Sunday 22 October 2023

Space Traipse Hold My Beer Season 7 - Karina Lumbert Fabian

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 7
Karina Fabian
Laser Cow Press
ISBN 9781956489132
ASIN B0CJL3HXQB
ASIN B0CJPXRH2F

Space Traipse Hold My Beer Season 7 - Karina Lumbert Fabian

Yet another amazing addition to the Space Traipse stories! I have read many books by Karina Fabian, including rereads I am up to 47 read now of books she has written and edited and another half dozen contributions to anthologies. I love her wit, her witticisms, and her wisdom. He stories are in a wide range of genres. And her list of series is every growing. This is the Seventh in the Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Series. I have read the previous 6 and a standalone side story. I cannot seem to put her books down, and I devoured the new offerings. I have read some of her contributions in anthologies and love her short form fiction. I also love her religious themed fiction. However the Space Traipse books are completely different than any of her other works. Well maybe not completely different, the humour infuses much of what she writes. In some ways her works are like a Catholic version of Douglas Adams, Robert Asprin, or Tom Holt. All of whom I enjoy but Fabians works have eclipsed them in my list of favourites. 

I grew up watching reruns of Star Trek the Original Series, and the animated series during its original run. I have long been a fan of the shows and when much younger read many novelizations. I loved reading the old James Blish Star Trek stories. Reading the stories in this series take me back to that early stage in my reading, but these have a much more humorous slant. These stories are part homage, part satire, part commentary, part parody, and they are always a whole lot of fun! The description of this volume states:

“More Star Trek parody fun featuring the crew of the HMB Impulsive! In this exciting season:

“They Grow So Fast” (Parody of ST:TNG “The Child): When the Impulsive plows into an sapient energy being, it decides to explore humanity by becoming human—and choose Lt Ellie Doall to be his mom! From dealing with morning sickness to finding her boy grown and kissing her best friend (ew!), Ellie experiences the highs and lows of motherhood in days. But can her skills protect Joleu from a black ops Union division intent on taking him for study?

“Put a Ring on It” (Parody of ST:TOS “Who Mourns for Adonais?”): The Impulsive is waylaid by the ancient god Neptune, who thinks they should worship him instead of saving a planet of merfolk. (or not saving—it’s a Prime Directive thing).

“Erst Bound and Down”: The Impulsive plays “Smokey and the Bandit” when they have to run a blockade. Erst is in dire need of grain to stop a famine, but the Smo’qui, a federation of fanatics who believe the only humane food is replicated, try to stop them every which way they can.”

The tag line for the series is:

“Space: By Keptar, there’s a lot of it. And it’s chock-full of stuff to do and people to meet. These are the adventures of the HMB Impulsive. Its mission: to explore worlds, to seek out anomalies, and to boldly do what no one else has the guts to do! And you know that we’re the ship to do it.

Don’t believe me? Hold my beer!”

The stories in this instalment are as highlighted above:

They Grow So Fast
Put a Ring on It
Erst Bound and Down

These stories follow the further adventures of the captain and the crew of the HMB Impulsive. The descriptions of the main crew members are: 

• Capt Jeb Tiberius: A good ol’ boy from Texas whose religion requires firm buttocks.
• First Officer Commander Phineas Smythe: His uncanny ability to win Rock-Paper-Scissors-Redshirt-Alien means he can pick his away missions.
• Chief Engineer Commander Angus Deary: The first person to reverse the polarity by 90 degrees.
• Chief of Security, Enigo Guillermo Ricardo Montoya Guiterrez LaFuentes: Raised on the UGS The Hood, where gang war is a cultural right, he’s not afraid to shoot a fellow crewman. That’s what stun is for!
• Ops Officer Ensign Ellie Doall: Fresh from the HMB Mary Sue, she can so just about anything all on her own – and often does.
• Transporter Chief, Dolfrick Dour: By the manipulations of technology, he reduces people to their most basic elements and rematerializes them elsewhere. Is it any wonder he’s 23rd Century Goth?

Being caught up on all the volumes in this series, I can easily state it is getting even better with age. The last story in this collection I had been waiting for, for a long time. It was originally available on Amazon Vellum which is not available in the Great White North. So that specific story had been on my radar for a while. And man oh man what a fun story. It truly is Smokey and the Bandit in space. They grow so fast was an extremely intriguing story. Once that will leave a mark on Ellie and the whole crew. Put a Ring On It was originally published in the Planetary Anthology Series in Neptune, I have had it for a while but had not read it yet. But what I have read of that series is excellent. I look forward to rereading the story when I get around to the anthology.

Three great stories, a baby, a wedding, and an illegal beer and supplies run. Sounds about right for Captain Jeb and the crew of the Impulsive. 

This is another great read in a very fun series. It is one that leaves you hanging absolutely desperate to find out what happens to the Impulsive and her crew next. And wondering where do things go from here?  

It is a wonderful trio of tales. I said it before and say it again after this volume, it is great for fans of trek, fans of parodies, or people who just love great science fiction stories. The tales reminded me of Spider Robinson’s Cross Time Saloon books in many ways. It is a great ensemble crew, with interesting adventures, and a whole lot of fun.
 
Many of Fabian’s earlier works and Anthologies are out of print, but they are well worth tracking down. I suggest you grab these new stories I am sure you will be entertained. Give this book or series a try; I am certain you will be entertained. It is a lot of fun.                     

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan!


Dex Hollister Series:
The Old Man and the Void
Dex's Way
...

Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Series :
Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator
I Left My Brains in San Francisco
Shambling in a Winter Wonderland
…

DragonEye PI Series:
DragonEye PI Novels:
?.0 Magic, Mensa and Mayhem (Revised edition)
?.0 Live and Let Fly (Revised edition)
...  

DragonEye PI Short Stories:

DragonEye PI Original First Editions:
Live and Let Fly
...

Space Traipse Series:
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 2
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 3
...
Space Traipse Stories
…

Mind Over Series:
Mind Over Mind
Mind Over Psyche
Mind Over All
Hearts Over Mind
…

Edited by: Karina Fabian:
Infinite Space, Infinite God I
Leaps of Faith
Infinite Space, Infinite God II
...


Contributed to:
Firestorm of Dragons
The Zombie Cookbook
The Book of Tentacles
Twisted Fayrie Tales
FRIGHTLINER: And Other Tales of the Undead
Mother Goose is Dead
Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary
Image and Likeness Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body
Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction
Weird Noir
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels
Manifesto UF
Avenir Eclectia
Planetary Anthology: Jupiter
Planetary Anthology: Pluto
Planetary Anthology: Luna
Planetary Anthology: Uranus
FlagShip Science Fiction and Fantasy v2i5
My Little Book of Headdesks
To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity
...








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