I wish this was a comic book

HARD LUCK HANK is notably the first book I ever saw advertised alongside one of my books and every single volume of the series has been advertised alongside my Supervillainy Saga books, almost in tandem. This factor, along with the hilarious covers, made me finally shell out the money to buy a copy of the first book. I'm currently on the fifth book, interrupting my work in writing my Lucifer's Star sequel and reading other series to read the books one after the other.

Hank, last name unknown, is a mutant on the space station of Belvaille. He is mostly indestructible, at least to small arms fire, and slow as hell. He's basically the Juggernaut if the Juggernaut were a third as powerful and an even bigger slob. Actually, that describes Spiderman villain The Rhino but a lot more people know the Juggernaut than the Rhino. You could also make a comparison to the Hulk's Joe Fix-It personality but that's even less known. Belvaille is one of the worst cities in the galaxy and composed almost entirely of criminals.

Despite possessing superpowers, Hank is a low-level thug who lives just well enough to keep himself in doughnuts, hamburgers, and whatever else he eats in the future. He has a close friendship with the station's incredibly corrupt security chief, Garm, and more or less has no ambitions but to keep doing what he's doing for the next few centuries.

Hank's life changes a great deal when a pair of other mutants start living next door, one of whom is a level 10 mutant who may be able to change the galaxy. Also, the discovery he's been mislabeled a level 10 mutant himself and this has attracted the attention of two indestructible robots that are going to potentially murder everyone in the station to get rid of this threat to their race. Hank more or less gets roped into doing the right thing and everything goes downhill from there.

I recommend the audiobook version of this book since Liam Owen does an amazing job of imitating Patrick Warburton as a burned out space goon. The text version isn't bad by itself but the audio acting adds something special to the story. This is a comedic story which can still be taken seriously and enjoyed on the merits of being anti-hero fiction at its funniest. Hank is a killer, leg-breaker, and general all round beast but he's too lazy to be malevolent.

The supporting cast is a treat with Garm being my favorite character but a certain purple skinned femme ingenue being every bit as enjoyable. This cast will carry Hank's adventures through a number of books so I'm going to say it's a good thing they're all as fun as they are. I also like Belvaille here most. The station will go through some dramatic changes but it's never more enjoyable than when it's like a floating Mos Eisley. Hank is a lovable scumbag but his darker qualities don't matter when everyone around him deserves what he does to them.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend you pick up this book if you're in the mood for a sci-fi comedy. The characters are great, the story is decent, and the setting is interesting. Best of all, Hank is hilarious as he lumbers from bad situation to bad situation, making things worse for the most part, as he tries to do the bare minimum required. Sometimes, it ends up fixing things and it's as surprising to Hank as it is to the reader.

9/10

40 people found this helpful

Not funny and barely interesting

I see I am the only dissenting opinion here so it must just be me. I listened to 2 hours of this and never laughed. There doesn't seem to be a point to the society, or Hank, or the story. I kept waiting for all the humor everyone raves about. The narration is great. I find Skippy and Joe Bishop (Expeditionary Force by Craig Alanson) very funny, but not this.
And, hey, don't diss my review just because you like the book and I don't.

15 people found this helpful

A bunch of genres crammed into good fun

I didn't rate this five stars based on literary value. It has next to none. I rated five stars based on sheer enjoyment. This book is just plain fun! Based against a sci-fi backdrop, you'll find fantasy, noir, crime, comedy, and a light smattering of romance.

And the narrator was about as perfect as could be for the voice of Hank. But he didn't slack off on the other voices, either. Male, female, species, race, and life station: This guy represented each one independently and entertainingly.

This book will not change my life, but it did help me enjoy it a lot more.

76 people found this helpful

Awesome Start of a Series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a really fun listen. The story keeps your interest and you'll laugh out loud. No, it won't be winning any Pulitzer Prizes anytime soon, but it's entertaining, and you can't expect more than that from a book called "Screw the Galaxy".

What did you like best about this story?

It made me laugh out loud enough that I had to occasionally rewind to hear what I missed when I was laughing; most comedy books can't make that claim.

What does Liam Owen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His Hank voice is perfect for the character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a lot.

Any additional comments?

So far, his second book (I'm ~1/2 way through) is even funnier!

9 people found this helpful

Couldn't get into this one

The narrator sounds like Zap Brannagin trying to impersonate William Shatner if you can picture that combination. The story wasn't doing anything to keep my interest and didn't seem like it was going to get any better so this one will be a return for me and I'll grab the next Galaxy's Edge book instead.
Book kind of reminds me of Space Force which I also didn't care for but if you liked that book you might like this one as well.

5 people found this helpful

A new favourite author of mine.

What made the experience of listening to Hard Luck Hank the most enjoyable?

My favourite thing about Screw the Galaxy is the believability of the dialogue. I want a story that takes me away and puts me in another galaxy. I don't want space poetry, just an awesome kickass story that makes me feel good. Screw the Galaxy did just that and I found my self laughing out loud everyday.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hard Luck Hank?

I really can't decide. The book has such a smooth progression with multiple climaxes.

Which character – as performed by Liam Owen – was your favorite?

"Haaank... duuuh..." - Liam's performance of Hank is stellar. He sounds EXACTLY how his character is described, and matches the dialogue effortlessly (or so he makes it sound that way at least.). However, Liam does lack variation. The characters all sound very different from hank, but women and lesser characters tend to sound similar to each other. That being said, Liam still seals the deal with this story. His delivery is outstanding.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

An excellent lighthearted combination of "science fiction, comic book, detective noir, and deadpan humor" that left me wanting more.

21 people found this helpful

Painfully unfunny

Suicide, death, starvation, aids, rape, genocide, plague and cerebral palsy are all funnier than this pot of piss.

4 people found this helpful

Hilarious

I saw other reviews that said that this book was good, but don't expect great writing. I disagree. The author writes the story from Hank's viewpoint, narration and all, and NEVER breaks character. Liam Owen's performance reading this book is so perfect that I found myself speaking like Hank throughout the day. He really understood the character and his delivery was incredibly funny. Better yet...this series continues and gets better as it goes along. I've read the first three books and can't wait til the others are available on audio.

Thank you to Steven Campbell, to Liam Owen, and to Audible. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this series.

9 people found this helpful

Can't Finish

Struggled to finish. The story never took off and it was excruciating trying to follow and hold on for something to happen.

3 people found this helpful

Hilarious.

Would you consider the audio edition of Hard Luck Hank: Screw the Galaxy to be better than the print version?

Did not read the print but the narrator was just fantastic.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hank. His disposition and observations were just hilarious.

Which scene was your favorite?

I can't pick one. There were alot of really funny lines from Hank.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Every other chapter i had a moment where i was laughing aloud.

Any additional comments?

Just plain fun. The end got a little out there for me. But overall it was just hilarious and enjoyable book. It never got too dark or too serious.

2 people found this helpful