Book Description Meet Cole: hapless space rogue, part-time smuggler, on a path to being full-time dead. His sidekick just stole his girlfriend. The galaxy's most hideous and feared bounty hunter wants to lay eggs in his brain. And the luxury space yacht Cole just hijacked turns out of be filled with interstellar do-gooders, one especially loathsome stowaway, and a cargo of freeze-dried orphans.
Reluctantly compelled to deliver these defenseless, fluidless children to safety, Cole gathers a misfit crew for a desperate journey to the far reaches of the galaxy. Their destination: the mysterious world of Yrnameer, the very last of the your-name-here-planets without corporate sponsors. But little does Cole know that this legendary utopia is home to a murderous band of outlaws bent on destroying the planet's tiny, peaceful community.
Follow Cole's adventures through a delightfully absurd science-fiction universe, where the artificial intelligence is stupid, dust motes carry branding messages, and middle-management zombies have overrun a corporate training satellite. In the spirit of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, The Sheriff of Yrnameer is sci-fi comedy at its best--mordant, raucously funny, and a thrilling page-turner.
I have to say this book was a lot of fun. There were some parts that I actually had to pause and take a moment because I couldn't stop laughing. It was a nice quick read and from the first chapter I was hooked. Something that's really telling of a great book is if you're not reading and maybe off doing something else, you're daydreaming about the story and thinking, "I wonder how he's going to get out of that mess?" and "I need to get my work done and go read to find out what's going to happen to him!" This was definitely that kind of book.
One of the funniest parts to me was when Peter the 'Puter was introduced, an artificial intelligence that became sentient. Looking back and rereading the bits with him still make me giggle, especially this part:
Peter was the first to survive because he was the first to answer the Genesis query-"Do you like human beings?"-in the affirmative; and he was the first to answer in the affirmative because, well . . .
I really like colored pebbles, Peter was thinking at the moment. And string.
I don't know why but that cracks me up every time, but it does.
As far as the story goes, things start off pretty silly and lighthearted and then slowly get darker as more and more things go wrong for the hero and his companions. Don't get me wrong though, the humor is still retained, it just becomes darker and a little less random.
Cole, as the protagonist, was easy for me to root for. He starts off having the quintessential bad day and things pretty much snowball from there on out. Somehow he manages to squeak by and avoid disaster. Well . . . to a point. His love life is pretty much in shambles, but I have a feeling in the next book, things might be a little easier for the hero.
I also think this book would make an awesome movie. It's got everything to make a great sci-fi film, it's pretty much non-stop action and tomfoolery.
Can't wait to read the next installment, and hopefully it comes soon!
After seeing a great review from the Village Voice, and intrigued by the preview pages on Amazon, I ordered "The Sheriff of Yrnameer" and found myself devouring it. It's not just that the book is very, very funny, or that the story is very, very entertaining. Both are true. But there's something more, that I think the Voice review was pointing to: Rubens's humor isn't some mere dry hiccup of gags. Instead, there's a pent-up lightning in the humor, something spiny and half-mad forcing its way to the surface. The humor soars and dips. It's also economical, highly intelligent, and completely charming. People will probably make comparisons with Douglas Adams, but honestly, I find Rubens's worldview and the experience of being with his characters somehow more satisfying. Rubens is a unique new voice with a elegantly controlled first novel, but while it's fun discovering a new writer you turn out to really like, it's also a little frustrating not to be able to continue the experience with some next Rubens book -- particularly since other books may pale a little bit beside the vividly-technicolor Yrnameer universe.
I had high hopes for this book, as a huge fan of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and other authors that have successfully combined humor and excellent writing. I've tried novels that have tried to inject humor into genre fiction in the past, and have usually been disappointed. It just doesn't work all that often, unfortunately.
My hopes were completely vindicated, in this case, which was a pleasant surprise. The plotting, character development, and twists and turns were all fantastic. The bits of humor were appropriately spaced and never over the top. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of humorous science fiction, or just sci fi in general. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Check it out, please. Any time a new novelist generates something of this quality, I'm shocked. As readers, we need to encourage this kind of talent. So please, please, try out this book.
