Sunnyside

A Novel

De: Rob Dircks

Narrado por: Rob Dircks

“GET OFF MY LAWN.”

They just stood there. In the dark. On his grass. Three punks. They were always there, roaming the streets, kicking over trash cans, spray painting the train underpass, throwing eggs on Halloween, a stain on his otherwise bucolic Ridgewood, New Jersey neighborhood. Once they left a bag of dog crap on his front porch and set it on fire. He almost stepped in it. But for some reason this new thing, the just standing there, pissed him off even more. Like they owned his lawn. Pot-smoking punks.

So begins the journey of Theo Hoover, disgruntled history repairman, who accidentally becomes Grand Oversee -- humanity's supreme leader -- managing the terraforming of Sunnyside, mankind's potential new home planet. But people are dying. And aliens are coming. And his brother is missing. And Kate Kingston of all people has been assigned his Chief of Staff. Oh, and that chaos is only the beginning, as the fate of Sunnyside – and humanity – comes to rest in Theo's shaky hands.

With Sunnyside, Rob Dircks (#1 Audible Bestselling author of You're Going to Mars! and Where the Hell is Tesla?) has crafted a science fiction story with a dry, constant thread of humor -- but also a brotherhood story, a friendship story, a love story, a story about loss and letting go, and a story about our absurdities and whether we can overcome them -- or if we even should. The Black List describes it as "a distant future filled with irony, madcap characters, spaceships, a few bureaucratic conspiracies and an utterly unique voice with a pace and energy that moves at warp-speed.”

And the story is timely: it explores a world where bureaucracy is so tangled it gives rats' nests a bad name, and corruption is rampant. BUT… it offers much needed hope (and a well-deserved escape) in our “interesting” times. Enjoy the book!

©2025 Rob Dircks (P)2025 Rob Dircks

Really good book Rob Dircks

Rob Dircks you are by far my favorite author and narrator. Your books are consistently funny and heartwarming with the best characters. I’m always looking forward to your next release.

Rob Dircks does it again - loved it

If you're read Rob Dircks before, prepare for another installment of hilarious belly laughs mixed with heartstring-tugging moments, with real characters that you love navigating a crazy set of circumstances. Bravo, Rob.

If you haven't read Rob Dircks before, you're in for a treat. You love sci-fi, right? But most sci-fi leaves you feeling neutral, perhaps mildly fascinated. Dircks is not satisfied with that - you will laugh out loud, I guarantee. And then you will literally tear up, i swear! Dircks' ability to pull you into the middle of his thoughtful-but-madcap adventures is magic. Rare.

Entertaining and delightfully absurd

I have been a fan of Rob Dircks’s work since I met a wayward android, Heyoo, in his 2016 novel, The Wrong Unit. I’ve found that Dircks offers a generous helping of all the things I look for in the books I choose: humor, heart, aliens (or characters who act very alien), a bit of political snark regarding current events casually thrown in, and, when possible, cats.

In Sunnyside, we meet Theo Hoover, a guy 800-ish years in Earth’s future who wanted fix things in history (his fulltime job) and for someone to fix things in their government, where their colonizing and terraforming efforts are not exactly going well. But Theo never wanted the spotlight on himself. I think you can see where this is going…

There’s been a tragedy among those in the ‘ivory tower’, the decimating kind they showed on Designated Survivor (excellent show, btw). With no one to keep everything together, somehow Theo is hoodwinked into becoming the person responsible for the government, and all that’s wrong with it. Our reluctant new Supreme Leader even has some weird aliens – first contact, mind you – to deal with.

His predicament is made even more absurd by the names accidentally given to places and things in the colonies, as there was a historical database screwup and choices were unwittingly plucked from a truly tragic list. 800 years in the future people might not know or care what happened back at Earth’s Chernobyl, but hey, let’s vacation there this summer. Maybe we can pop by Krakatoa on the way, or go boating in Lusitania. I hear Pompeii is a gas. The casual references made me giggle every time.

I laughed through the whole debacle, and am so glad that once again, Dircks narrated the audiobook. I can’t imagine another narrator voicing the misfits bumbling through these predicaments any better.

Worth the wait!

I’ve been waiting for a new Rob Dircks book for way too long… but this story was totally worth the wait. It has everything I've come to expect from a dircks story - humor (wry, subtle, over the top, even slapstick), and lots of heart, and a great main character in Theo. He’s the classic zero to hero, taking on the challenge of leading humanity with the stumbling earnestness i have come to expect from the author. And the side characters - especially Shaggy - are priceless. The narration of them all was spot on too, and the combination of everything, story, heart, narration was extremely satisfying. Five stars all the way!

Hilarious and Totally Original

This book was so much fun. Aliens, terraforming, and a regular dude who somehow ends up in charge of everything at the worst possible time. It's weird and wacky and just a great ride all the way through. The writing is sharp, the world is nuts, and I laughed more then I expected. Definitely unlike anything I've read in a while.

Humor, Action, Irony - Has it all!

Theo Hoover never wanted power—he was perfectly content just fixing history. But when fate (and a bureaucratic mishap) names him Supreme Leader, he’s suddenly responsible for everything: the crumbling colony on Sunnyside, establishing a new home planet for humanity, a failing government, the looming arrival of aliens, deadly conspiracies, and a missing brother. As the absurdity spirals out of control, Hoover must survive a universe where nothing makes sense—and he’s the one expected to fix it.

The author, Rob Dircks has a knack for uncovering humor, irony, love, loss, and connection in even the most unexpected situations, making his stories both entertaining and a true escape from reality. His character and world-building are thoughtful, well-paced, and refreshingly original. The opening character—an old man facing off against destructive Halloween punks—is instantly vivid, relatable, and laugh-out-loud funny. Dircks’ dialogue doesn’t just move the plot forward; it deepens the story and brings his characters to life with charm and nuance.

The narrator brings this entertaining story to life, enhancing each character, scene, and twist as it unfolds. His voice adds clarity, depth, and a strong sense of connection to both the characters and the storyline. It's a well-delivered performance that elevates the storytelling throughout.

This story is a delightful escape—like a breath of fresh air wrapped in laughter—giving listeners a much-needed break to relax, recharge, and just enjoy the ride!

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

The best book about Photosynthetic Cats, EVER!!

Rob Dircks is back! There are many LOL moments in this zany space adventure. Great characters and fast moving story make this a great listen. If you've read or listened his other works, you know the drill. Buckle up for a fun and funky ride!!

Another fun romp from Rob Dircks!

4.5 stars rounded up!

Eight hundred years in the future, what's left of humanity is stranded on star orbiters waiting for the planet "Sunnyside" to be terraformed. Theo is a grouchy History Repair Technician who's pretty sure he knows all the answers to everything that's wrong with life on the star orbiters, and he has no qualms writing endless proposals (aka complaint letters) to the Star Orbiter Council.

When things go shockingly wrong at a special council meeting, Theo suddenly finds himself in the hot seat and has the chance to see if his proposals could actually work. As expected in a story from Dircks, hijinks ensue, and Theo goes from trying to fix minor irritations to trying to save all of humanity.

What I love most about Dircks's stories is that beyond the silly is always some real emotion there, without ever being too sappy. I really enjoyed listening to Sunnyside; it had the right balance of silly and heart. Dircks is also an amazing narrator! I always find it easy to tell characters apart and none of them ever sound ridiculous or annoying. He's got a very soothing voice, so even the most chaotic scenes aren't too over-the-top the way some narrators can get.

My only minor quibble with Sunnyside is that it was too short! The story itself is complete and a great listen, but I loved the world and wanted to spend more time there. I definitely would not have minded if it had been fleshed out with more backstory and "side quests".

If you like the silly stuff from Scott Meyer or John Scalzi, you should definitely give Rob Dircks a listen!

Thanks so much to author Rob Dircks for providing me with a review copy of this audiobook!

P.S. You guys are following this author, right? He regularly shares lots of fun stuff on his blog -- don't miss out ;)

Brilliant— One of Rob Dircks’ BEST!

This is truly a book for the times. Theo’s mix of apathy, optimism, and trepidation over the future of humanity is something a lot of us can relate to right now.

The story is fast-paced and well thought out! It’s hilarious and heartwarming— with a few emotional gut punches that come out of literally nowhere. That’s what I love most about Rob Dircks’ writing— he’ll make you laugh one moment and bawl your eyes out the next. His characters are always relatable (and charmingly bizarre!)

It’s like a mix of You’re Going to Mars and the presidential storyline in Don’t Touch the Blue Stuff. I listened to it in one sitting, and enjoyed every single second of it!

Disgruntled History Repairman No More

It had been too long since my last dose of sci-fi goodness from Rob Dircks. I was surprised to learn it had been roughly six years since I last visited his catalog. When I got the Goodreads alert that his latest, Sunnyside, was available, I jumped at the chance. And it was worth the wait.

The best sci-fi stories do more than just distract or entertain us; they hold up a mirror to our own world, letting us see ourselves in strange new lights, no matter how far-flung the setting or how advanced the technowizardry. Sunnyside absolutely succeeds on this front. Dircks crafts a future that, for all its wild invention, feels lived-in and real, populated by flawed, hilarious, and deeply human characters.

Rob’s work can be favorably compared to that of John Scalzi (one of the best in the business right now), and for good reason. Like Scalzi, Dircks has a knack for witty banter, comic relief, and scenarios that are as inventive as they are absurd. But where Sunnyside really stands out is its heart. While a lot of comic sci-fi can lean into mean-spirited snark or cynicism, Dircks writes with genuine tenderness. There’s an earnestness and sincerity here that’s rare—and deeply refreshing.

Speaking of sincerity, let’s talk about the narration. It's my opinion that most authors should leave the narration to the professionals, but Rob Dircks is a rare exception. He has a knack for bringing his characters to life, and his delivery adds another layer of warmth and humor. I found myself genuinely laughing out loud—not just typing “lol,” but actually snickering, chortling, and even embarrassing myself in public with spontaneous laughter.

As for the story itself, Sunnyside is a delightful romp of a sci-fi subgenre-bender. It’s got elements of first contact, space opera, terraforming, and more all blended together with a deft hand. It’s not hard sci-fi, but it’s smart, witty, and inventive. The book kicks off with our protagonist, Theo Hoover, waxing nostalgic for a virtual retro gaming experience he never actually lived through. He dreams of being a curmudgeon, kicking kids off his proverbial lawn.

The premise had me hooked from the start, and the story only got better as it went on. Theo’s journey from disgruntled history repairman to reluctant supreme leader is a journey worth following. Along the way, he grapples with the home he’s always dreamed of building versus the allure of the home he came from but never really knew. It’s a story about brotherhood, friendship, love, loss, and letting go wrapped up in a package that’s as funny as it is moving.

If you’re a fan of Douglas Adams or John Scalzi, you’ll find a lot to love here. Sunnyside is the kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with sci-fi in the first place: it’s smart, it’s funny, and it’s got heart.

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This review reflects my personal and independent opinion.