I kept seeing ads for the Space
Janitor books popping up on Facebook and other places, so as it was offered on
Kindle Unlimited, I thought I would give it a look. I've recently finished
reading the first book in the series and have to say I am a little confused
about a few things.
First, where's the humor? In
this story, the only funny thing are the thoughts of the main character,
Triana. The humor is veiled almost to the point of being absent and come as
some light, sarcastic observations about the situations and other characters. I
will admit, Triana has a fast wit, and many of her quips and descriptions are
funny, but I was hoping to laugh more. The beginning of the story showed great
promise, but it kind of fizzled as the tale progressed.
Second, where was the character
development? Other than Triana, there isn't much. Most of the characters Triana
deals with are one dimensional and I had no real reason to care for them. There
is her grumpy boss who is just grumpy, her overbearing mother, her roommate who
sleeps around, and her "shiny" detective quasi-boyfriend who seems to
have only one thing on his mind. Among this group, there are no characters that
were little more than cardboard cutouts.
Third, how do I classify this
one? Well, it is touted as Space Opera. Okay, it is set on a space station,
which is in space, so I'll give it that. But then there is the relationship
between Triana and Ty O'Neill, the afore mentioned quasi-boyfriend. A good
portion of the story is devoted to the development of this relationship, which
really goes nowhere and reads a lot like a bad romance novel. Finally, there's
what should have been the real substance of the book, and that is the solving
of several murders aboard the station, which struck me as being a subplot.
So, my conundrum is trying to
decide if the book is Space Opera, Sci-Fi Romance, or Sci-Fi Murder Mystery?
Please don't get me wrong, I
don't hate this book, as a matter of fact, I liked it, but not enough to read
the next four books in the series with a tip of my hat and a thanks to the
author for making it available. I know there are those that love the Space
Janitor series, but it just isn't for me.
At any rate, given the
questions I have, I’ll quote the blurb from the back cover as a synopsis:
It's a dirty galaxy, and someone has to clean it.
Avoiding the wealthy inhabitants on the upper levels of Station Kelly Kornienko is bot-programmer Triana’s number one rule. Well, number two, right after "eat all the chocolate."
But when one of her cleaning bots finds a dead body, all the rules go out the airlock. A highly connected security agent interrupts her routine with stories of missing bodies, and Triana can’t ignore him; it’s cooperate or find a new job. A girl has to pay the rent, even on a crappy studio compartment.
Working with a shiny detective beats a shuttle dirt-side, so Triana lends her programming skills to Agent O’Neill’s investigation. Together, they find more victims and evidence of a major cover-up.
It will take all Triana’s technical talents, most of O’Neill’s connections, and some really excellent croissants to stop the murders, save her job, and ultimately, her life.
There isn't much I can add to
this.
The principal character, Triana
Moore, is the best developed character in the book. She is interesting and
someone a reader can care about to a point. She has a lot of secrets and the
author has a maddening but somewhat humorous habit of starting to give some
background through some anecdote from Triana's past, but then chops it off with
"but that's another story." She has a sense of humor and is quite
witty with her quips about observations, situations, and other characters from
time to time, but I wouldn't go so far to say it is more than mildly funny.
Mostly, she appears to be a
young woman who is working a job and trying to make ends meet the best she can.
She likes the work she is doing and has no problem continuing, but her
discovery of a dead body sends her in a different direction.
My favorite point of plot is a
huge twist about the identity of a character. There are a couple of reveals of
this nature in the story, adding a welcome dimension to the tale and is one
aspect that kept me reading.
As I've mentioned, I liked this
book despite being a little confused about what kind of book I was reading.
While I don't mind some romance in my sci-fi, I thought it was a little
overdone in this tale and it almost felt like material being used to extend to
story to novel length. I got the theme that Triana and O'Neill were interested
in pursuing a more personal relationship, but I think the point was overstated
and more of a tease than anything else.
I think this first book in the
Space Janitor series might appeal to a narrow audience who is interested in a
lightly written, light sci-fi story that doesn't require one to think too much.
It is well written and easy to understand with just enough technical jargon to
set the scene and explain action anyone can grasp.
It was a fun little romp, but
not enough to make me move to the second book in the series.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
I grew up in the US Pacific
Northwest, and after twenty years roaming the country with the US Air Force,
I'm back. I have a spouse, three kids, and a dog named Pippin.
I've been an IT guy, a choir
director, an executive assistant, a stay-at-home mom, a college instructor, and
that lady at the information booth in a tourist town. But writer is the best
job ever, because I get to make stuff up. Stuff I wish were true; stuff I'm
glad isn't true.
When I'm not writing, I like to
knit, read, bake, and ski. I also love to travel.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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