Space Team

By: Barry J. Hutchison

Narrated by: Phil Thron

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

A hilarious, fast-paced space adventure from the author the Independent calls "the new Terry Pratchett".

Cal Carver is having a bad day. Imprisoned and forced to share a cell with a cannibalistic serial killer, Cal thinks things can't possibly get any worse.

He is wrong.

It's not until two-thirds of the human race is wiped out and Cal is abducted by aliens that his day really starts to go downhill.

Whisked across the galaxy, Cal is thrown into a team of some of the sector's most notorious villains and scumbags. Their mission should be simple enough, but as one screw-up leads to another, they find themselves in a frantic battle to save an entire alien civilization - and its god - from total annihilation.

©2016 Barry Hutchison (P)2016 Barry Hutchison

Fonkin’ Terrific

A fantastically hilarious, silly, and irreverent read... Quick moving story that will have you laughing on practically every page... I was slightly dubious, but got over that in about a second after I started reading this delightful story... Think Hitchhiker's meets Guardians of the Galaxy and you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect... If you're looking for something serious, deeply moving, or thought provoking then move along, nothing to see here;). If you want some solid entertainment that amuses while telling an engaging yarn then grab this one fast... You'll thank me... Great characters and great narration only elevates... Some awesome shizz, and is going to be a fantastic space series;)

The most solid new work I've heard in ages

A team effort by newer author and narrator alike, Space Team is a light hearted, well paced romp. While many readers will recognize elements familiar to sci-fi here, most are offered up with a literary wink of mutual recognition one would expect from a seasoned pro.

Thron's performance is perfectly paced, well voiced, and pleasantly reminds one of James Marsters or Bronson Pinchot in terms of talent and enthusiasm.

highly recommended.

good escape

This was a fun, enjoyable book. It made me smile and it made me happy to listen to it. The narrator did an excellent job of portraying the characters. Sometimes a book is just a book and we enjoy it despite knowing that it doesn't aspire to win "novel of the year." It's nice to listen to something lighthearted in a time when the world seems particularly mean and crazy.

Awful. Couldn't finish.

Fiction, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy are my favorite genres. That said i couldn't force myself to finish this book. I've never seen such an annoying main character. Picture the sleaziest whiniest cowardly used car salesman, you know the type even a pacifist would punch in the face, and write in some hidden redeeming qualities because well, he's the main character. That's who you get to follow. The only reason i got to about halfway was because i thought the story would get interesting, and it's got potential, but I couldn't take anymore of the MC. I really don't get the good reviews.

Wheeeee!

Any additional comments?

This is just one of those stupid forgettable but fun books.

Basically, you know Guardians of the Galaxy? You know just those bits that are funny? Yep, that is this book pretty much. Does it make a compelling novel? Nah. But does it make me smile? Yeah.

That's this book, a smile. There are other comedic space science fiction books, they are probably better too, but this one? This one was short and funny and I will continue the series.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes Hard Luck Hank, Guardians of the Galaxy, Willful Child, or any other light hearted scifi.

Narration 5 stars, story only 2 stars

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I want to be clear, this is not a very good story. It's very slow to develop and very light on actual plot. Keeping those things in mind, Phil Thron's narration is highly entertaining and is the reason I have listened all the way through. I would listen to more books he has narrated without hesitation, whereas I might give a pass to another Barry Hutchison. Call it a 3.5 star rating.

Eh

Not bad and better than I could do but the plot was predictable , the characters 2 dimensional and the phrasing was that of a child. If this is a young adult book then it’s on me for having the wrong expectation but I didn’t see that anywhere

Best part was the ending, as in finally over.

Very difficult to finish. Waited for the humor that didn't exist. Shallow characters with stupid interactions.

Laugh out loud fun!

Fun story that had me laughing out loud throughout. The story is about a disfunctional team on an assignment to save the galaxy from war. You get to follow the team through a series of misadventures as they learn to trust each other and solve the mystery of who the villains actually are.

great fun

a great fun listen. the voices and characters a fantastic. I hooe to see some more space team adventures

Fun times in space

This was a very entertaining listen. The story was a lot of fun. I found myself laughing out loud many times, which is never a good thing when you're traveling on a busy train.

Funking good read

Well written & read, I would say closer to the style of Douglas Adams than Mr Pratchett. A good story with some goods laughs (some out loud chuckles). I for one will be reading more in the series.

Update. September 2020
The whole series is ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, do yourselves a favour and read/listen to them all.

it is a bit lightweight but fun.

Guardians of the galaxy lite. If the other books come as a group offer I would buy them, but not as 8 individual purchases. entertaining enough but a touch simplistic and not a patch on the "will save the galaxy" series.

Best Sci fi story I've heard in ages!

Very well written and narrated - consistent and simply a joy. A bit like guardians of the galaxy but in my view this is better.

brilliant

thoroughly enjoyed this book. we bought it because we had an 8 hour drive. so pleased we did! brilliantly narrated. we have bought book 2 for the return journey.

A decent lark but never really gripping.

The story is short and fairly basic. The twists are what you expect and none of the characters are really outstanding. I'd say it's a distinctly above average book.

The thing is it never feels like you're sucked in to the story, it's more like a tv show you have on in the background. You vaguely care what happens but not really. None of the characters are that compelling. The story doesn't grip you.

It's quite fun overall but a strong meh for me.

(P.S. The silences at the end of chapters are super long. Just roll with it.)

Children’s Book

I tried to get through this - I really tried. But this isn’t an adult book. It’s meant for pre-teens. It’s level is akin to that of Matilda by Roald Dahl. Albeit Matilda is a much much better book. The main character is somewhat pathetic and doesn’t miss an opportunity to put his foot into an obvious joke. If you’re between 12 & 16 yrs old. You’ll probably love this book.

Fun in a way, but definitely not Pratchett

I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy the book, it is extremely well read and the dialogue between the characters is pretty funny.

However, the story is shallow and to compare it to Pratchett is close to false advertising. It lacks both the nuance and intelligent, but subtle commentary on humanity. The only similarity is the fantastical nature of the world, story and characters.

I would probably have listened to the entire series, but using Terry Pratchett as a comparison has just shown me how much is lacking, which is rather sad really.

narrator ruins it(for me anyway)

What did you like most about Space Team?

Excellent character development by the author, it's Red-Dwarf meets Suicide Squad.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I found the voice very difficult to follow; I'm used to Brian Blessed and Stephen Fry so maybe I should be more forgiving.

Any additional comments?

I will be reading paper copies in future.

A fun romp through the galaxy...space romp!

A good humoured romp (make that “space romp”) if you’re after some light entertainment...and narrated brilliantly in this audible version!

Think Guardians of the Galaxy meets Galaxy Quest with a dash of Suicide Squad thrown in for good measure.

If you’re a fan of other series like The Bobiverse, Magic 2.0, and Monster Hunter International you’ll enjoy this!

Next on my listening list? The rest of the series!