The Sheriff of Yrnameer

A Novel

By: Michael Rubens

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Cole: hapless space rogue, part-time smuggler, on a path to being full-time dead. His sidekick just stole his girlfriend. The galaxy's most hideous and feared bounty hunter wants to lay eggs in his brain. And the luxury space yacht Cole just hijacked turns out of be filled with interstellar do-gooders, one especially loathsome stowaway, and a cargo of freeze-dried orphans.

Reluctantly compelled to deliver these defenseless, fluidless children to safety, Cole gathers a misfit crew for a desperate journey to the far reaches of the galaxy. Their destination: the mysterious world of Yrnameer, the very last of the your-name-heres---planets without corporate sponsors. But little does Cole know that this legendary utopia is home to a murderous band of outlaws bent on destroying the planet's tiny, peaceful community.

Follow Cole's adventures through a delightfully absurd science-fiction universe, where the artificial intelligence is stupid, dust motes carry branding messages, and middle-management zombies have overrun a corporate training satellite.

In the spirit of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, The Sheriff of Yrnameer is sci-fi comedy at its best---mordant, raucously funny, and a thrilling must-listen.

©2009 Michael Rubens (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A science fiction book your grandmother will love - if she's a lustful, violent lady." (Stephen Colbert)

William Dufris is awesome

I have no idea who this voice actor is, but I'm going to listen to any book he narrates. The writing is very sharp, and the story is a ton of fun (think Blazing Saddles meets Discworld), but the voice actor threw a lot of energy into his performance and made it a joy to listen to. I hope Rubens has written some more novels set in this universe, it is a blast.

Good book and entertaining performance

Fun book brought to life in the reading. Laugh out loud moments were awkward when I was in public...lol.

Space Comedy

Funny book. Very similar to Douglas Admas Hitchhiker series.

great story and affects

They really went over and above with the voice acting and sound affects to bring this story to life.
It's really quite good and very funny!

I wish I could give 10 stars

What did you love best about The Sheriff of Yrnameer?

This is difficult to answer. The narrator was beyond perfect. The writing was such fun...I guess the whole darned thing is what I love best about it.

What did you like best about this story?

The main character was far from perfect, yet he was still a hero. He grows as a person, and remains true to himself. It was very satisfying. There were quite a few scenes that were tense and funny- quite an achievement.

Which character – as performed by William Dufris – was your favorite?

Kenneth is hands-down the best character Mr. Dufris voiced. And he did such a great job with all the characters. There was never a moment when I was not absolutely positive which person was speaking. Bravo, William!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was delighted with this book. I read the synopsis, listened to the snippet and knew that if it lived up to my expectations it was going to become a favorite. It surpassed my expectations and is most definitely a favorite I will listen to repeatedly.

Any additional comments?

It's hard not to draw a comparison with Douglas Adams. Perhaps because it has quirky humor, space ships, great dialogue and unforgettable characters.

One of the greatest audiobooks ever produced

I have owned and listened to Michael Rubens’ “The Sheriff of Yrnameer” many, many times with equal delight for years. It is one of the first I purchased with Audible, on a whim. I love this book. It is in my top three out of the more than 700 audiobooks in my library. William Dufris’ reading is inspired, clear and very funny. You can’t go wrong with this. Just get it and enjoy!

(Secret tip: All of Michael Rubens books are very good.)

Hopefull

I am hopefull for this writer!
But this comes across at times as a parody of Han Solo meets fan fiction Hitchhikers Guide.

Fun, Light-hearted SF

This is a fun, well-read book that is refreshing for its silly yet endearing tone. The style of writing is reminiscent of early Douglas Adams books, but it doesn't wind up feeling derivative. The story moves at a good pace, the characters are goofy but lovable, and while this probably won't take home a pulitzer, I would highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a reprieve from the grim, gritty SF that seems to dominate these days.

lots of fun

What did you love best about The Sheriff of Yrnameer?

The story was great, great characters and a great twist at the end.

What other book might you compare The Sheriff of Yrnameer to and why?

The Road to Mars, which I don't think is in Audiobook at this point. Also Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy to some lesser extent.

What does William Dufris bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

a lot of emotion and sarcasm, his voices are great, however, after listening to his narration in the Old Man's War series, he seemed a little out of place.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

ridiculous fun.

fun

formulaic, but fun. Great performance by William Dufris. Some of the sound effects were annoying. But, I did enjoy it.