Hometown Space Pirate

by C.G. Harris

Ben Roberts hears voices…alien voices. When word of his abilities spreads through the galactic grapevine, Ben ranks number one on an A.I.’s most wanted list to become their cybernated slave. A bleak prospect, but what if they offered him everything he ever dreamed of in exchange?

A headstrong spaceship, with an intelligence of its own, shows up to help Ben, but he doesn’t know if it can be trusted. When he discovers a powerful alien has taken refuge on Earth, Ben makes it his mission to rescue it from the race of A.I. beings. If he can’t find a way to survive, the balance of power throughout the universe could be altered forever. Aliens, robots, and spaceships all rolled up into one hilarious, page-turning story. Get your copy of Hometown Space Pirate to start the adventure.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Aliens, Audiobook, Amazon, Unfinished, Space

246 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2022

About the author

Hold onto your warp drives and wizard hats. Chuck Harrelson and Kerrie Flanagan are C.G. Harris, the award-winning coauthor team responsible for some of the most thrilling escapades in the multiverse.


Together they take readers on a devilishly daring dive into the hellish underworld of The Judas Files, a pulse-pounding young adult rebellion against alien overlords in The Rax, a high-stakes teen tech conspiracy in Cyber Conspiracies, and a space pirate adventure packed with cosmic swashbuckling in The Viraquin Voyage.
​

The Nine, the first book in The Judas Files series, won the Indie Author Project regional book award for adult fiction for Colorado and was a finalist in the Book Blogger Novel of the Year (2021).

Reviews

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Are aliens real? It’s something I’ve pondered almost my entire life.”

“Ben Roberts hears voices…alien voices.”

And thus begin the adventures and misadventures of a nurse cum writer. A fun romp around Earth’s space and beyond. A nondescript young man, who gets embroiled in life changing events that he’d never would have dreamed of, nor I! I just never knew where I would wind up when I started the journey into the Hometown Space Pirate. It was a delicious surprise! Alien robot AI villains, a beautiful ancient alien, cute creatures, a rankarous ship with a mind of her own, holding dark secrets, and Ben the human. There are some unique and original characters and some intense scenes scattered in as well. And tons of humour!
Oh my gosh! I had so much fun reading this premise! It has been a long time I hadn’t read something so entertaining, funny, sweet and terrifying at the same time! It's good to laugh in these crazy times, and C.G. Harris gave me plenty of moments to laugh aloud; Even when situations were dire, I’d first Oh my! and put my hands on my head but the next comment from Ben or Buttercup would crack me, and I just couldn’t help the laughter from bubbling over.

“Tell your story, but realize people are happier to live in self-absorbed ignorance.”
Little did Ben realise where his appearance on television and ridiculed in front of millions of spectators would lead him to.
From the beginning till the end, the storyline kept moving at such a fast pace, with so many events taking place I was breathless all the time, be it because of tragic moments or funny situations, thrilling and action filled with never a dull moment.
The dialogue was easy to follow and witty. It turned out Ben was smarter than I thought, quick thinking and fast to react in finding solutions to defeat the horrendous and cruel villains.
“Robot or not, anything that could feel the sting of humiliation was subject to the laws of petty retribution.”
C.G. Harris has artfully interwoven a serious SciFi plot with threads of light hearted and fun dialogue, thought provoking and emotional, exciting and intriguing..a colourful tapestry.

I’m very much looking forward to reading book-2! October 2022 seems so long a wait..I highly recommend this new SciFi fun series by C.G. Harris.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and my review is entirely voluntary.

[Z.S. Diamanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old fashioned fun

Hometown Space Pirate doesn't take things too seriously and gives readers a humorous misadventure with an unlikely crew. If you're looking for a light and fun sci-fi adventure, this should be right up your alley.

[Arturo Sierra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cliche ridden and lacking in actual space piracy.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10

[Kait🌻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT A FUN ADVENTURE!

I give props to Ben, because in the beginning, if I were in his position, Id have peed my pants 3 times over. Things popped off so quickly after the interview & the people that made a mockery out of him. LITTLE DO EARTHS PEOPLE KNOW. The banter Ben & Buttercup have is pure comedy. Literally married couples banter. And as much as Buttercup hated when Ben called her that, the name grew on her. When Lois got brought into the mix indefinitely, I was almost sad because I really liked her character & didnt want anything to happen to her, but Ben, Buttercup & Twitch wouldnt let that happen, even though Twitch wouldnt let Lois touch him at all. During this story, there are many moral concepts that are subtly brought to light, made the whole journey that much more captivating. Such a wonderful read & I cant wait to hop into the second book!

[Stormy McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read sci-fi stories, but I picked up this one on a whim during a giveaway a while back, and I'm glad I did. This was a fun, quirky story that had strong "Flight of the Navigator" and "Hitchhiker's Guide" vibes for me. The main character, Ben, is in WAY over his head in just about every encounter, but his determination to help those in need drives him to push onward.

Overall, I recommend this story, and look forward to reading more of the series. (This book was stand-alone, no cliffhanger!) The author did a great job with descriptions, characterization, plot, etc. My only complaint is that there were many places where sentences needed internal punctuation but had none. My internal editor was working overtime.

[CKreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, fast paced listen. I picked up this audiobook as a free borrow on Hoopla and I’m glad I did. I’ll be seeking out the rest of the series as soon as I can.

**came back and increased to 4🌟I’ve been thinking about this book for a few hours after reading!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have been such a fun read for me at age 10. Me at age 38 sees all the cliches of this story. It so wants to be an 80s type movie of normal guy becomes space hero. Quick harmless read but nothing really unique.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hoped for a fun, quick read based on reviews.
Nope.
Lame.

[Tedi Tatro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun! Will certainly be continuing the series.

[Patricia Lambert- Sentell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid sci-fi story.

[Anne Krucinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hated how it ended. It was as jarring as a record scratch. But overall the book is really fun.

[Kodachi57 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable. Likable main character.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun! Got the audiobook as a library bonus borrow. So glad I did.

[Jazzerjay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could be my new favorite series!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I listened to the audiobook, which was excellent. The audiobook edition doesn't exist in Goodreads yet. I only gave this a 4 because I think there's a bit lacking in the "SciFi" area, but it gets a 4 because it is quite enjoyable as a humorous story. I also like the fact that the main characters are driven by strong morals, even at the risk of their own lives. I've already finished the second book, and will be listening to the remaining 2 soon.

[Glenn Younger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun space opera

If you’re looking for a fun space opera, you’ll enjoy this one. UFO-Alien Author Benjamin Roberts knows ET’s exist because he has the unexplained ability to connect with them. After his book is published, he expects ridicule from ‘regular folk’. He does not, however, expect to ever actually meet an ET face to face.

But one fateful day, he not only encounters one deadly group of Scavids who are intent on assimilating with him, he also meets another type of ET who inhabits the body of a space ship in bad need of a captain since she lost hers in a past battle against the Scavids.

They both want Ben.

Need Ben.

Both have the same purpose: Get a hold of the legendary Viraquin that is now in the hands of human scientists doing all sorts of heinous experiments in their effort to understand it. The scientists have no idea of its power.

The ET’s know too well.

Ben is a little hapless, but manages to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat when it comes to the clinch. The ship has a decided personality that is at times caustic and other times tender. The Scavid ET’s, robotic in nature, create their own sets of techno challenges. In the midst of it all is the captured Viraquin, who isn’t without its own motivations and powers. Add in Biologist Lois who’s willing to go to great lengths to save the Viraquin from any and all harm including not only her fellow scientists, but also the imminent military commandeering that’ll lead to who-knows-what-but-it’ll-probably-be-worse, all the way to Ben’s own bumbling.

Together, you have a fun space opera that never gets so dark, you wish the author would turn the light back on.

[Mayhem-RW · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are all unique in this world, or so we say, to make ourselves feel better, but Ben Roberts is also very unique in the galaxy. You see, he has the ability to hear alien broadcasts. It’s not like someone is talking to you, but in his head, he can hear them. He has been able to hear them for all his life, but without the means to reply, he could only listen. That is until he wrote a book about it and then went to promote it on television on a late-night talk show. Well, that went over like a loud fart in a full and quiet church, but it also notified those aliens of his ability. One such alien race, which was actually a collective of robots running around with artificial intelligence inside each of their bodies, wanted to borrow or assimilate his body to rescue another alien from a secure human facility. They offered in exchange knowledge to every question he had. This other voice in his head warned him of the robots and offered him other things he dreamed of.

It’s pretty much a conspiracy theorist’s views put down on paper. The physical world-building is enough to let you know where the characters are, but like a dream, the edges are fuzzy. The ethereal world-building is mostly personal. The character’s interaction is believable. The character’s history is filled in as part of the story.

This humorous chronicle fits nicely into the science fiction genre, along with action and adventure, alien contact, and space exploration. I give this accounting five stars out of five stars.

[Sandy K · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I give this book 4-1/2 stars, not 4. I don’t usually do book reviews. So, please bear with me. At the beginning of the book, we learn the main character (Ben) hears aliens. That alone had me hooked. You can do a lot with that fact. Ben wasn’t shy with this ability. In fact, he wrote a book about it and went on a talk show regarding it, which didn’t go over as he had hoped. I found myself empathizing with him and couldn’t wait for him to be justified. After the talk show, his life was never the same. Later, he got to meet aliens, in the plural, and had to figure out which course to take in order to survive. There were spaceships, too. One spaceship becomes a secondary character, which soon became a favorite to me. The dialogue between Ben & this spaceship was perfect, which had me really laughing at them. I enjoyed the pace of the story, as well. When I had gotten a little past the halfway point, I found myself reading beyond my bedtime & had to force myself to stop. I wanted—-no—- I needed to find out what was going to happen to all of the characters. Quite intriguing! Then, at the very end, I wanted to shout, “WHEN IS THE SECOND BOOK COMING OUT?!!!” I will definitely buy it & look forward to seeing what happens.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

And thus begin the adventures and misadventures of a nurse cum writer. A fun romp around Earth’s space and beyond. A nondescript young man, who gets embroiled in life changing events that he’d never would have dreamed of, nor I! I just never knew where I would wind up when I started the journey into the Hometown Space Pirate. It was a delicious surprise! Alien robot AI villains, a beautiful ancient alien, cute creatures, a rankarous ship with a mind of her own, holding dark secrets, and Ben the human. There are some unique and original characters and some intense scenes scattered in as well. And tons of humour!
Oh my gosh! I had so much fun reading this premise! It has been a long time I hadn’t read something so entertaining, funny, sweet and terrifying at the same time! It's good to laugh in these crazy times, and C.G. Harris gave me plenty of moments to laugh aloud; Even when situations were dire, I’d first Oh my! and put my hands on my head but the next comment from Ben or Buttercup would crack me, and I just couldn’t help the laughter from bubbling over.
This book is just so good and a must read get it while it is at a hot price.

[Carolyn Bragg · Rating 1 out of 5]

[Did not finish.] By the time I reached chapter 16, I'd had more than enough of the main character. He presented himself as an optimistic, peace-loving adult; telling people that he communicated with aliens who would only value us for our creativity and uniqueness. What a scam! As soon as his resolve was tested, he was a whiny, reactionary, thoughtless, selfish, child who had very few redeeming qualities (aside from not wanting people dead). And he was determined to remain an idiot.

With every additional chapter I disliked him more. For him to become a heroic figure, he would require a complete personality transplant and a televised fiery death to save a large number of humans at the last moment. And only that would induce me to read one more chapter.

I wanted to like the pirate ship, but couldn't. There was a creepy janitor in the hospital; ewww! And other characters that were, I'm sure, destined to be no more than 2-dimensional place holders meant to make this guy seem sympathetic. His entire focus was on himself. A real charmer.

1 of 5 Stars And regret I had to round up to one. (15 chapters and not much had happened, but we saw inside his head.)

[Elle S · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick book/audiobook, but it still felt like a chore to get through. Some of the concepts were very creative, but a lot of this just felt like knock off Guardians of the Galaxy and like the characters were trying too hard to be witty and nonchalant about dramatic, world ending turns of events.

I loved the audiobook narrator's voice for the Scavid, which is honestly what kept me going the most. The last fifth just felt like queuing up to sell you the next book. The printed book itself had typos and overall felt unfinished.

[Patricia Stoltey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hometown Space Pirate is a fun read with a cast of conflicted characters, including an alien ship with a contrary personality and the ability to think and make decisions. Scary, right? Especially when the bad aliens show up in an effort to make off with a mysterious (and huge) sea creature. The story is not just for space fans, although the science is way beyond me. The human characters are often confounded by events, as I would be, but they're brave enough to go along for the ride.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusually Bizarre

The worldview developed in this book is decidedly strange. There are elements of science and mysticism and the paranormal, all jumbled together and not always well defined. There is an odd appeal to the narrative, even the parts which seem a bit like a rough draft. Some of the story threads resolve at book’s end, and several remain open to encourage readers moving into the next installment.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

[29 November 2025]
This was a fun and somewhat different space opera. Ordinary guy is convinced there are aliens among us because he can "hear" them, but no one will believe him. Even when the aliens show up and try to kidnap him. Fortunately he is rescued by a different alien ship and the apparent sentient ship computer. But all is not as it seems.

It's a fun romp. Fast paced. Not particularly realistic, but not a total idiocy either.

[Laura Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick read. Did the whole book on 2 to 3 sittings. Funny dialogue. Great characters. Kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a great start to a series. Book wraps up neatly, but I can't wait to start the next adventure with this crew. The fate of Earth may be at stake, but who says you can't enjoy the rescue?

[Flugschütz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Good story. Likable characters. Some things happened that the reader was supposed to just accept — such as people being unalived, out in the open, and nobody seems to notice… for days. Overall though, I enjoyed the story and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story, It kind of reminded me of startrek IV, what with the extinct whales, but it also has similarities to enemy mine, in that the Drac was by itself, and the human was trying to protect it.
I liked the book, and if possible, I'll certainly read more in this series.

[Cookewitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun!! Like a grown up Flight of the Navigator mixed with a touch of Project Hail Mary. I really enjoyed it and it has some great humour 🤓

Will definitely be getting the next in the series 🤖

📖🛸📖