BadAsstronauts

by Grady Hendrix

From New York Times bestselling author of My Best Friend's Exorcism, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and The Final Girl Support Group, Grady Hendrix takes a break from horror and goes all-in on sci-fi in this novella about backyard rocket jockeys trying to get into low earth orbit.

Melville, South Carolina was out of money, it was out of jobs, it was out of hope, and today it was out of astronauts. There were only two to begin with, and now one is stuck on the abandoned International Space Station after his mission went south. With NASA’s budget cut to the bone, there’s no one to bring him back home, so everyone is only too happy to ignore this embarrassing sign of American Failure and just let him die. But his cousin, Walter Reddie, isn’t going to let that happen.

Tanked on vodka, living on a “farm” whose only crop is cars on cinderblocks, Walter's a wash-out from the Shuttle Program and he’ll be damned if he’s going to let his cousin die in the sky like a dog. And so he begins to build a rocket. If America won’t rescue its astronauts, he’ll do it himself.

Violating numerous laws, good taste, common sense, logic, and reason, Walter becomes a lightning rod for people who aren’t ready to give up. His farm is transformed into the promised land for misfits, drifters, rocket junkies, pyromaniacs, dreamers, science nerds, and astro-hippies who believe that space shouldn’t just be for billionaires. But it won’t be easy. Chances are good they’ll blow themselves up, get arrested, or kill each other before they ever get into orbit.

Genres: Science Fiction, Horror, Humor, Fiction, Audiobook, Novella, Space

122 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2012

About the author

Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it's set in the Eighties. He's also the author of We Sold Our Souls, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, and the upcoming (July 13!) Final Girl Support Group!

He's also the jerk behind the Stoker award-winning Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the 70's and 80's horror paperback boom, which contains more information about Nazi leprechauns, killer babies, and evil cats than you probably need.

And he's the screenwriter behind Mohawk, which is probably the only horror movie about the War of 1812 and Satanic Panic.

You can listen to free, amazing, and did I mention free podcasts of his fiction on Pseudopod. He also does a podcast called Super Scary Haunted Homeschool.

If you're not already sick of him, you can learn all his secrets at his website.

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 5 out of 5]

And now, the long-awaited side-by-side comparison of the original Occupy Space and the revised, re-published BadAsstronauts!

Here we go:





Done!

. . . what, you want more? Fine:

Occupy Space
Height: 20.3 cm
Width: 12.7 cm
Thickness: 8.5 mm
Weight: 149 g
MSRP: US$6.99
Publisher: Grady Hendrix
pp: 117
Release date: April 24, 2012

BadAsstronauts
Height: 21.5 cm
Width: 13.9 cm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight: 208 g
MSRP: US$11.99
Publisher: JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
pp: 160 (larger font than Occupy Space)
Release date: April 19, 2022

Are you satisfied now? . . . what, I'm supposed to compare the content? Geez Louise, fine.

It's the same book, and thank goodness because it's great. It's been aged up by a decade, specifically taking place in 2022 instead of 2012. It's been through a copy edit to the publisher's preferred style, changing things like "$60" to "sixty dollars." It has a new introduction from Grady, giving a context for the original book and its revision. It has new cover art, evocative but purely symbolic; no space suits were harmed in the production of this fiction.

And some of the language has been revised. The original had plenty of slurs, but at no time did they seem like they were coming from the author, it was always clearly the characters' speech. I mean, have you even been to South Carolina? Some parts were adjusted: "golf is for homos" became "golf is for assholes," although elsewhere gayness was retained as a slight but changed from "homo" to "homosexual" in one case. Other potential offenses remained intact. Walter still calls the graduating high school class "borderline retarded," for one. The language is beside the point because the book, and its characters, are filled with heart and determination. It hasn't changed at all, in the parts that matter.

UPDATE 2026: Well, now I have actually read the full Badasstronauts edition, instead of just poking around it for comparison, and, uh ... there are some problems! Most of which are attributable to the publisher, JABberwocky Literary Agency Inc., which apparently publishes books themselves in addition to representing authors to other publishers. I first encountered them via their e-book only release of Hendrix's Dead Leprechauns and Devil Cats: Strange Tales of the White Street Society which was awesome but also full of typos. Here, a similar less-than-ideal quality control system also shows.

Surely you've encountered text online that reads "&" instead of "&" because of html issues. I have now, for the first time in my life, seen this in print. Six times in this book, four of which are on a single page on which "A&P license" is stated four times. "You got your A&P license?" he shouted through the windshield [...] "Do you really have your A&P license?" Strange stuff, joined later by that well-known TV show Law and amp Order.

Some of the new publisher's copy editing or application of Chicago style took the wind out of the sails. I'll just post the comparisons and if you don't see what I see, ask about it in the comments.

OLD (Occupy Space):

A bunch of Occupy types [from the Occupy social movement of the early 2010s] came and set up their own sector of camp where those in need of inspirational political analysis could get jacked up on ideology in the morning before work began. [...] Over the entrance to what became known as Camp Coffee they hung a banner that read, "Occupy Space."

NEW (Badasstronauts):

A bunch of Occupy types [from the Occupy social movement of the early 2010s] came and set up their own sector of camp where those in need of inspirational political analysis could get jacked up on ideology in the morning before work began. [...] Over the entrance to what became known as Camp Coffee they hung a banner that read, occupy space.

This next one's impact may be less obvious. This takes place when they speak over radio to Bobby who is stranded on the International Space Station (the window is the time they can broadcast to him; he doesn't literally fall out a window). The rocket planned to come rescue him has just been named.

OLD (Occupy Space):

But by then, Bobby Junior had fallen out of the window, and the ISS continued its crazed orbit around a planet that no longer cared. Only Space Jesus could save him now.

NEW (Badasstronauts):

But by then, Bobby Junior had fallen out of the window, and the ISS continued its crazed orbit around a planet that no longer cared. Only Space Jesus could save him now.

Changes to the actual content are certainly Hendrix's doing. Most of them don't add anything meaningful, as discussed earlier, and I don't see the point in most cases, but maybe his 10-years-wiser writer brain took issue with the original in some way. The change that stood out the most for me was this particular character:

OLD (Occupy Space):

... everyone turned to stare at Ginger Flynn, hovering in the doorway. She was seventeen years old and she looked like a poodle. Bleach blonde hair blown up in a puff, big across the chest and extreme in the rear end. Too much make-up and clothes that proved all taste was in her mouth. "Beauty pageant's another night, darlin'," Walter snarled.

NEW (Badasstronauts):

... everyone turned to stare at Tiara Flynn, hovering in the doorway. She was seventeen years old and she looked like she'd wandered in from a toddler's beauty pageant. Less than five feet tall with the makeup and nails of Whitney Houston, wearing big body curls that she'd lacquered with too much product, wearing a jewel pink hoodie and a pair of shoes made for a chihuahua, it seemed clear to everyone that all her taste was in her mouth. "Strip club's down the road a ways, darlin'," Walter snarled.

For whatever reason she was renamed Tiara from Ginger, consistency matters: TWICE later she is still referred to as Ginger, leaving the Badasstronaut-only reader wondering, who the fuck is Ginger? "Find and replace all" was a bridge too far, it appears. It also struck me as odd when, one time half-way through the book, "the fact that she was Black" was thrown in as the reason why some Black people showed up to join the rocket-making crew, when this could have been established when she first appeared before a group of white rednecks in the most racist state in a racist country, rather than a detail tacked on later to be able to say, "some Black people were there also". Maybe I'm simply oblivious to subtext in her new introduction? Does "makeup of Whitney Houston" mean she's Black?

The outcome of the revision process reminded me unfavorably of The Narrow Road Between Desires.

And then there's JABberwocky Literary Agency Inc.'s choice of font size and page layout that makes Badasstronauts look more like a self-published print on demand book than the actual self-published print on demand book that was Occupy Space. The cover art is good, if technically inaccurate, but the original's was already good also.

I loved the original, and the heart of it remains despite some issues with the reissue. The sole advantage of Badasstronauts is Hendrix's foreword, providing a peek into his life in the years before Horrorstör and Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction launched the current phase of his writing career (pun acknowledged). Among other things, it was another case study of how the writers I love got there through a hell of a lot of hard work and attending the Clarion writer's workshop (the Iowa writer's workshop being another excellent training ground). More than that, Hendrix wield his usual zeitgeist magic by plugging both the original book and the revision into their specific historical and cultural contexts.

And now, I would like to share a brief 2012 interview Hendrix did in after publishing Occupy Space (https://www.nicolegrotepas.com/interv...) mostly for this illuminating quote:

I have tried and tried to write serious, but I just can’t manage it. My hard drive is full of very dark, very intense stories I spent years writing and they are all loathed by everyone who reads them. In college I even wrote a very, very serious play about AIDS that won an award. The play was performed once and the (small) audience spent the entire three hours peeing themselves with laughter. Afterwards, people came up and told me how funny they thought it was. I wanted to make a bold statement. Instead I made people laugh. I came to realize that that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. In terms of tips, I’ve only got one and it’s not even mine. John Waters once said “Good taste is the enemy of art.” Replace “art” with “comedy” and you’ve got the formula that works for me.

*****************************

Re-read complete, in preparation for the updated BadAsstronauts. I am keen to see what has changed. The title was due for an update (remember the Occupy movement?), and some of the social media references, now 10 years old, are slightly dated, but I hope the characters' offensive utterings aren't too toned down.

It was even more hilarious and heartfelt as my first time. It starts off wonderfully crude and absurd, and within a hundred pages has morphed into such a ridiculous tearjerker, I love it.

Want to read it for yourself? You can't, ha ha, it's out of print because of the new retitled edition, and if you find a second-hand copy it'll probably cost US$hundreds, just like his other pre-breakout self-published Satan Loves You, which is also wonderful and which I also acquired years ago and you can't have that either. Mine!

*****************************

*Newsflash* - Grady Hendrix has rewritten this charming little novella (Occupy Space), to be re-released on April 19, 2022 as BadAsstronauts!



But that's not all...





...because on August 4th, the book will be re-re-released AGAIN, in it's TRUE FINAL FORM as Space Lives Matter!



And here's a photo of the author:



Just remember, when you see the 'new' book lining bookshelves everywhere, that I reviewed it first.

*****************************

Self-publishing can have a bad reputation, often for good reason. Grady Hendrix is an outstanding example of someone who started off self-publishing and went on to traditional publishing with great success (not that this is the necessary path for self-publishing authors). His latest novels have gained him critical and popular acclaim and screen development offers. But before all that, he put out this kind-of science fiction (maybe more properly a societal fiction) novella with a powerful impact.

Had I come across Occupy Space when it was first released, I would have had no doubt that the author would go on to great success. As it was, I pulled this from Hendrix's back-catalogue after feverishly reading several of his non-self-published books in short order. Occupy Space is the story of a bunch of self-proclaimed rednecks who gather to build a rocket, in order to rescue the cousin of the protagonist who is stranded aboard the International Space Station without any authorized rescue mission potential. It starts off goofy but, like the mission it enshrines, grows and matures to surprising heights. It is an unabashedly American story and is very much plugged into contemporary times. We see here a great deal of heart, emotionally authentic characters, and a talent for crafting thoroughly satisfying endings, all hallmarks of Grady’s writing.

Highly recommended if you have enjoyed any of his later books, including The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, My Best Friend's Exorcism, or We Sold Our Souls. For a real treat, track down his also-self-published novel Satan Loves You, it is a hoot.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

This was absolutely ridiculous and do I think that this could actually happen?

Uh, hell no, but I got a kick out of imagining it taking place.

BadAsstronauts was funny, absurd and thought provoking on how a large group of people can accomplish the impossible. All they had to do was believe in themselves and each other.

We’ve got a drunk retired astronaut,
an unemployed rocket scientist,
a bunch of science nerds that call themselves Rocket Zombies,
a washed up high school football team being fire control when the rocket launches,
a grandma called Memomma with the largest excel file ever,
a handful of veterans being security and keeping the peace over 2000+ space nerds,

and many more colorful characters!

Here’s to an engaging plot of Redneck NASA. I had a blast reading this! 🚀

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good audiobook to listen to when I was in sad mood. Might add something else later

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not horror but an engaging read just the same. "Redneck NASA" is all you need to know!

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this story purely because I enjoyed this author's works so much in the past - and didn't regret it.

Welcome to ... backwater country. We're somewhere in the US, in a typical redneck area where there is about as much unemployment as there is alcoholism and white trash.
In this charming environment lives Walter. Once an astronaut, though he never made it to space despite two attempts, now washed up but still kinda good-hearted.
His cousin is an astronaut as well, you see, and due to a failed mission stranded on the ISS; left for dead. But not on Walter's watch. So the old curmudgeon is assembling whoever and whatever he can to build a rocket that will take him to the ISS to save his cousin.

I know I should and usuallly don't, but I was rooting so much for the rednecks here. From the incompetence and heartlessness of NASA and the FBI to the infuriating primly "officials", I wanted THEM strapped to a rocket ... on the outside!

Astonishingly, most (not all) of the "science" in here was actually accurate. Had not expected that, but it was a pleasant surprise.

The book made me chuckle and laugh and even cackle quite a number of times. Just what I had hoped for.

[Pombar · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Melville, Carolina del Sur, se ha quedado sin dinero, sin empleos, sin esperanza y, ahora, sin astronautas. Para empezar, solo tenía dos, y uno de ellos está atrapado en la abandonada Estación Espacial Internacional después de que su misión saliera mal. Con el presupuesto de la NASA reducido al mínimo, no hay nadie que lo traiga de vuelta, así que todos prefieren ignorar este vergonzoso símbolo del fracaso estadounidense y dejarlo morir. Pero su primo, Walter Reddie, no piensa permitirlo.

Borracho de vodka y viviendo en una «granja» donde la única cosecha son coches sobre bloques de cemento, Walter es un fracasado del Programa del Transbordador Espacial, y no va a dejar que su primo muera en el cielo como un perro. Así que empieza a construir un cohete. Si América no va a rescatar a sus astronautas, lo hará él mismo."

----------------------------------------------

Menudo soplo de aire fresco! Me lo he pasado en grande con esta desternilllante historia.

Imaginaros la situación de unos cuantos "locos" que con sus escasos medios y formación, se disponen a hacer un cohete para poder llegar a la ISS. En Carolina del Sur, todo es posible.

Badasstronauts: Paletos espaciales de Grady Hendrix es una mezcla de ciencia ficción y comedia que te hará reír mientras reflexionas sobre la sociedad. La historia sigue a Walter Reddie, un exastronauta alcohólico que decide construir un cohete en su patio trasero para rescatar a su primo varado en el espacio, todo mientras la NASA y el gobierno ni se inmutan.

Con un tono irreverente y personajes bastante peculiares, Hendrix hace una crítica divertida al abandono de las comunidades olvidadas y al sueño espacial americano. Aunque la trama está llena de situaciones absurdas, también tiene algo de profundidad al hablar sobre la resiliencia, el ingenio y la desconfianza en las instituciones.

Es una novela rápida, con mucho humor y un mensaje claro: a veces, cuando las cosas se complican, el verdadero espíritu de la gente se ve en cómo se enfrentan a la adversidad. Si buscas algo ligero pero con algo de sustancia, esta es una excelente opción.

[Maxwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grady hendrix finally let me down 😞 to be fair this is a sci-fi novella (not a horror novel like I’m used to reading from him) that he wrote back in 2012. Then last year (2022) he updated it a bit and republished it under a new title. It definitely just felt super random, maybe like a fun side project/experiment and I feel like it didn’t showcase his skill. It’s got too much going on for a novella but it also doesn’t dive deep enough into certain parts (particularly the characters who felt one note and the plot which is so ridiculous and at times explained away a bit too easily). And even though he updated it, it still feels a bit dated. It’s just not super good at any one thing to make me enjoy it. It’s only 160 pages so it was quick to read but not one I’ll likely every revisit.

[Zacks Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* I didn't even know Grady Hendrix had a novella like this until Danielle ordered it for me. I really liked this, totally different from his other books. He's one of my favorite authors of all time and this novella made me even more excited for his next book.

[Dan Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Redneck NASA (Hendrix’s term, not mine). There you have it. An elevator pitch in two words. Think The Martian by way of Jeff Foxworthy, and you’ve got Badasstronauts. Sold? I certainly was. It’s far-fetched, but it’s so incredibly fun (and funny!). Hendrix is my go-to for palate cleansers, and as usual, he doesn’t disappoint. This book is a testament to the power of determination, teamwork, perseverance, and liquor.

[Lizz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

It was fine. The story was kind of all over the place. I was left thinking, “Ok, that was fine.”

Book 5: “Heaps of Hendrix” Marathon

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun! It's a kind of weird short novel about Redneck NASA and their vessel Space Jesus, the kind of thing that I can imagine Allen Steele maybe having written his senior year of high school after a long weekend party. There's no supernatural or horror element; it's a good old-fashioned sf story. Hendrix self-published it in 2011 and updated it somewhat and gave it a new title a decade later. It could have used a little tighter editing of update in spots; for example, on page 155 the contemporary press is using flashbulbs to take pictures, and I think that's a bit anachronistic. An introduction is included in which Hendrix says it was inspired by the Occupy movement of the recent past, but I didn't really get a flavor of that at all. My best description would be that it's an updated and Libertarian-influenced version of Heinlein's Rocket Ship Galileo, except about Redneck NASA. I'm not sure about the ending; I agree that it's a cute gimmick that illustrates the point, but it does seem a bit contrived and convenient. It's a fast and fun read, with quirky characters who embrace the can-do spirit with a hearty yee-haw.

[Rodrigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bueno, pues regular, ya que la ser una novela o relato corto, pierde empaque y/o profundidad.
La historia me ha parecido "simple", lo bueno es que se lee rápido, se nota que es de los primeros que escribió y he leído cosas mejores del autor.
El toque de ciencia ficción pues... es muy light...
Valoración: 5.75/10
Sinopsis: Una sátira brillante sobre la exploración espacial y el fracaso estadounidense.

Melville, Carolina del Sur, se ha quedado sin dinero, sin empleos, sin esperanza y, ahora, sin astronautas. Para empezar, solo tenía dos, y uno de ellos está atrapado en la abandonada Estación Espacial Internacional después de que su misión saliera mal. Con el presupuesto de la NASA reducido al mínimo, no hay nadie que lo traiga de vuelta, así que todos prefieren ignorar este vergonzoso símbolo del fracaso estadounidense y dejarlo morir. Pero su primo, Walter Reddie, no piensa permitirlo.

Borracho de vodka y viviendo en una «granja» donde la única cosecha son coches sobre bloques de cemento, Walter es un fracasado del Programa del Transbordador Espacial, y no va a dejar que su primo muera en el cielo como un perro. Así que empieza a construir un cohete. Si América no va a rescatar a sus astronautas, lo hará él mismo.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - a so-so novella; the least successful of this author's works IMO

[Amy Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ // CAWPILE rating 4.43

Unfortunately this was a flop for me. I know it’s fiction but it’s not fantasy, there’s nothing supernatural at play. The rules of the world should still apply here and this just didn’t make any sense. No way anyone would ever get away with all that. It would just never happen. The synopsis sounds really intriguing, but as the story progresses it just gets more and more ridiculous and I just didn’t buy it. The main character was also pretty underwhelming for me. There was huge opportunity for a character arc and it sorta started but then backslid and stalled out. Felt like a missed opportunity to make him a bit more likable. There was some pretty funny moments and I really liked the first quarter of the book but as it went on I started feeling really fatigued and annoyed reading it. I started skimming. Never a good sign. This just wasn’t a vibe for me.

I love Grady Hendrix though, I’ve never given any of his traditionally published books less than 4 stars and he still holds strong as one of my fave authors. This early novella of his was just a miss for me.

[Daniel Thoreau · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 ⭐

Me ha parecido una idea original, pero una narración algo insustancial.

Son pocas páginas, y se puede leer rápido, pero a mí no ha conseguido engancharme en ningún momento. La narración (y en general el contexto paleto) es muy desenfadada y eso le da cierta gracia, pero en mi caso no ha sido suficiente para ponerle más puntuación.

No se profundiza demasiado en los personajes, aunque en general son bastante odiosos, así que tampoco me ha ganado ninguno en especial.

La premisa era buena, pero no creo que se haya desarrollado bien. Las explicaciones que nos da el autor tampoco son muy claras o excitantes. Es decir, no me he sentido involucrado en la historia, como sí me ha pasado en otros libros de ciencia ficción con explicaciones muchísimo más complejas pero bien traídas. Y ojo, lo de ciencia ficción lo digo por decir, porque esto no es ciencia ficción, es lo que lees en la contraportada, ni más ni menos.

Este tipo de libros suelen estar bien para descansar de otros más complejos o extensos, pero en este caso, tampoco lo recomendaría para eso. Si quieres disfrutar de un libro corto, pero con sustancia y realmente entretenido, me atrevería a recomendar otro diferente.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just a lot of fun. Redneck NASA. Basically this is The Martian except told by the people on earth and they are trying to rescue Walter’s cousin who is abandoned on the ISS. Also, they have no idea what they are doing so they are crowdsourcing the info in order to build the rocket. Very humorous and entertaining.

[Oldman_JE · Rating 4 out of 5]

My copy of the novella came with laughs packaged within.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hendrix is amazingly good at poking fun at people he sees, understands, and feels kindly toward. He's also adept at looking at a picture and seeing what's wrong. In his horror fiction he uses that perception and magnifies that which is wrong in the world into the nightmare world of a few characters. And he can totally creep me out with that shirt.
In this case he understands just how little late-stage capitalism has to offer a small town in SC. He gives them an audacious plan to save a hometown hero that can't possibly work. The real world gave them Oxycontin and death. I prefer his vision.

Special props for capturing the spirit of "Hey, hold my beer. Now y'all watch this" the classic intro to a million painful videos without ever actually saying it.

Library copy

Library copy

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3¼⭐
They dub themselves "Redneck Nasa" and at least two other names...maybe three. A quick listen and the narrator fit the story perfectly. It wasn't earth-shattering by any means but it was laughably entertaining. Why do so many short stories have crappy endings?

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this from cover to cover. I’ll always recommend Badasstronauts.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sé muy bien cómo calificarla: ciencia ficción... fantasía... costumbrismo... Es la historia de la construcción de un cohete espacial por parte de lo más bajo de la sociedad norteamericana, la "basura blanca" que nunca llegará a nada... Pues aquí el autor, a través de la visión cómica de esa sociedad, nos da un rayito de esperanza. La gente solo necesita un fin común. Lo malo es encontrarlo.

Me lo he leído simplemente para saber si lo conseguían o no. Realmente ha habido partes en las que ya me parecía que estaban alargando demasiado el asunto, pero había que llegar al final. Todo para esa última escena. Realmente me esperaba más humor, pero, o no tengo el mismo concepto de humor o no se lo he pillado. Simpática, sí. De humor... pues la verdad es que no me lo ha parecido. En ocasiones un poco grotesco, aunque me producía más pena que risa.

Una novela para pasar el rato y, tal vez, sacar alguna moraleja de ello.

[Emilie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a super strong story. Luckily I know I love Hendrix, but even the greats can’t hit every time.

[Terra Harmony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one caught me by surprise. The concept was interesting but not my usual read so it took me a few weeks to get to it. Once I did, I couldn't put it down! A small, redneck town rallies to rescue one of their own from space when NASA refuses to do anything about the deserted astronaut orbiting Earth in a forgotten space station. The main character, Walter, is a drunk. A retired astronaut who never held the glory of going into space himself. I liken him to Haymitch from the Hunger Games. Though this book is nothing like the Hunger Games, you grow to both love and hate Walter at the same time, but in the end find yourself rooting for him.

The crew that support Walter are an unlikely bunch that come together with a common goal. It is amazing to see such different personalities find their place in Walter's growing community. Let me just say that this was a very captivating read; I kept wondering the same thing as the characters in the book – how in the world are they actually going to build a rocket, capable not only of flight, but also of retrieving an astronaut in space and returning safely? The ending is not necessarily 'happy', but did have a twist and in my opinion, was the perfect ending.

[Karrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book should be used to teach high school kids. I think it's more interesting than reading dry out-of-date boring books, just because they are/were "Classics". There is so much in this book that can be pulled from for discussions, and for kids to become open-minded.

Plus it's funny. No, scratch that. Hilarious.

Grady Hendrix=SoulMate.

[n0s4a2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia de ciencia ficción muy diferente a lo que acostumbra a escribir Grady Hendrix en la actualidad.

Novela corta que se mueve entre la crítica, la esperanza y un ligero toque de humor sobre una América rural en la que los sueños y la esperanzas son posibles. Segunda novela que escribió Hendrix en el año 2012 y rebautizada como Badasstronauts. Al final incluye una entrevista.

[Ruth Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vine buscando cobre y encontré oro
Una novelita muy corta pero muy divertida con un final impactante.
Mientras la estaba leyendo no sabía si reír o llorar pero no puedo dejar de recomendarla

[GҽɱɱαSM · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25*
Una novel·la curta que s'allunya del registre habitual de terror de l'autor per oferir una proposta divertida, irònica i amb un punt satíric i polític molt marcat. Hendrix demostra que, fins i tot fora del gènere que el defineix, manté intacta la seva capacitat per entretenir i jugar amb el lector.

Amb un to desenfadat però punyent, la història combina humor i crítica en una lectura àgil que es llegeix gairebé d'una tirada. És una obra diferent dins la seva trajectòria, però precisament aquí rau part del seu encant: veure'l explorar nous territoris sense perdre la veu que el caracteritza.

En resum, una lectura molt entretinguda, fresca i irreverent, ideal per desconnectar, amb aquell humor intel·ligent que enganxa. Una sorpresa absolutament deliciosa d'un dels meus autors favorits, en una faceta poc habitual però igual de ben trobada.

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 2 out of 5]

TW: language, drinking, r-word,
Racism, sexism, fat shaming, alcoholism, toxic relationships

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Melville, South Carolina was out of money, it was out of jobs, it was out of hope, and today it was out of astronauts. There were only two to begin with, and now one is stuck on the abandoned International Space Station after his mission went south. With NASA’s budget cut to the bone, there’s no one to bring him back home, so everyone is only too happy to ignore this embarrassing sign of American Failure and just let him die. But his cousin, Walter Reddie, isn’t going to let that happen.Tanked on vodka, living on a “farm” whose only crop is cars on cinderblocks, Walter's a wash-out from the Shuttle Program and he’ll be damned if he’s going to let his cousin die in the sky like a dog. And so he begins to build a rocket. If America won’t rescue its astronauts, he’ll do it himself.Violating numerous laws, good taste, common sense, logic, and reason, Walter becomes a lightning rod for people who aren’t ready to give up. His farm is transformed into the promised land for misfits, drifters, rocket junkies, pyromaniacs, dreamers, science nerds, and astro-hippies who believe that space shouldn’t just be for billionaires. But it won’t be easy. Chances are good they’ll blow themselves up, get arrested, or kill each other before they ever get into orbit.
Release Date: April 24th, 2012
Genre: Sci-Fi
Pages: 166
Rating: ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. I love the way the author writes
2. I simply am in love with the cover

What I Didn't Like:
1. Walter is horrible
2. Discounted science and technology talk

Overall Thoughts:
I've been trying to read the backdated books from Grady Hendrix and this one is from 2012. It's also a short read with only 166 pages so why not?

This book reminded me of one part Mike Hughes meets The Martian

Walter is a real piece of crap. He's sexist, racist, and overall annoying. His descriptions of women are horrible. Women are described as being either hot or fat. Men are described as dumb. His attitude wears on you.

And 3 weeks into this building a rocket only ex Asstronauts willing to work for free show up to help. They have people coming out of their ears. Reminded me so much of Fight Club - people just showing up - his family even returning and begging for work. 2,000 people are at this farm. I love that all during this the government didn't even show up till weeks into it.

Half of this book is just reading about all the different people that come to the farm to work.

The science in this book is very bare bones. If you're looking for a more complex telling of how rockets are built it's not here.

Final Thoughts:
Reading this you can see the Grady Hendrix hidden in the shadows with some pretty basic writing. It's unpolished and at times lacking something. The story is just too easy for Walter to get a rocket built. One minute he's begging his family for money and mortgaging his home to a few days later people giving him money, people begging to work with him, and them sending off a rocket in a month.

Honestly this book is just a bunch of gibberish. Random and confusing things happening that make zero sense. I can see why this book has so little reviews. I put down two stars because I can see what the author is trying to do. Also the writing isn't terrible.

Walter is just stuck in orbit. They all decide to build another rocket. Like building a rocket takes a few days. You really have to disband all belief to read this book.

Recommend For:
• People that love The Martian
• Whimsical outlandish stories about space
• People that like Grady Hendrix's writing style

IG | Blog

[Penélope Albornoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐
¡Qué genialidad!

La novela cuenta cómo un astronauta retirado, amargado y, la mayor parte del tiempo, borracho planea construir un cohete para salvar a su primo que quedó varado en la Estación Espacial Internacional.

Es una historia desopilante, irreverente y con personajes de lo más extravagantes. Es maravillosa.

• Real people began to flood the farm, mostly weekend warriors with good tools and a tendency to injure themselves. They’d heard about it online, they’d seen stories about it on the news, usually buried way back in the human-interest section right before stories about puppies who could bark “God Bless America” and newts who did geometry. Their numbers grew outcast by weirdo by outcast: six kids from a Boy Scout troop who’d been suspended from school after their homebrewed nitro-burning funny car had exploded and put two teachers in the hospital, a one-eyed amateur astronomer from Hawaii who couldn’t find work anyplace, a little person named Grekky who seemed to know an awful lot about wiring, a pair of registered nurses from Cleveland who were relentlessly upbeat no matter how many broken fingers, torn rotator cuffs, and burns they treated.

Es un libro en el que la gente "toma el toro por las astas", confiando en el poder del pueblo sin depender del gobierno para lograr su cometido. Gente que quiere ser dueña de su propio destino y que está dispuesta a trabajar duro para lograrlo.

• Paul had a crew up all night making rollers out of wood, scrap steel, anything they could get their hands on, and these were placed underneath each of the massive rockets which were laid horizontal, then they began to move them. They moved them the way the Israelites built the pyramids: almost one thousand Rocket Zombies pressed close, pushing hard, using nothing more than human muscle. The Father went first, and as it left rollers behind, Rocket Zombies raced them to the front just in time to catch the Father’s nose, like moving a Viking ship from dry dock to the sea. News crews were tripping over each other’s cables as they walked backwards, filming the most primitive rocket rollout in the history of man. It was one part NASA, two parts caveman. There was something intoxicating about this exercise in brute force, and the few people not in the horde began to clap and cheer and the cheers turned to chants and the clapping became rhythmic and it took on the qualities of a pagan ritual.

El final me emocionó hasta las lágrimas.

Bellísimo libro sobre el poder de la comunidad; cuando apuntamos al mismo objetivo, no hay límites.

Extracto de la introducción:
• Nothing depresses me more than footage of Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson shooting themselves into space. Nothing leaves me colder than a bunch of billionaires measuring their dicks. But it’s only a matter of time before people start looking up at the stars and thinking, “Why not me?” And then they’ll start tinkering in their backyards and their basements, they’ll start crunching the calculations and reaching out to other people who feel the same way. They’ll start pooling their spare time and their resources, matching their skills, sparking their torches, putting on their welding goggles, and when that happens it’ll only be a matter of time. After all, going into space is just a problem and the thing about problems is they all come with solutions as long as we’re willing to do the work. Why wait for someone else to take us to the stars? Why let someone else have all the fun? Why not do it ourselves?
After all, the sky belongs to everyone.

Excelente narración de Ezra Buzzington.

[PorshaJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Grady Hendrix. Trying to work my way through all this books and just grabbed this one. I'm not into space but figured what the heck. Immediately I was laughing so hard. I would rewind it and listen again just to laugh. Not a horror read, but a fun story about a bunch of rednecks trying to launch a rocket into space. The audio was great. I will read this one again, when I need a good laugh. Now patiently waiting for his 2025 read. In the meantime, I'll just remember Redneck NASA!