Saturday, 20 May 2023

Space Traipse Hold My Beer Season 6 - Karina Lumbert Fabian

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 6
Karina Fabian
Laser Cow Press
ISBN 9781956489118
ASIN B0C1TNNC54


Another amazing addition to the Space Traipse stories! I have read many books by Karina Fabian, including rereads I am up to 42 read now. 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 sixth in the Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Series. I have read the previous 5 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 (including a piece reprinted here as a bonus story) 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:

“The crew of the Impulsive is back with more zany, heartfelt adventures. Lost loves, chicken attacks, and parodies of iconic Star Trek episodes replayed in true HuFleet style:

The Highest Form of Motivation: Loreli lives! (You’re welcome, fandom.) But all is not what it seems. When the Impulsive tries to rescue her from another Cyber offshoot, it quickly becomes clear that they no longer understand who – or what – she is. Trust may be the highest form of motivation, but is their love for Loreli enough to motivate them to trust her?

Doall’s Brain: Who does not remember ST: TOS “Spock’s Brain”? Arguably the hokiest episode of the original series, it takes on a whole new life when aliens snatch Ellie Doall’s brain to power their colony. From Doc Sorcha in thigh-high boots to Ellie nearly flooding the colony with her tears, it’s a bringer of delight.

Sugar and Spice: When surveying an ice planet in the process of thawing out, the Impulsive discovers the survivors of an expedition lost five years ago – including Lt. Misha Rosien’s fiancé. But what could be a happy reunion turns dark fast when Dr. Howie Maisel replaces Captain Tiberius with a robot with the intention of taking over the universe – with his sweet little Misha at his side. (Parody of ST: TOS: “What Are Little Girls Made of”)

Motherclucker: ST: TOS “Devil in the Dark” with chickens? Minion LeRoy Jenkins takes center stage as he tells the harrowing tale of the attacks of the Calusian Browns of Pullet VI. No Lay I!”

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:

The Highest Form of Motivation
Doall’s Brain
Sugar and Spice
Motherclucker

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. This story picks up shortly after the crew had been stuck in a time loop, and those events had some serious side effects. This time they encounter a new type of Cyber ship and encounter the voice of their long lost crewmate. But things are not as they appear, and in attempting to save their friend they may be putting her lifer and many others at risk. In the second story Doall’s brain is a masterfully rewritten ST TOS episode. Sugar and spice has echoes of Harry Mudd. And Motherclucker is a story that will leave you hungry for giant space friend chicken. 

Join once again the unique crew as they navigate the minefields of space, time, place, and relationships. This volume contains four excellent stories or episodes. 

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

It is another wonderful collection 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:
9.0 Gapman
10.0 Magic, Mensa and Mayhem (Revised edition forthcoming)
11.0 Live and Let Fly (Revised edition forthcoming)
... 

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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