- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Fremantle Press; Second Edition, Second edition edition (July 1 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1921064390
- ISBN-13: 978-1921064395
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 11.2 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,859,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Fast, funny, quirky, enthralling comedy adventure" —Tom Holt, author, Wish You Were Here
"Just as well devised, and proficiently written as its predecessors . . . Mr Haynes is that rare thing—a writer who not only composes great science fiction, but has fun with it too." —AntipodeanSF
Book Description
A mysterious sealed crate, a pair of shady mercenaries with more guns than brain cells, and an amnesiac robot that may or may not be on a secret mission are some of the situations interstellar ignoramus Hal Spacejock and the unflappable Clunk encounter in the third book in this series. Three simmering planets, two cocky spacemen, and one huge mess make for hilarious adventures with Hal.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A+ for Just Desserts by Simon Haynes,
By
This review is from: Just Desserts (Hal Spacejock) (Paperback)
Disclaimer: Reviews will mainly concentrate on novels that I enjoyed, and in writing them I will attempt to be succinct and to avoid all manner of spoilery comments. A grading guide follows my reviews. Also, please note that while I have read widely in the genre, my tastes are quite distinct and thus readers should absorb my wisdom with, at the very least, a few pinches of salt. Cheers.- Review of HS: Just Desserts by Simon Haynes Characterization: 8/10 More of the same with regards to Hal and Clunk, and that's a great thing! They are as hilarious as ever. I'd love to post all manner of quotable lines from the book in here, but I won't. Be assured that you will enjoy more than a few hearty laughs while reading this book (assuming you have a sense of humour. His humour is along the same lines as Douglas Adams). Basically anytime you get two characters talking (and that happens a lot) you will be smiling. It doesn't seem like Hal and Clunk's relationship has evolved much over the first three novels, but I couldn't really care less (and it HAS evolved in some small ways). The back of the book has the most apt description of the duo: "Only interstellar ignoramus Hal Spacejock and the unflappable Clunk could turn a straightforward cargo delivery into a space opera with clowns." Plotting and Pacing: 3/5 and 4/5 The plotting is well done until near the end where it starts to get a bit jumpy and weird for me, but it still works well. It's no Song of Ice and Fire, but it isn't meant to be. The plots are basically skeletons on which to hang hundreds of hilarious situations (take 1 Hal Spacejock, add 1 problem, 1 logical robot, and good reading ensues). The pacing is perfect. It is blisteringly fast and the pace keeps up until the end of the novel. No problems on this front whatsoever, which is not something I get to type very often. Setting: 7/10 Is the setting a vibrant new setting that realistically hypothesizes what future society might be like? Not really. Is it supposed to be? I doubt it. Haynes uses the setting to make fun of every annoying thing that happens in daily life of 2012. Don't like banner ads popping up on your computer? Well imagine them popping up on your viewscreen as you're trying to pilot a ship through the atmosphere. That's the easiest example I can think of, but rest assured the fun doesn't end there. Style and Themes: 4/5 and 3/5 Haynes writes in an easy-to-read style that balances pacing with action. There is very little introspection, but that works fine for this series. Characters mostly think out loud anyways, which often results in hilarity. Dialogue is quick and punchy and is broken up as little as is possible (except where a witty comment needs to be inserted). Themes? Who cares about themes! This is a humourous sf novel! The easiest way I can give him points on this score is by making fun of stupid things that people do and all the dumb things that happen in every day life that drive people crazy. Total: 29/40 IF you're looking for a quick, fun-filled science-fiction romp, then look no further than Hal Spacejock (although I would recommend you starting at the beginning, as this is the third book in the series). It's a quick read that makes fun of nearly every conceivable make-fun-able aspects of modern society, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series when I can get my hands on it. As a side note, if you're a serious writer you may want to check out his free writing program called yWriter5 which he uses to write these novels on (as he used to be a computer programmer). Cheers! - Grading: Note that '5' is an average grade for each category, unexciting but still decent. Therefore, any novel that scores above twenty is above average and thus better than most of the other stuff floating around in bookshelves (at least in my opinion). Rating Scale 01-09: Nigh unreadable 10-19: Get it from the library 20-24: A modest endorsement 25-29: Well-rounded and enjoyable 30-34: Highly recommended 35-40: A must-read!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Marvelous SF Humor,
By Rip8fan1 "rip8fan1@verizon.net" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Just Desserts (Hal Spacejock) (Paperback)
The THIRD book in the series. The intrepid Space Pilot Hal Spacejock and his robot sidekick Clunk in another misadventure. Comparisons to Isaac Asimov's Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw are just going to happen, but it is not fair to either pair (or author). Hal, once again, needs to deliver some cargo, gets sidetracked (a couple of ways), Clunk comes to the rescue then needs rescued himself. Hal to the rescue, and finally they deliver the cargo.Plenty of laughs. Plenty of references to other Science Fiction. Plenty easy to read, but hard to put down. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best one yet!,
By Robert Salyers - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Just Desserts (Hal Spacejock) (Paperback)
The plot moved so quickly and so smoothly that if it hadn't been for the chapter breaks, I might have missed some things -- meals, for instance. Once again, the adventures of Hal and Clunk are just plain fun to read, especially if you keep your eyes open for references to other works of science fiction, both books and movies. (For instance, I started to wonder if it's intentional that Hal Spacejock and Han Solo have the same initials, but the author has said that it's a coincidence.)I imagine Simon Haynes is frequently compared to Douglas Adams, but there's a different tone. I loved the HHGG series, but I think Adams just sort of fell into SF; Haynes is clearly grounded in it. Plus, according to things I've seen on his blog, he's more than capable of disciplining himself to write and meet deadlines. With any luck, this means we won't have to wait long for Hal 4. Until then, we'll just have to get by with the first three. I've got my copies! Where are yours? 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
I admit it... I LOVE Hal Spacejock and Clunk,
By Dogs & Horses "Spanish Norman Horses" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
After loving the first two books and laughing out loud through both of them, I had high expectations for #3 - Just Desserts. They were met fully. Hal is still ridiculous and Clunk still spouts a twisted sort of distainful respect for Hal as his employer. Honestly...how these two haven't been killed or killed each other accidently yet is beyond me! Here's what puzzles me.... Hal Spacejock is essentially just a pickpocket, shoflifting, lie telling, lazy wretch. (We can all agree on that.) Yet... you still love him and root for him to succeed and not be killed by his own stupidity. Dispite wanting to thump Hal in the forehead for stealing silverware (REALLY? Who does that?) I wanted him to get away with it. Go figure! Will be reading the next book in this silly series right away. I just can't help myself.
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