The Search for Splurt

ISBN:: 978-1-912767-38-0
ASIN:: B01NAKE1D6
Audible ASIN:: B074QRFKC3

(2 reviews)

The third part of the laugh-out-loud sci-fi adventure series from the author critics are calling 'the new Douglas Adams.'

Cal Carver, petty-criminal turned space adventurer, is on a suicide mission - and he really hates suicide missions. But this time it's to save his best buddy, Splurt, who has been taken prisoner by the the elderly assassin, Lady Vajazzle, and the evil Zertex corporation.

When they discover that the ship carrying Splurt never made it to Zertex, their search leads them through a wormhole to a mysterious planet unlike any they have seen before. Will they survive this strange new world and finally find their friend? And, more importantly, does he even want to be found?

Packed with gladiator battles, angry bees, a big thing blowing up, and the return of the galaxy's oldest assassin, Space Team: The Search for Splurt is the rip-roaring conclusion to the first Space Team …

The third part of the laugh-out-loud sci-fi adventure series from the author critics are calling 'the new Douglas Adams.'

Cal Carver, petty-criminal turned space adventurer, is on a suicide mission - and he really hates suicide missions. But this time it's to save his best buddy, Splurt, who has been taken prisoner by the the elderly assassin, Lady Vajazzle, and the evil Zertex corporation.

When they discover that the ship carrying Splurt never made it to Zertex, their search leads them through a wormhole to a mysterious planet unlike any they have seen before. Will they survive this strange new world and finally find their friend? And, more importantly, does he even want to be found?

Packed with gladiator battles, angry bees, a big thing blowing up, and the return of the galaxy's oldest assassin, Space Team: The Search for Splurt is the rip-roaring conclusion to the first Space Team trilogy.

1 edition

ridel reviewed The Search for Splurt by Barry J. Hutchison (Space Team, #3)

Still Lots of Laughs, but not the best Space Team has to Offer

2 stars

I am not the intended audience for the Space Team series - as a reader that prefers highly complex plots, realistic multi-layered characters and self serious worldbuilding. And while I remain entertained and actually laugh out loud every so often, The Search for Splurt felt like a big drop in writing quality compared to its predecessors.

Without spoiling and using just information from the back of the book... this novel is a sequel for The Wrath of Vajazzle, and focuses a lot on Lady Vajazzle. This is a shame because she was the weakest part of the previous book, being a one-dimensional cartoon villain with little personality other than competence. She is evil for the sake of evil, and it's both boring and frustrating for her to show up throughout this novel again, and again, and again.

The universe is also a lot smaller in this novel, focusing on …

I am not the intended audience for the Space Team series - as a reader that prefers highly complex plots, realistic multi-layered characters and self serious worldbuilding. And while I remain entertained and actually laugh out loud every so often, The Search for Splurt felt like a big drop in writing quality compared to its predecessors.

Without spoiling and using just information from the back of the book... this novel is a sequel for The Wrath of Vajazzle, and focuses a lot on Lady Vajazzle. This is a shame because she was the weakest part of the previous book, being a one-dimensional cartoon villain with little personality other than competence. She is evil for the sake of evil, and it's both boring and frustrating for her to show up throughout this novel again, and again, and again.

The universe is also a lot smaller in this novel, focusing on a single mysterious planet. Part of the charm of this series had been the scope of a galaxy-spanning adventure, ensuring Cal was always a fish out of water and his teammates keeping him straight in an otherwise ridiculous and creative list of settings and aliens. We get none of that here.

The crew is still funny, and they alone save the novel. Again, this type of book isn't my usual cup of tea, and I suspect the events in this novel are summarized in a few paragraphs when you start Space Team 4.

Not recommended unless you're a true fan.

JollyRoberts

rated it

Dec. 6, 2023