Wow….just….wow. I knew going in that the author of this series unashamedly admits to being inspired by Firefly to write this series and even create these characters. So there was a part of me which really, really wanted to see this work. I could totally see Nathan Fillion playing Carl. But even so, it was a complete joy to work through all the stories. Yes, some of them work a little better than others (that has to be a given with this many stories). There were times I was literally laughing out loud, other times I caught myself giggling quietly as Carl or one of the other characters did something.
Incredible characters you find yourself caring about. Great, intriguing and zany stories. Fascinating character arcs and developments and changes which you don’t really expect, but after they happen you realize it had been coming for some time and it just…seems right. Just a bunch of well-done stories. I don’t really want to say much more or it might give it away. But if you’re a fan of fun, quirky sci-fi, this is your jam. Definitely if you loved shows like Firefly or characters like Han Solo. Or what if Gandalf was a crotchety old wizard who was on a ship piloted by Han Solo? Yeh, you might enjoy this.
And just be forewarned, Mikael Naramore does an insanely awesome job with the narration. It’s really just an incredible performance. Every character’s voice is unique and instantly recognizable. Listening to this just set such a high bar in my book that I’m afraid to listen to anything else (don’t worry, I’m getting over my fear ;-). That said, you won’t regret listening to him for 80+ hours. And yes, it really is that long, and totally worth every minute of it.
As a side note, definitely intended for adult/mature readers, mainly due to language (most of the main characters enjoy the use of the F-word) and violence. Not really any explicit sexual content, but the book doesn’t really shy away from the fact that it’s happening. If it were a movie it would most likely be rated R for language, violence, and (implied) sexual content.