Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. As I have been unable to get into the first book in the series I have not attempted this one.

It's hard to find good, well-written humorous science fiction. There are a few authors still writing in this genre that are worth reading and Rob Dirks is definitely one to look for.
Don't Touch the Blue Stuff! is a follow-up to Dirks' Where the Hell is Tesla? which I enjoyed quite a bit (see my review here).
Safe at home after saving the inter-dimensional multiverse, Chip Collins is about to marry his love, Julie when the FBI arrive to tell him that he's needed for another mission in the multiverse. Having saved life as we know it once, he's the dimension's best chance at surviving a new threat from beyond the doors. Chip and FBI agent Gina Phillips will work with Nicola Tesla to enter the multiverse to save Chip's friend Pete who has been enveloped in a strange substance called Blue Juice. But Pete may only be the first to fall to the stuff ... if Gina and Chip and Tesla can't find a way to send the goo back to wherever it came from, the Blue Juice will take over the planet, one squishy human at a time.
The book is full of quirky characters, such as 'Bobo' - a furry, three-foot alien that can regenerate himself like a starfish.
Rob Dirks is certainly playful and not afraid to reach low for a laugh. And that's the one problem I had with this volume ... I felt like too many things were included simply for a laugh rather than as an oddball way to twist the plot. In fact the goal here (get rid of the blue goo) seems far-reaching and secondary to ... well, to anything else we can throw at the moment. The first book was an adventure with a clear goal ... get back home. This book appears to have a clear goal, but really it's just a means to put Chip back in his Wonderland for a new adventure. The difference seems minor, but it was enough to have me wonder why we had so many letters home that didn't deal with the plot.
One other difference between this book and the previous was that I actually read this book and I listened to author Rob Dirks read the first. Dirks clearly had as much fun narrating as he did writing and his enthusiasm was infectious. I wonder if I were to listen to this second book if I might not like it more.
Looking for a good book? Don't Touch the Blue Stuff! by Rob Dirks is a follow-up to Where the Hell is Tesla? and is face-paced sci-fi comedy, reminiscent of Douglas Adams and Ron Goulart and good for a quick read if you enjoy a guffaw or two with your inter-dimensional rifts.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The science-fiction silliness continues

I loved this book, the second of the series. I found the first book just as silly and loved it. The second book is just as enjoyable. The humor is a little juvenile and in general I don’t like juvenile humor but the strong science fiction element in the book drew me back in. I recommend this book for any genre fans who want a light read.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

A fun followup to Chip's, Pete's, Nikoli's and Bobo's shenanigans across dimensions.

A lighthearted "Bill and Ted"-type follow-up to the first "Where the Hell is Tesla?" book. It's not going to win the Nobel prize for literature, but if you're looking for something to cheer you up on a rainy afternoon, this will do the trick no bother. Alternate universes, a touch of Narnia, adventure, and loads of laughs. What's not to like?

You never know with sequels... Fortunately, you don't have to worry about this one - Dircks' second in the Tesla series delivers every bit as well as the first (and if you haven't seen that review, look for it - I rave like a fangirl). You'll laugh out loud just as often with this sequel as with the original...

Chip and Pete and Bobo and Julie and Nikola are back - but not only are they back, they're back with a vengeance. The new adventure is even more madcap, yet still oddly relatable, than the first; somehow, Dircks' has this fantastic ability to take these guys that should, by rights, irritate the hell out of me (in real life, they would - Chip would be beyond irritating and Pete too perfect by half) and make me love them and cheer for them and hope beyond hope that they'll keep coming back for more...

The new additions to the cast - from a sanctimonious by-the-book FBI agent who turns out to have hidden depths, to a demigod cockroach with the soul of Mr. Miyagi and the voice/attitude of your best friend's Uncle Geno, to Einstein in all his wild-haired Teutonic glory - provide a slew of new opportunities for fabulously crafted snark and pratfalls. Oh, and surprisingly spot-on insights into the human condition that are delicately layered throughout in ways that you don't even notice until they're past you and the lesson is learned. And it's all delivered in the same balls-to-the-wall writing style that made the first book so entertaining.

There doesn't appear to be any mention of a third installment - I really hope that's oversight, because these characters and this world are too good to let go so soon...

My review copy was provided by SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) through NetGalley. Check them out - they have some seriously talented writers!

I just so enjoy the characters, the outrageous plot, and the snappy dialogue. The sheer exuberance displayed by lead character Chip, his damn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead approach to plot twists (plus the crying, cussing, vomiting that accompany it), carry me along like a tidal wave. The underlying 'love is all' message of both books in this series never gets sappy, old, or hackneyed. And I never tire of Pete, Tesla, Gina, Bobo, and other fellow travelers as they courageously forge ahead (or bumble ahead) of troubles and catastrophes.

Witty and Amiable Fun

There are a fair number of scifi based humorous buddy adventures out there, and lots of them are entertaining enough. But, this book, (and the series), strikes me as just right. The setup, (that Tesla left behind a portal to all of the other multiverses, our slacker heroes found it, and now they perform multiverse saving missions for the FBI), is basic, sound and only as complicated as you want it to be. The author doesn't struggle to make sense of or to justify the setup. It's just there as a frame upon which to hang an infinite number of amusingly daft and complicated plots and sequels. Along the same lines, the rom-com is mild and mostly focused on the com, the buddy angle is comfortable and taken for granted, and the adventure is always urgent, apocalyptic, and inventively silly.

What nails this for me is the characters, the dialogue, and the dry, deadpan fourth wall confidences shared by the narrator with the reader. Our heroes, Chip and Pete, are introduced as high end Beavis and Butthead types. But, the author early on drops the stoooopid aspects of their characters, and what we see are two characters who are smart, observant, and witty, but choose to present themselves to the world as slackers and mooks. That way we get some low, slapstick comedy and some very witty and clever high end stuff, and indeed we never know which we'll get in any particular situation. When faced by a purple extraterrestrial maneater we don't know if Chip will fart, quote Carl Jung, or faint, (or all three), and the unpredictability of which direction the joke will come from, (the purple maneater might drop a bon mot as well), is a big part of the fun.

And the point here is fun. None of the humor is especially edgy or political or has any point other than to make a joke, kid one of the characters, or bump the story along. There are actually some touching scenes, and they are dropped in subtly and judiciously in order to keep the story grounded, keep us invested in the characters, and make the heroes heavy enough that they don't float away into silly land. And, the author is perfectly happy to wander off and give us a very funny scene, (say, Chip's civil wedding ceremony), that is almost completely non-essential to the book, but perfectly formed to serve as a cheery break in the action. This also serves to make the whole book feel like it's a story being told over a few beers to a bunch of friends.


This book is a sequel to "Where the Hell is Tesla?", but I think it's more fun. All of the original characters have returned and the quantum multi-verse portal thingy is still where we left it. The first book was weighed down a bit by the need to introduce Chip and Pete and to set up the whole Tesla's portal premise. Here, we hop right into the laughs and the action. I was afraid that the whole thing might feel old or labored in a sequel, but for me the energy, cheerfulness, and clever humor was as fresh and engaging as before. And that's nice to know.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)