Hard Luck Hank: Dumber Than Dead

By: Steven Campbell

Narrated by: Liam Owen

Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's Summary

Hank is getting married! 

The space station Belvaille has become home to a species of actors. The newest edition to the Post Colmarian Confederation are the Damakan race. As a species they are capable of “broadcast empathy”. Their acting skills are so powerful they are able to make people believe their portrayals are literally happening - even over remote transmission.

Belvaille, with its access to powerful radio telescopes, becomes an entertainment powerhouse, cranking out Damakan dramas and tragedies across the empire. As the city modifies is resources to accommodate the new cash cow, Hank is hired to protect important actors by the city’s premier talent agent: his butler Cliston. But the good times don’t last as Damakans start getting murdered and whole productions are sabotaged and even outright attacked.

The navy threatens to get involved as their favorite tele programs are interrupted and Garm, the Adjunct Over-watch of the city, enlists Hank to find the source of the violence and put an end to it. Hank fears his own betrothed is in danger as the city gets dragged into a gang war of which no one knows the cause.

©2018 Steven Campbell (P)2019 Steven Campbell

As Good As The First

A long time ago, Audible incessantly recommend Hard Luck Hank to me and I ignored it. In my view, it was just another low brow sci-fi/fantasy book about a cliché "hard to kill" hero. One day, however, I was out of books to read, had an abundance of credits, and a lot of time to fill driving. When I purchased the first book, I soon discovered exactly how ignorant and incorrect I was. Needless to say, several books later the author has not lost his voice and the characters continue to be as interesting, diverse, and vibrant as ever. The world is novel and well constructed, the stories are crazy and often hilarious, and Hank is always himself. He never disappoints. The series has strong noir/mystery overtones that fit surprisingly well in the sci-fi/fantasy world the author has built. Everything is always fresh and interesting, even in the most recent entry, which is surprising. Most series get sort of dull and watered down by this point, but not Hank. While the universe evolves and changes around him, Hank always stays his usual self as if he is some sort of a cosmically singular counterweight to the chaos that is existence. Bless Hank and bless Steve Campbell for creating him. Truly a treat.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

More Hank!

Longer book than usual, enjoyed every extra minute. Can’t imagine ever getting sick of this series. New Hank book is always a treat.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Mutant Charlie Brown delivers again.

These books always run from side splitting laughter to flabbergasted frustration (at the same time whe. these idiots try a heist) and I wouldn't have it any other way.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Hilarious!

If you enjoy this series, then you'll enjoy this just as much.

Between the writing and the voice acting, I found I was laughing out loud more than I have in awhile. It may be because it's been awhile since I listened to a Hard Luck Hank book, but I found this one to be the funniest.

The story was on par with the other Hard Luck Hank books. The strengths lie in the characters and their interactions. As well as the voice acting. Liam Owen kills it again. I got lost with the various characters and almost forgot this was done by a single VA.

Overall I would recommend this book to those who enjoy the series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Another Winner

I’m not sure why, but Hank’s escapades continue to amuse and pique my curiosity regarding what living on an isolated space station could possibly expose him to. And this is one of the better stories. “Fat Mutant Hank” is oddly one of the most emotionally deep characters in literature, and his reactions to his world and interactions with his entourage make me smile (and occasionally laugh) while demonstrating just how human he actually is.
And Liam Owen’s voice characterizations continue to be amazing.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

An edgier Hank

Stephen Campbell continues to develop his skills as an author. In a much longer than usual narrative, the story has many of the series favorite characters adding their 2 cents (minus Cliston's 15%) or 3 brains to the chaotic life of Hank. Still heavy laden with comedy, there are more than a few insults hurled that seem a bit rougher than usual, like dental surgery with a brick and novacaine instead of proper instruments and novacaine. After a few hours of listening I made a surprising connection between what I was hearing and what is going on in the real world around us today. Weaving several plotlines together smoothly does take skill and Stephen has done it well. I eagerly wait for his next book/series and his unique storytelling style.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Another crazy mess for Hank

Overall the story was fun and kept me interested the whole time. The issue was with the quality of the audio. I can’t remember if all the books are this way but the narrator would routinely say “he said “ or “I said” etc. as if it were a question or an amazing discovery. There also was plenty of background noise, papers rustling and even a cell phone going off. It’s too bad because it distracted me quite often and made the book a lot less enjoyable.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

More more!!

Hilarious, funny, I love these books! Great narrative, excellent books. Buy the series!
Suck face!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

One more step down

Not unlike Hank himself, the series keeps getting dumber with each new book released. This one felt so long, so unbelievable long, I found myself skipping more and more of the story.

love me some hard luck hank!

I love this series. I wish one of the networks would pick it up for an animated series. It doesn't matter which book you start with, they're all good.