Next installment of Tommi Reads the World – we’re in the Bs.
Country: Belarus
Title: The As*trobiologists Volume 1
Author: Olga Gromyko
Language: Russian
Translator: Shelley Fairweather-Vega
Publisher: Cyborg Protection Union Ltd. (2021)
Kissed with the spirit of Futurama meets Firefly, Olga Gromyko’s The As*trobiologists is a hilarious space adventure. I imagine some of the humor is lost in the translation, but this translation is still hysterical. This was the first in the series – I’m not sure how many have been translated yet, but I really need to find out what happens to these two ship crews.
One ship consists of Stanislav, a retired space commando, whose friend gets him really drunk and convinces him to buy a ship. While intoxicated, he not only buys the ship, he signs a contract to finance it, staffs it, and winds up booking a job. The job is to take a group of astrobiologists to a remote planet for research purposes.
The other ship consists of Roger and his motley pirate crew. They’re looking for other treasures and subsisting off of the turquoise chickens stolen in their last attempt. The remote planet has the potential to be a huge pay day.
There is at least one battle cyborg (who is it?!?!), dangerous redheads, and a “big-busted blonde in a bikini” that serves as the computer program that operates the ship. There’s also turquoise chickens, a remote controlled fox that is part of Stanislav’s ship’s entertainment (that gets lost and Roger’s crew thinks it’s real – making for some fun sections), and a navigator who eats nothing but chips and condensed milk. There’s also pot and an unauthorized (and untrained) pet that gets lost and dies in the air vents of the ship. Did I mention that this is hilarious?
If the first volume is any indication – this is a well-written, ridiculous and absolutely delicious candy read.
Read this book.
A Girl Named Tommi 