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The Audacity 2: Time Warp
May’s career as an interstellar rocket racer is just ramping up. She’s got a stunning ship, her best friend Xan for a co-pilot, and a rocket-full of winnings. But obscenely good luck can’t last forever, and May has been racing in a stolen ship. When Xan’s arrested by a tea-sipping, goddess-possessed pink robot for a crime he can’t bring himself to explain without baking analogies, May’s career is over. With the help of an adventure biologist and her freshly un-dead girlfriend, May and Xan must find a way to change the past before the goddess of Chaos squashes everything May loves. Fun, fast-paced, and surprisingly emotional, The Audacity: Sphere of Time is a Douglas Adams-esque celebration of weirdness in space.For fans of... Futurama, Guardians of the Galaxy, Good Omens, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
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Published May 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 27, 2020
I received an ARC copy of The Audacity 2 from the author, and I was blown through a black hole. Full disclosure: I loved the first book immensely! That being said, Laura upped the ante with the sequel. It’s full of laughs, queerness, sci-fi adventure, and the kind of friendship that make anime characters fight to the death. I even find myself using the zuxing slang and alien swears from the book now.
The laughs are outrageous, the action is heart-pounding, and the outer space time travel will make you scratch your head and force you to question your own existence.
I recommend this series for any fan of comedic sci-fi. The characters are all in eye-popping hi-def and never stopped doing what they do so well. Don’t fall asleep on this series. Drink a pot intergalactic coffee and get on this ship!!
The laughs are outrageous, the action is heart-pounding, and the outer space time travel will make you scratch your head and force you to question your own existence.
I recommend this series for any fan of comedic sci-fi. The characters are all in eye-popping hi-def and never stopped doing what they do so well. Don’t fall asleep on this series. Drink a pot intergalactic coffee and get on this ship!!
May 3, 2020
The Audacity 2 picks up right where Book 1 left off. It was a good laugh, and the characters all go through a heck of a journey in this one both personally and together. Plus, we get to know more about Xan which is always great. I can't wait until the next crazy adventure!
February 23, 2022
This is my favorite book of the series (so far!) Xan and May are back, and reading them tackle time travel has filled a Futurama-sized hole that I’ve had for a while! 🚀
June 3, 2020
I discovered this series last year and instantly fell in love with May and Xan, every day human turned rocket racer and blue-skinned Thuntian with a mysterious past turned I Love Lucy binge-watcher. Now the sequel is out, and it's even more hilarious than the first.
There's just so much to love about this series: anyone who's a fan of Douglas Adams and the absurd of the cosmos will feel at home among these pages, laughing at the zany space adventures and the narrator's deft turn of phase - and occasional meta joke. Book 2 does not disappoint: it's got everything you love from the first book and is sure to make you roar with laughter.
But the series has so much heart, too. The developing relationship between Xan and May isn't one you see often (if at all), where May is openly Asexual/Aromantic while Xan is on the other side of the spectrum. Are they a couple, or a couple of besties? It doesn't seem to matter to them. They are fully loving and supportive of each other which only makes me love them more.
We also meet Xan's sister, Aimz, a hilarious StarTaxi driver who's rather miffed her brother hasn't been around for a millenia. Xan's past is coming to bite him in the rear - we finally learn how he acquired the Audacity, and what happened to planet Thunt. It's not pretty. Loup somehow manages to balance absurdity and a deep examination of mental illness as a result of trauma in the same go, which is difficult to achieve and amazing to read.
Tie this all together with a planet-saving-or-destroying adventure, a mad goddess, a reanimated corpse, busted translators, and revealing swimwear, and you've got a wonderful book to devour. I can't wait for book three!
There's just so much to love about this series: anyone who's a fan of Douglas Adams and the absurd of the cosmos will feel at home among these pages, laughing at the zany space adventures and the narrator's deft turn of phase - and occasional meta joke. Book 2 does not disappoint: it's got everything you love from the first book and is sure to make you roar with laughter.
But the series has so much heart, too. The developing relationship between Xan and May isn't one you see often (if at all), where May is openly Asexual/Aromantic while Xan is on the other side of the spectrum. Are they a couple, or a couple of besties? It doesn't seem to matter to them. They are fully loving and supportive of each other which only makes me love them more.
We also meet Xan's sister, Aimz, a hilarious StarTaxi driver who's rather miffed her brother hasn't been around for a millenia. Xan's past is coming to bite him in the rear - we finally learn how he acquired the Audacity, and what happened to planet Thunt. It's not pretty. Loup somehow manages to balance absurdity and a deep examination of mental illness as a result of trauma in the same go, which is difficult to achieve and amazing to read.
Tie this all together with a planet-saving-or-destroying adventure, a mad goddess, a reanimated corpse, busted translators, and revealing swimwear, and you've got a wonderful book to devour. I can't wait for book three!
June 2, 2020
An ARC was provided by the author, but opinions are my own
When I learnt about a queer book having the same humor and vibe as The Hitchhiker’s Guide, I knew I would love it. And I did, book 1 was amazing and book 2 is on the same track. It’s funny, it’s weird, it’s queer and it’s a great time. I never get bored.
I loved getting to know Xan and May more and following their relationship. Those two have great chemistry and their friendship is a damn fine thing to witness.
Honestly, if you like humor and sci-fi, then this is for you. Actually, it’s for you even if you don’t like sci-fi. The unique writing style and endearing characters will be more than enough to charm you.
Now to wait for book 3 and the next adventures!
When I learnt about a queer book having the same humor and vibe as The Hitchhiker’s Guide, I knew I would love it. And I did, book 1 was amazing and book 2 is on the same track. It’s funny, it’s weird, it’s queer and it’s a great time. I never get bored.
I loved getting to know Xan and May more and following their relationship. Those two have great chemistry and their friendship is a damn fine thing to witness.
Honestly, if you like humor and sci-fi, then this is for you. Actually, it’s for you even if you don’t like sci-fi. The unique writing style and endearing characters will be more than enough to charm you.
Now to wait for book 3 and the next adventures!
June 17, 2020
What a spell-binding sequel!! It had everything I wanted: adventure, friendship, new characters, it answered a lot of questions I had from the first book, some of the best similes I’ve ever read in literature (May followed her like a cat being dragged on a leash) and best of all it was FUNNY AS FUCK. Loved it.
My favorite line: “May peered into the dark window, feeling like the first idiot to get picked off in a horror movie.”
My favorite line: “May peered into the dark window, feeling like the first idiot to get picked off in a horror movie.”
May 29, 2020
Laura is such a comedic genius and her world building is awesome. The characters are unique and have great chemistry. Even if you haven’t read the first instalment, you won’t be confused at all. This is a must read for Sci-Fi and comedy fans.
November 7, 2025
The Audacity is charmingly funky. Xan continues to be my favorite little weirdo. These books are a quick fun read that always brighten my day.
(I received this book in exchange for an honest review)
(I received this book in exchange for an honest review)
June 17, 2020
Fantastic read filled with lovable unique characters, heart-pounding scenes, hilarious one-liners and a bitchcaking story. Love love love loved it!
June 16, 2020
Just as good as the first one! This series manages to be fun and adventurous without losing its depth. I enjoyed it from beginning to finish, and I will definitely be recommending it to others. I applaud Loup’s ability to convey mental illness and trauma while keeping the escapism and joy that the first book had. Also, the diversity is great, as usual! Awesome job!
August 20, 2021
4.5/5
Carmen Loup's The Audacity was one of my favorite books of 2019, being the spiritual follow-up to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that I'd been looking for for a while. It had everything: fun and clever humor, weird concepts, and outlandish, but endearing characters.
I'm happy to report that The Audacity 2 continues the trend. It picks up a few months after the first book ends and we get to catch up with Xan, May, and a host of new, delightful characters as they race to try to stop Chaos once again in a thoroughly enjoyable adventure.
As much as I enjoyed the book, I can't help but feel a little disappointed that the plot revolved once again around Chaos' evil schemes, and was hoping to see something a bit different and a bit more fresh. Her plan in this book involves time travel (not a spoiler because just look at the subtitle) and is a little more tough to put a finger on than in the first book. We also don't really see much of her, and that makes her feel like more of a physical obstacle than a developed character. I'd say that's where the half point goes.
All that being said, while Chaos and her plans don't feel super detailed, a lot of that time gets spent on the relationships and humor between the existing and new characters, which is where this book really shines. The humor and style is zanily consistent with the first book and just oozes the same snark, imagination, and charm that I love.
Overall, a very enjoyable read, and I'm eager to see what's in store for Xan and May in the 3rd installment, although I hope it will expand their world a bit more.
4.5/5, rounded up to 5 because of fantastic charm.
Carmen Loup's The Audacity was one of my favorite books of 2019, being the spiritual follow-up to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that I'd been looking for for a while. It had everything: fun and clever humor, weird concepts, and outlandish, but endearing characters.
I'm happy to report that The Audacity 2 continues the trend. It picks up a few months after the first book ends and we get to catch up with Xan, May, and a host of new, delightful characters as they race to try to stop Chaos once again in a thoroughly enjoyable adventure.
As much as I enjoyed the book, I can't help but feel a little disappointed that the plot revolved once again around Chaos' evil schemes, and was hoping to see something a bit different and a bit more fresh. Her plan in this book involves time travel (not a spoiler because just look at the subtitle) and is a little more tough to put a finger on than in the first book. We also don't really see much of her, and that makes her feel like more of a physical obstacle than a developed character. I'd say that's where the half point goes.
All that being said, while Chaos and her plans don't feel super detailed, a lot of that time gets spent on the relationships and humor between the existing and new characters, which is where this book really shines. The humor and style is zanily consistent with the first book and just oozes the same snark, imagination, and charm that I love.
Overall, a very enjoyable read, and I'm eager to see what's in store for Xan and May in the 3rd installment, although I hope it will expand their world a bit more.
4.5/5, rounded up to 5 because of fantastic charm.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews