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Space Tripping: The Mysterious Case of the Mysterious Case
Chuck never thought too deeply about whether aliens existed - not until Jopp, an intergalactic transport pilot, drunkenly crashed on Earth and tried to steal his truck.
Now, Chuck finds himself unwittingly roped into helping Jobb work off a debt to the universe's most powerful corporation. Through a series of mishaps and misfortune, the duo finds themselves in possession of a mysterious black case. Along the way they are joined by Bhanakhana, an adventurous scientist, and Rohi, a rogue law enforcement agent.
All they want is to get back to their normal lives, but in order to do so, they'll have to fend off murderous marauders, skirt the attentions of an interplanetary police force, deal with a peculiar crime boss, and escape a backwater planet inhabited by friendly yet endlessly frustrating alien yokels. It's a big and scary universe out there, and they'll be damned if they're going to face it sober.
Now, Chuck finds himself unwittingly roped into helping Jobb work off a debt to the universe's most powerful corporation. Through a series of mishaps and misfortune, the duo finds themselves in possession of a mysterious black case. Along the way they are joined by Bhanakhana, an adventurous scientist, and Rohi, a rogue law enforcement agent.
All they want is to get back to their normal lives, but in order to do so, they'll have to fend off murderous marauders, skirt the attentions of an interplanetary police force, deal with a peculiar crime boss, and escape a backwater planet inhabited by friendly yet endlessly frustrating alien yokels. It's a big and scary universe out there, and they'll be damned if they're going to face it sober.
- GenresScience Fiction
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 5, 2021
82 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 23, 2021
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
All round, this was a fun adventure through space, much like the blurb and cover quotes promise - quite in the vein of the Hitchhiker's Guide (maybe even a little more like Guardians of the Galaxy?), although the characters were all much more capable than in those stories, in my opinion.
The human main character is kind of adorable, although all characters seemed a little flat for me. You don't go too in-depth with them, it's more of an adventure that rolls over you. Some of the situations were also glanced over and quite simple, but certainly fun and fast-paced. The characters had their archetypes (the funny annoying guy, the secretly world-wise earthling who knows nothing but accepts things readily, the noble strong alien, and of course, the foxy and admirable female officer of the law, which, of course, develops an unlikely attraction to the human male). I liked them all well enough.
I did like the plot as well. Despite being somewhat predictable, it's an okay plot, and although I knew from the start which characters are being planted for which purpose, I didn't guess at the details straight away, so it had me pleasantly wondering as the story went on. (Although I will admit I was disappointed that not all my questions at the end were answered, and I felt like some threads weren't quite followed through to the end.)
One thing that was a little distracting though, there is like a million new alien species mentioned constantly. Most of them get only a glancing description, like "red" or "round with white hair". Some are described in more detail, but the problem is that when they're mentioned again, you're somehow supposed to remember how they look, despite encountering 5 other species in between the pages after you saw them last. I remembered maybe three or four species total. The rest were a jumble. In a way, I guess that suggests what the main character is feeling, thrown into a whole new world like that, but at the same time.. if this was a movie, it would have worked great. But in a book, I literally just imagined blobs. Too many different species, barely any reminder descriptions. The author did invent a cool world for himself. But I feel like maybe it wasn't quite described well enough to us. But, it might have just been me struggling with this, so take a look at some other reviews too.
Another tiny point is that while there were dozens of alien species, they were all... Incredibly human. I feel like it's unfair to say, cause they did seem to be visually different, but... Their dress, their shape, their weapons, even customs... They felt mostly like humans with a slightly different shape or color, maybe some scales. Red. Purple. Yellow. Some weird ears or no nose. But essentially... Human. I don't know, I think maybe I've just been spoiled by Becky Chambers and the like, who make their aliens much less human, while still being relatable. Then again, of course, these kind of stories need to happen in a very "human-like" world, because I guess they're sort of making fun of our social structures, just like The Hitchhiker's Guide did.
That said, this is a good adventure read for the evening, but I'm really not sure I'll remember what this was about next year. But it was a nice, fun way to pass the time.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
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All round, this was a fun adventure through space, much like the blurb and cover quotes promise - quite in the vein of the Hitchhiker's Guide (maybe even a little more like Guardians of the Galaxy?), although the characters were all much more capable than in those stories, in my opinion.
The human main character is kind of adorable, although all characters seemed a little flat for me. You don't go too in-depth with them, it's more of an adventure that rolls over you. Some of the situations were also glanced over and quite simple, but certainly fun and fast-paced. The characters had their archetypes (the funny annoying guy, the secretly world-wise earthling who knows nothing but accepts things readily, the noble strong alien, and of course, the foxy and admirable female officer of the law, which, of course, develops an unlikely attraction to the human male). I liked them all well enough.
I did like the plot as well. Despite being somewhat predictable, it's an okay plot, and although I knew from the start which characters are being planted for which purpose, I didn't guess at the details straight away, so it had me pleasantly wondering as the story went on. (Although I will admit I was disappointed that not all my questions at the end were answered, and I felt like some threads weren't quite followed through to the end.)
One thing that was a little distracting though, there is like a million new alien species mentioned constantly. Most of them get only a glancing description, like "red" or "round with white hair". Some are described in more detail, but the problem is that when they're mentioned again, you're somehow supposed to remember how they look, despite encountering 5 other species in between the pages after you saw them last. I remembered maybe three or four species total. The rest were a jumble. In a way, I guess that suggests what the main character is feeling, thrown into a whole new world like that, but at the same time.. if this was a movie, it would have worked great. But in a book, I literally just imagined blobs. Too many different species, barely any reminder descriptions. The author did invent a cool world for himself. But I feel like maybe it wasn't quite described well enough to us. But, it might have just been me struggling with this, so take a look at some other reviews too.
Another tiny point is that while there were dozens of alien species, they were all... Incredibly human. I feel like it's unfair to say, cause they did seem to be visually different, but... Their dress, their shape, their weapons, even customs... They felt mostly like humans with a slightly different shape or color, maybe some scales. Red. Purple. Yellow. Some weird ears or no nose. But essentially... Human. I don't know, I think maybe I've just been spoiled by Becky Chambers and the like, who make their aliens much less human, while still being relatable. Then again, of course, these kind of stories need to happen in a very "human-like" world, because I guess they're sort of making fun of our social structures, just like The Hitchhiker's Guide did.
That said, this is a good adventure read for the evening, but I'm really not sure I'll remember what this was about next year. But it was a nice, fun way to pass the time.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
February 20, 2022
Great Fun
When I started this I thought, O.K. this will be a fun, sort of silly, alien-human space buddy comedy. And at first it was. It was pretty predictable, and the jokes were obvious. Still amusing and all, but nothing special.
But a funny thing happened along the way. This got really good. The buddy angle, while always played for laughs, worked. Our two heroes had real chemistry and the jokes got better and more sly and edgy. There was even a slam bang plot that kept the tale screaming along. Cameo characters were well realized, and a few were close to actually being hilarious, which is a wildly overused word in gushy reviews. There was even a snarky romance with a smartass female cop, which I would not have expected to work nearly as well as it did.
So this is sort of an old school "Road To..." kind of comedy adventure with two seriously engaging, smart alecky, wise cracking pals. The space angle makes it feel like "Star Wars" if "Star Wars" had built on the sneaky sense of humor that ran through the first film.
The bottom line for me is that this wasn't a disappointing, half-baked, "Hitchhiker's Guide..." wannabe, which is what I feared it would be when I took it up. This is a clever, entertaining, and smart, (though silly in spots), effort with lots of rewarding bits and an upbeat vibe. As one character said to Steve Martin in "L.A. Story", ..."You have a lot of verve." Yeah, this book had verve.
(Please note that I had a chance to read a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
When I started this I thought, O.K. this will be a fun, sort of silly, alien-human space buddy comedy. And at first it was. It was pretty predictable, and the jokes were obvious. Still amusing and all, but nothing special.
But a funny thing happened along the way. This got really good. The buddy angle, while always played for laughs, worked. Our two heroes had real chemistry and the jokes got better and more sly and edgy. There was even a slam bang plot that kept the tale screaming along. Cameo characters were well realized, and a few were close to actually being hilarious, which is a wildly overused word in gushy reviews. There was even a snarky romance with a smartass female cop, which I would not have expected to work nearly as well as it did.
So this is sort of an old school "Road To..." kind of comedy adventure with two seriously engaging, smart alecky, wise cracking pals. The space angle makes it feel like "Star Wars" if "Star Wars" had built on the sneaky sense of humor that ran through the first film.
The bottom line for me is that this wasn't a disappointing, half-baked, "Hitchhiker's Guide..." wannabe, which is what I feared it would be when I took it up. This is a clever, entertaining, and smart, (though silly in spots), effort with lots of rewarding bits and an upbeat vibe. As one character said to Steve Martin in "L.A. Story", ..."You have a lot of verve." Yeah, this book had verve.
(Please note that I had a chance to read a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
March 2, 2022
This book is not for serious sci-fi readers. It's for people who like to have fun reading.
I love sci-fi as a setting because it frees the author, and thus the reader, from getting hung up on the limitations of reality. Now, most sci-fi tends to rely on theoretical possibilities they seldom depend on that possibility. It's just a tool to move the story forward and Space Tripping is no exception.
Space Tripping does diverge from most sci-fi in that it isn't a serious action book, or a commentary of the current state of affairs, or a criticism of some political or social issue. It's more of a fun action romp through the galaxy that feels like a hybrid of the Dukes of Hazard, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Fifth Element. And that's not a bad thing.
The plot is relatively simple but the heroes are fun and likable, the bad guys are cruel and evil, the settings feel familiar but exotic at the same time and the chemistry is just right to drag you along this weird and wild adventure. I stayed up late to finish this book and look forward to the next one so I can confidently say I would recommend this book, but only if you can have fun reading a book.
I did receive this book free for my honest review and that's what you got.
I love sci-fi as a setting because it frees the author, and thus the reader, from getting hung up on the limitations of reality. Now, most sci-fi tends to rely on theoretical possibilities they seldom depend on that possibility. It's just a tool to move the story forward and Space Tripping is no exception.
Space Tripping does diverge from most sci-fi in that it isn't a serious action book, or a commentary of the current state of affairs, or a criticism of some political or social issue. It's more of a fun action romp through the galaxy that feels like a hybrid of the Dukes of Hazard, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Fifth Element. And that's not a bad thing.
The plot is relatively simple but the heroes are fun and likable, the bad guys are cruel and evil, the settings feel familiar but exotic at the same time and the chemistry is just right to drag you along this weird and wild adventure. I stayed up late to finish this book and look forward to the next one so I can confidently say I would recommend this book, but only if you can have fun reading a book.
I did receive this book free for my honest review and that's what you got.
December 3, 2021
This was a pretty fun haphazard space-romp. Chuck is the Luckily-unlucky 'Earth Man' accidentally thrown into the bizarre world of 'the rest of the universe'. As he ends up taking a courier job from the universe's most prolific mega-corps, his travels lead him to those most bizarre situations only an average-joe human can think their way out or.
There were plenty of chuckles and eye-roll jokes abound, but that was to be expected. (i mean, look at the title). So yes, if you're looking for that silly space romp with some action, aliens, anomalies, and evil greedy corporate heads, espionage and wit, there have at it!
There were plenty of chuckles and eye-roll jokes abound, but that was to be expected. (i mean, look at the title). So yes, if you're looking for that silly space romp with some action, aliens, anomalies, and evil greedy corporate heads, espionage and wit, there have at it!
June 3, 2022
You could title this book "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Guardians of the Galaxy Quest." This is a compliment.
PS: The bonus short story at the end felt like a "Sly Cooper" mission. This is also a complement.
PS: The bonus short story at the end felt like a "Sly Cooper" mission. This is also a complement.
November 9, 2021
This is a hard book to rate. It started off slow. I mean really slow and stupid. The story line went: get drunk, don't know what's going on, get in a fight, get more drunk, repeat. I had trouble getting through the first third of the book when finally the story opened up, the characters became more interesting and things started moving along. Not quite F. Scott Fitzgerald, but certainly more entertaining as there were some laugh out loud moments. Overall I enjoyed the book. The story and writing in many ways reminded me of Austin Dragon's Liquid Cool series. Here's hoping that the next book builds off the last half of this one.
January 6, 2022
Total Chaos
I’ve been reading sci-fi since the early 1960s and understand that new words are often created to name new concepts and objects but when each sentence has more imaginary fabricated words than real language it becomes difficult to make sense out of the narrative.
This book is not amusing or entertaining or believable. It definitely is not serious, and while there is a thinly defined plot implied, there is no character development in support of that plot. The idea behind the storyline has promise, none of which is realized in this book. The only plus here is that it was KU and I can return it.
I’ve been reading sci-fi since the early 1960s and understand that new words are often created to name new concepts and objects but when each sentence has more imaginary fabricated words than real language it becomes difficult to make sense out of the narrative.
This book is not amusing or entertaining or believable. It definitely is not serious, and while there is a thinly defined plot implied, there is no character development in support of that plot. The idea behind the storyline has promise, none of which is realized in this book. The only plus here is that it was KU and I can return it.
January 27, 2022
A somewhat comic romp through the stars. The classic theme of a hapless human grabbed and having to adapt to a rollicking multi-alien star based civilization. The story is filled with good guys, bad guys, crooks, and cops with comic antics in the adventures. I've always enjoyed stories where we are considered oddities in the galaxy, known as semi-intelligent hairless apes.
Not bad, not great, quite readable.
Not bad, not great, quite readable.
September 4, 2022
What happens when a drunk alien crash lands on earth and his holoskin fritzes out? Hijinks and an engaging rollercoaster of a plot with brilliant characters and moments that leave you chuckling aloud. Calling this book 'fantastic' or 'hilarious' really undersells it, but get the book, read it yourself and come up with your own descriptors. Lovers of sci-fi and humour will absolutely enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.
August 28, 2024
Finished it, just because I do not like giving up on a book and I was hoping for something to redeem the book at the end. But I will only read the added short or the sequel under duress. Not only is this extremely formulaic, ie nothing that has not been done better by other authors, but the ending is also very unsatisfactory. It leaves a lot of loose ends. Maybe it is just me, but I was rooting for the pirates towards the end.
November 23, 2021
Just pure, straightforward fun. Quickly paced and humourous. Doesn't get bogged down into being something it's not. Outer space is like Vegas mixed with spring break and Chuck is simultaneously in and out of his element.
January 21, 2022
Loved it!!
I loved this book. It had everything I enjoy reading. Cool space adventure with plenty of comedy, a bit of romance and doesn't mind using naughty words here and there. Fun read with a cool story line. Couldn't put it down.
I loved this book. It had everything I enjoy reading. Cool space adventure with plenty of comedy, a bit of romance and doesn't mind using naughty words here and there. Fun read with a cool story line. Couldn't put it down.
Read
August 16, 2022Poor Chuck. He's just out there, driving his long-haul truck when he gets sucked into a world of corporate misdealings … in space.
Rollicking good fun, though the gender stereotypes felt a bit overdone for my liking.
Rollicking good fun, though the gender stereotypes felt a bit overdone for my liking.
Read
July 4, 2023DNF-it started with the blurb and the alien name being spelled two different ways. I knew then it wasn't going to work for me, but I tried anyway. The f-bombs sealed the deal. Sorry, this is a no go for me.
November 6, 2023
Fun reading
Reminiscent of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy hijinks. Really. Silly, ridiculous and a wholly plausible implausible tale. Very enjoyable. Can't wait for more adventures!
Reminiscent of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy hijinks. Really. Silly, ridiculous and a wholly plausible implausible tale. Very enjoyable. Can't wait for more adventures!
December 25, 2021
Entertaining
Entertaining and humorous. The human character certainly fit how aliens might look at people. Worth the time reading it and may look into the next one.
Entertaining and humorous. The human character certainly fit how aliens might look at people. Worth the time reading it and may look into the next one.
December 27, 2021
I enjoyed this fun, little, space romp, despite many of the characters being drunk much of the time. I intend to read the second book, as well.
January 8, 2022
An amusing space romp.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I really liked that it didn’t take itself seriously. Watch for the veiled reference to Ayn Rand.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I really liked that it didn’t take itself seriously. Watch for the veiled reference to Ayn Rand.
June 17, 2022
A fun quick trip through the stars. Serving up action, humor, and longing looks between species from many universes.
June 27, 2022
this so-called "mysterious case"
October 14, 2022
Sort of like Futurama. Except without the math and science jokes.
June 16, 2023
Absolutely loved it! The humor in it is well done and the characters so fun!
December 17, 2023
Good story that after a slow start, really kicks in the second half. The four main characters have a good chemistry and bounce off each other.
December 20, 2023
Fun read
Space Tripping is like an action comedy come to life. So much fun to read. Just the medicine that I needed
Space Tripping is like an action comedy come to life. So much fun to read. Just the medicine that I needed
February 20, 2024
Not sure. Started off reminding me a bit of Hitchhiker's Guide, so I was optimistic, but after a few chapters it was just too... cartoonish?
January 19, 2025
Enjoyed the read
Comical space opera. Full of jovial quips and sparky rhetoric. Moving on to book 2. Five more words needed. Lol
Comical space opera. Full of jovial quips and sparky rhetoric. Moving on to book 2. Five more words needed. Lol
January 3, 2022
A space adventure rather than science fiction, and it’s a pretty good adventure with lots of twists set in strange worlds. It’s written with an ear to humour that balances much of the derring-do. Trouble is, almost any story written after the Star Wars avalanche is not going to sound original. It’s a tough genre in which to stand out. This doesn’t.
February 16, 2022
The nerd version of a beach read.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews