enjoy and a lot of jokes you have to engage with to figure out what's going on. (About a third of the way through, my daughter looked up and said, "Did they just rickroll the aliens?")

Very recommended for people who are familiar with Star Trek and like to laugh. I sent my father a copy for his birthday and will be handing mine to my 11 year old Star Trek fan son next.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Not much I can say about this book that wasn't right there on the virtual cover. This is a delightful parody of those SF TV series we love so much. Even thought it is written for laughs, the setting and characters are both well done. They may poke fun at the universe (and our tropes), but they are going to do it with style and still win the day. There were times when I was laughing so hard that tears were running down my face, so if you embarrass easily, you might want to read this one in private!

For myself, I found this to be a wonderful story that kept my attention throughout. Very entertaining and highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.

[Tamara Wilhite · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read Karina Fabian's works like "Discovery" and the Zombie Exterminator series. I've followed the Space Traipse series since the beginning. That's how I ended up a beta reader for "Space Traipse: Hold My Beer" part 1.
The first batch of stories that appeared on her blog are updated and presented here. If you were following "Space Traipse: Hold My Beer", know that there is new content here, too, including the only realistic Doctor Who-Star Trek crossover possible - really!
This is a fun, PG Star Trek parody that manages to defy tropes, provide fun twists to stories and actually deliver unique story lines.

[dave cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consistently funny!

Great humor throughout the book, much of it dry, which I think is one of the best to fit with Syfy. The characters were very entertaining with lots of witty banter. There was some silliness and absurdity as well. Laughed out loud a few times. I recommend this book!

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spaceballs does Star Trek; good silly fun that never takes itself seriously. If you like The Orville, then take that tongue and cram it even further into that cheek and you've got Space Traipse. Even with the ruthless (sometimes reckless) devotion to poking loving fun at Trek, it's still built on top of a universe that feels like it has deep lore waiting to be mined. Give it a shot!

[Caprice Hokstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny read. If you like Galaxy Quest or The Oroville, you will probably love this. It's a parody of Star Trek, but it's also a parody of serial television, Hollywood, and space tropes we all know about and never question, even when they're rather unrealistic. Will definitely read the next one.

[Erin Broestl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious Star Trek parody...I laughed myself silly! Good fun with a bit of alien weirdness in a series of episodes that they really should make into a new TV show.

[Leslea Wahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Karina Fabian's witting story. If you're looking for a fun read - this might be just what you're looking for!

[Terry Gero]

Hated it, dumb.

[Anne J. Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first comedy book I read. It wasn’t my favorite book. A few parts made me chuckle. If you like space comedies, check it out. It just wasn’t for me.