Book Review: Space Academy Washouts by C.T. Phipps & Michael Suttkus
Plot Synopsis
"These are the voyages of the starship...something-something."
Captain Vance Turbo has been struggling for the past few years, his reputation in tatters and most of his allies having turned against him. Offered a chance to go after a sinister crime syndicate at a peace treaty in Notha Space, he jumps at the chance. However, no sooner does he do so that he discovers that a malevolent AI and even more powerful forces are at work. Ones that threaten everyone and everything in the galaxy. Will Vance somehow stumble his way into saving the universe again or will his luck finally run out?
Space Academy is an all-new series from the hilarious duo of C.T. Phipps (Supervillainy Saga, Agent G) and Michael Suttkus (I Was a Teenage Weredeer, Lucifer's Star) that lampoons the space opera as well as military science fiction genres.
Review
I’ve been a fan of these authors for over a decade. I’ve read pretty much every book they’ve written, across the various series they’ve collaborated on. This series, which is set in the centuries between the Agent G series and Lucifer’s Star series, involves the misadventures of Captain Vance Turbo as he works to try and keep the peace with his crew, working for Earth’s Security service and the Intergalactic Community of races, who kind of see humanity like unruly children who need guidance and the occasional time out.
This is the universe Vance needs to operate in, where humanity is trying to make it’s mark in the Community of Races, while still remaining distinctive. Their use of cognition AI is just one thing that separates them, as the Community long ago abandoned them as too dangerous. It’s a universe that has mysterious Elder Races that left behind relics of their technology, relics that they will extinct races of that mess with it. It’s very much a Pandora’s box of technology. Its a universe that has a lot of income disparity, where slavery is a thing on certain planets, and xenophobia can lead to tragic results on a planetary scale. It’s an excellent take on a space opera universe, and while I played up the serious aspects, there are lots of little sly humorous easter eggs throughout.
The characters are some of the best they have come up with to date. Vance Turbo is the epitome of what these authors strive to create. A misfit who doesn’t play well with authority, he still tries to do the best he can for his crew, who he sees as family, especially since his family was such a train wreck. He kind of blunders from one escapade to the next, somehow surviving and even thriving, sparking a sometimes bewildering amount of loyalty from his crew, although of course there are always those who he curses because of their sudden but inevitable betrayal. Trying to outlive the dubious legacy his parents left with their death, he has some real overcompensating tendencies in his actions, leading to some hilarious hare-brained situations. You can’t help but root for him though.
The secondary characters are well thought out as well. Hanna and 42 are my particular favorites, although they are very different characters. Hanna is the human security officer, a tough woman who has no tolerance for fools, which makes her frustrated a lot in Vance’s crew of misfits. She goes through quite a bit in the course of the story, and has some serious decisions to make about her future in the end. 42 is a Sorkinan (think Gorn from Star Trek) member of the crew who has returned after a stint in Spec ops, where he ended up with a small death sentence, but has found his way back into Vance’s crew. He is a great counterbalance to Vance’s wilder ideas, and always willing to call Vance on his craziness. He has a very biting sense of humor, and it’s very much in line with my own, so I consider him my spirit alien. He is not the being you want to mess with, but is the one you want backing you up in a fight. There are quite a few other characters that get some attention too, and their stories are fun as well.
The villains are excellent as well. I don’t want to spoil who they are, but they are the direct result of humanity messing with things that the community has long banned, although one is much more powerful than the other, by orders of magnitude. They exude menace, and honestly, it is shocking that they were held up at all by Vance or anyone else for that matter. They are easily the biggest threats that Vance has ever faced, and I don’t think this is the last we will see of them. And thats a threat that will loom over the races of the Community.
The audiobook is narrated by their longtime narrator Jeffrey Kafer. He has a very good understanding of what the authors are looking to express with the characters, and he does an excellent job bringing that vision to life. He adds a lot of depth and color to characters personalities, and really draws the listener in.
This is such a good addition to the series. It’s easily my favorite of these, and I can’t wait to see where the authors go in continuing the series. Any fans of space opera and comedic sci-fi should find something to love in this book, and the series as a whole. I give it my highest recommendation.
