Doctor Refurb

By: Marty Essen

Narrated by: Theodore Rose

Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

An unconventional, satirical, controversial, time travel comedy!

What if you could reach back in time to deport the world’s worst environmental villains to a depository planet before their greed condemns Earth to an ecological apocalypse? What if each time you did so, an alien instantly extracted a body part and replaced it with a refurbished one? Would you still do it?

With little choice but to cooperate, Dr. Stefan Westin (aka Doctor Refurb) and vet tech Tara Kramer endure multiple body part extractions for the sake of Earth. Then, with the help of Rodney, a full-time planetary consultant from another galaxy, they must finish the job by traveling back in time to capture Ralph, a rebellious alien who has been jumping from person to person doing evil in the name of Christianity since biblical times. But Ralph could be anywhere—from leading the Spanish Inquisition, to instigating the Salem witch hangings, to abusing indigenous children at residential schools in Canada, to occupying an abusive missionary in Brazil. Only by capturing Ralph can Stefan and Tara annul the unholy marriage between conservative Christianity and the worst environmental villains. Adding to the difficulty of their task is that they must succeed before expending their time travel budget. Should they fail, Rodney’s supervisor won’t wait for the ecological apocalypse to happen—she’ll order Earth recycled immediately!

Heartrending yet hilarious, Doctor Refurb is influenced by actual historical events and confronts the serious subjects of climate change, far-right politics, and child abuse committed by Christian authorities.

Doctor Refurb is intended for open-minded readers and was published to coincide with Banned Books Week 2022. Read it before it becomes the most frequently banned book of 2033! (We’re time travelers; we checked.)

Top-5 Finalist: Shelf Unbound 2022 Best Indie Book Competition

©2022 Marty Essen (P)2022 Marty Essen

Critic reviews

“This hilarious SF novel pits a doctor and a time-traveling alien against eco catastrophe.” (BookLife by Publisher’s Weekly, editor’s pick)

“Doctor Refurb is a fun and thought-provoking read from first page to last. Unique, creative, iconoclastic, Doctor Refurb is one of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf.” (Midwest Book Review)

“Humor abounds, both obvious and subtle, resulting in a finely tuned fusion of political satire and science fiction that is sure to elicit intelligent, if not hysterical, conversation. A rousing platform to stimulate change, Doctor Refurb is an assertive novel that treads equally in fact, fiction and compulsive entertainment.” (Indies Today, five stars)

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!!

Hard time with the narrator

The story itself is supposed to be a satire and poking fun at modern problems. The narrator was hard to listen to in places though. Okay for something light.

Suspense, Fun, and More!

Dr. Stefan Westin was doing well until he heard a voice. Then everything went from normal to bizarre in the blink of an eye. Approached by an alien with an offer he couldn’t refuse, Westin sets about saving Earth. How? Easy, he has the option of changing the existence or even deleting any environmental villain he thinks will help add years of life to Earth. The catch? Nothing major, just a body part – a limb, organ, skin, and lots of pain. The good news is the missing part is then refurbished with a “spare” part from … well, it’s best that we don’t know that answer! Oh, and by the way, there is an ulterior motive for the alien race to do this!

The author, Marty Essen takes the age-old question “Who would you time travel to get rid of” in a unique and colorful manner. The character development is solid and like Stefan, you cringe as you begin to wait for the body part to “disappear.” I thought the plot twist of what the aliens do with the body parts was intriguing. The choices that were better than others are a reflection of some current-day issues and concerns.

The narrator, Theodore Rose did a good job. His cadence was steady, and he spoke clearly. I enjoyed hearing his performance. I feel he moved the story forward, projected the essence of each character well, and projected the appropriate amount of energy.

If you enjoy suspense and aliens with some humor, this is the book for you!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.