Michael RubensRezensionen

Firefly meets Douglas Adams. Highly entertaining!

I loved this book way more than I thought I would. Austin is a mess. One of his teacher's calls him a "smartard." As a teacher--I knew exactly what she meant. He keeps sabotaging himself. He's musically talented, but won't perform in front of people. When his father shows up-surprise he's a musician, but has never been there for Austin, and doesn't know him. What ensues is a chaotic time of bonding, playing music, getting the girl, disappointment, and reality checks. This was funny, heartbreaking and hopeful. I can think of several kids I'll hand this book to when school starts in August.

A book about a guy who steals a spaceship and finds more trouble than he bargained for. A very fun and funny read. The comparison with Douglas Adams was dead on. The characters were well defined and sympathetic. You cared what happened to them. Three and a half stars.

I almost did not pick up this book. The cover sucks. I mean, some covers are simply bad but the cover of this book crosses over bad without looking down and lands well over the border to ‘WTF were they thinking?’ The blurb on the back cover by Stephen Colbert doesn’t help things. It says nothing about the story and, if fact, makes it sound sophomoric. The blurb on the inside dust jacket that compared it to Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett attracted me, though, so I gave it a try.
It’s good. It’s not the wild, bizarre ride of the Hitchhiker’s guide or the insightful, satirical humor of Discworld, but it is lighthearted and fun and a thoroughly enjoyable romp with an almost competent space faring rogue trying to escape his luck and his past. I found it a very welcome addition to the far too small field of humorous science fiction. I recommend it.

One of my favorite books of the genre. It was just as good the second time around. My only disappointment is when, after finishing the ebook for the first time, I went to look for other titles by this authour only to find he has only written one book! what a major disappointment! The subgenre of comedic fantasy is filed with very few amazing authors, namely, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Robert Rankin. Rubens is only one of a handful of new humorous sci-fi/fantasy authours that have recently written a fantastic story that begs to be part of a series (or at least more works of a similar vein). For other titles similar to "The Sheriff of Yrnameer," see my Goodreads list on "comedic science fiction." (If you know of any other authors or titles that I have not yet listed, yet might enjoy please let me know. Thank you.)

One of my favorite books of the genre. It was just as good the second time around. My only disappointment is when, after finishing the ebook for the first time, I went to look for other titles by this authour only to find he has only written one book! what a major disappointment! The subgenre of comedic fantasy is filed with very few amazing authors, namely, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Robert Rankin. Rubens is only one of a handful of new humorous sci-fi/fantasy authours that have recently written a fantastic story that begs to be part of a series (or at least more works of a similar vein). For other titles similar to "The Sheriff of Yrnameer," see my Goodreads list on "comedic science fiction." (If you know of any other authors or titles that I have not yet listed, yet might enjoy please let me know. Thank you.)

Not believable, but readable and funny. Brothers are left alone while parents are on vacation in Europe. Younger brother is about to make his Bat Mitzvah and is shockingly ill prepared, but his parents do not know this. Older brother is wild man, completely unlike the rest of the studious, rule-following, proper family and has just left college. Older brother decides that while parents are away he will make younger brother "into a man" by taking him to bars, strip clubs, riding motorcycles, jumping off cliffs into raging rivers, etc. Little brother learns WAY too much about his brother, and happens to fall in love hard for a girl who is in love with his brother. Lessons are learned, ending is sad. Written by a fellow who apparently writes for the Daily Show--some good commentary on American life woven throughout.

Isaac's parents are going to Italy for two weeks, leaving him in the care of his psychotic older brother Josh. Josh is tasked with getting Isaac ready for his Bar Mitzvah, but Josh's methods to make Isaac into a man turn out to be a little unorthodox. Vicious dogs, black eyes, and more than a few secrets, and Isaac may never become a man.

Funny, sometimes crude, and surprisingly touching.

Isaac's bar mitzvah tutor hasn't been showing up, but he never told his parents. Now, 3 weeks before the big event, his parents leave for 2 weeks in Italy leaving Isaac with his older brother Josh. Josh says he will prepare Isaac for his bar mitzvah, and make a real man of him in the process. Suddenly Isaac, with his perfect attendance record, is missing school, riding morotcycles, visiting strip clubs and meeting all kinds of people.

A pretty straightforward clone of Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, complete with a less-than-heroic protagonist and an artificial intelligence with a personality disorder. I just can't decide if the author should be praised or disparaged for not really trying to do too much with his material.

Beyond that, the book didn't really impress itself upon me. It's a fun read, but in a day or two, I'll barely remember it.

Very shallow, television script quality. Forgettable.

I read other reviews after I had already bought this - I suspect if I had known it was so much like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I'd have saved my money. Not that it's bad - it's not - it's just silly and pointless like HGG is. Oh, perhaps there's supposed to be some hidden meaning or commentary on the state of the world in it, but all I really got were the over the top references to commercialism and the silliness of "hero" worship.

I got those bits 'cause they were hammered into me over and over and over again.

This isn't to say that I didn't laugh, 'cause I did, several times. But... it was a bit too much of the same thing, and went on a bit too long.

Where does he come with his ideas? Funny, witty writer Rubens is. Glad I read this one which was easy reading from cover to cover.

A fun sci-fi humor tale a la Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Occasionally it is a bit too a la HHGG, but overall a fun read.

First book of 2010! and it was a wonderful choice. I fully admit, I picked it up based on the cover, than when I saw Steven Colbert's blurb on the back of the book, I had to have it. And the best part, the book not only didn't disappoint but was much better than I was expecting.

First thing to know is that I've read many different sorts of science fiction comedy. Sometimes they miss, sometimes they are actually well written, but they are usually all clones of each other, usually include the criminal with a heart takes on the world with near misses and luck plot line.

This book takes the criminal turned hero to new heights, and the author actually fills in many of the gaping plot holes that get glossed over -for example, why is it that in a technological society, humans still act and look like the humans in today's world.

I suspect those who like their aliens to be well, alien, will be disappointed. Also, Rubens takes certain plot elements from other sci-fi novels (ship jumping to points improbable and random will sound familiar) and makes them over a bit, probably in homage to the great sci-fi stories of the past, but it can be a bit old. It fits for this book,

The characterization is great. Each character has a clear voice and while sometimes cliched (the bright eyed and hero worshiping teenager for example), it is done well, and these character are more than just the cliche. I especially like Nora, who is both practical, hard and a caring woman. Our hero has faults, and while he does undergo a change of heart, it doesn't really change his character.

And, I hope to see more books set in this universe with the same characters. The last sentence in the book seems to imply that there will be.

Cole is a no good bounty hunter along the lines of Han Solo. He has to deal with a practically indestructible bounty hunter with a smooth voice that wants to plant its eggs in his brain, a "very handsome" smuggler that gets the best gigs and gals, and various mishaps that never seem to go his way. A good travel across the universe of monsters and cannibals that will make you smile warmly with various and sundry giggles.

A fun book, reminiscent in style to Douglas Adams' /The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/. The first half is about the space travels of Cole -- a ne'er-do-right huckster -- and how he gets mixed up with a humanitarian mission to the mythical planet Yrnameer. In a galaxy where every space is sponsored by some large corporate conglomerate (complete with ubiquitous, and annoying, advertising), Yrnameer -- a concatenation of "Your Name Here" -- is the last place without corporate sponsorship, and is inhabited by simple people living a simple life. The second half of the book is how this simple place clashes with the very complicated Cole, his friends, and his competing love interests.

I heard about the book via a local NPR talk radio show (http://www.wosu.org/radio/radio-open-line/?archive=1&date=09/04/2009). This was also one of the first books I read as an eBook. It was a fun way to learn about reading via an e-book device.½

I don't read lots of scifi books, but I loved this one - it was a bit zany and jumps around a good deal in the beginning (until all the stories collide with Cole's). Definitely looking forward to a sequel - which the ending certainly permits. The other reviewer has done a great job of summarizing, so I'm not going to bother.

The characters are just fun to travel with and their interactions with one another are almost always comical. Cole may start off as a bad guy, but deep down, you know he'll *probably* do the right thing - or at least try to. And his specialty is escaping by the skin of his teeth.

The setting is a future where earth has been destroyed and people live on planets and satellites that are covered in trademarks and lots of advertising. When Cole reaches Yrnameer - an unscathed land of artisans and non-business minded people - he is amazed that the sand at his feet isn't trying to sell him something.

I definitely enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone looking for some fun reading - as long as you don't mind a bit of violence, multitudes of different species and a bit of bad language - depending on what English equivalent you choose for 'farg'.

When we first meet Cole--just Cole--he's being dangled upside down by a many-eyed, many-tentacled debt collector with a rich, mellifluous voice named Kenneth. Since Cole is unable to pay his debt immediately Kenneth is about to deposit his eggs through Cole's eye socket and into his brain. Cole escapes, barely, and will continue to escape, barely, for the duration of the book.

Oh yes, The Sheriff of Yrnameer is that kind of book. It's antic, it's wacky, it's high concept, it's in the tradition of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, with a little bit of Silverado and The Seven Samurai thrown in for good measure. It's also hilarious and surprisingly big hearted.

As the book opens a rapidly dwindling crew of dim-witted Bad Men, who keep getting killed (and killing each other) in truly horrible ways is approaching town. When they get there they intend to force the townspeople--who consist overwhelmingly of artists, writers, musicians, craftspeople, film-makers, and other folk who are free, if not strategic, thinkers--to give up all of their crops. What a boon when Cole, escaping his own demon(s) in a stolen space vehicle crash lands on their planet, in their town, and--much in the manner of Dorothy when she lands in Oz--right on top of the Bad Men. During the drunken revelry celebrating the temporary victory (because it's a very large band of Bad Men, and the squashed were just the first messengers) Cole is signed up as sheriff.

Some of the wacky highlights of the book include a shipload of freeze-dried orphans, a cast and crew of awesomely repulsive aliens, and the concept of a universe which, with the exception of the tiny planet of Yrnameer (a contraction for that old advertising come on: Your Name Here), is completely co opted by big business. Pop ups dance around people's heads, planets have names such as InVestCo3 (which resides in the Financial System), and the very dust on the ground forms into advertisements.

Michael Rubens has written a thoroughly enjoyable, compulsively readable science fiction romp, and I look forward to his next.

I leave you with this, explaining why Cole ran from his home planet, and continues to run to this day:

"You could run away and you'd end up in exactly the same place, the surroundings interchangeable, the inhabitants nearly so. Cole knew it because he'd done it. Several times. He'd end up back in his room again, moodily smoking whatever he could get his hands on, the sole source of light in the room the faint radioactive glow coming from the commemorative chunk of Earth in its crystal cube, inscribed with the famous quote from the Administration. AT LEAST WE GOT THE TERRORISTS, it said."