Happy Jack and the Scary-Ass Book of Doom

Shadows Over Earth-That-Was, Book 1

By: Rich Partain

Narrated by: JP Adams

What happens when the geeks inherit the Earth? For starters, things get a little weird.

In the year 2475, the remnants of humanity have taken to the skies, inhabiting massive domed cities that hover five miles over the ruined ecological disaster of old Earth. The Powers That Be, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the few million people left deserved to live their best lives, so they gave each sub-orbital platform its own theme and legally enforced tech level. Named for afterlives and sacred places from all of the world's great cultures, Elysia, A'Aru, Valhalla, Tian and the other orbitals range from cyberpunk metropolises to Tolkienesque medieval fantasy lands; from Victorian steampunk cities of glass and copper to snowbound Viking kingdoms.

Not content with merely cosplaying their days away, a significant portion of the population have become transhuman "cybernaturals," electing to transform into creatures from myth through cybernetic enhancements and advanced genetic therapies; orcs, dwarves, elves, vampires and werewolves now exist through super-scientific means, not supernatural ones.

In the middle of this madness, Daniel Davidson, a pop culture archaeologist and mercenary of dubious repute and his band of foul-mouthed friends are charged with tracking down an ancient book that could, in the wrong hands, erase all of reality. It could be a huge payday and might even involve saving the known universe as a tidy bonus. That is, if they manage to NOT die at the hands of cannibal sex cultists, swashbuckling rogue vampires, prankster demigods, Templar knights, horrifying biblical angels, the angry star-spawn of elder things, and Satan himself. And possibly food and/or alcohol poisoning. Or suffocation in a sex dungeon.

It's a filthy, hilarious, epic journey through an off-kilter future filled with bullets, blades, beasts, and boat drinks. If you like your profane sci-fi action comedies with a side order of urban and traditional fantasy, look no further.

©2023 Rich Partain (P)2024 Rich Partain

Hilarious Fantasy/SciFi Crossover

If you've ever wondered what it would be like if Terry Pratchett and Sacha Baron Cohen collaborated to reimagine the premise for the TV show Firefly, then this is your answer. Imaginative writing and a solid vocal performance by the reader make this audio book a must listen if the above speaks to you at all.

Entertaining, could do with some editing

First off, a one liner for this story might be "the 'Ready Player One' of the 21st Century." Why? Because it's heavy with pop culture references from, mostly, the late 20th and a bit of the early 21st centuries. This makes logical sense given the main character's habits and the book's setting, but also means it helps immensely if the reader is familiar with the references.

Overall, the book is entertaining. The story was interesting, with enough twists and turns to propel the plot forward, but not so convoluted it was just ridiculous. In addition, given the proposed state of technology, both mechanical and biological, the actions and characters seemed to be consistent with the described world.

But that last point. Especially early, there is some heavy info-dumping. The author tries to justify this in the ongoing plot, but that just makes clear this 'story' is written cognizant of it being a story. Then it depends on how absorbed you can get into it, if you can, you'll enjoy this. If you can't make it over that hump, maybe not so much.

Great sarcastic witty banter

I didn't love the narrators sometimes staccato way of speaking. He still did a great job with all of the different characters.

Great story, poor choice in narrators

Fun entertaining story, goofy with some good laughs. Literally only complaint is the narrator. I don’t understand the decision

Rollicking Multi-faceted Tale

This was a fun-to-listen to tale full of many great call backs and enough action to keep me engaged. The narration added great depth to the pacing and tone of the story.

hilarious

one of the funniest books ever. Great characters and story. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time

Every thing you’re told about the character and his relationships is forced and unearned

Main character comes off as pretentious and self absorbed. All the female interactions are caricatures of real conversations with women, and all the women love him…because we’re told they do. He comes off preachy and hypocritical often. Still some moments are fun and likable. Also way too forced Firefly stylings throughout

Absolutely hilarious and a great story.

I was skeptical at first. But that quickly changed. The story is engaging and character are amazing. Definitely a good read.

Best Science Fiction this century

A well crafted story in an unusual fully realized version of an alternate earth. The audio book is well read at a reasonable pace, your mom liked the pace anyway and By Josh this is just one of my favorite books ever.

The snark

The story keeps getting better and the snark escalates with every chapter with the ending being a bit of a surprise.