Cat Rambo is a great author on a sentence-by-sentence level, but this one left me cold.

Comedy is one of the most subjective things around, but the jokes mostly fell flat for me in this one. Trying a bit too hard to be irreverent, but not quite sticking the landing.

Last year I took a chance on reading Devil’s Gun, the sequel to You Sexy Thing, even though I hadn’t read the first book. This was a big chance, for Cat Rambo’s fiction up to that point hadn’t worked for me. Fortunately, I loved Devil’s Gun enough to accept the offer of an eARC of the first book as well, and now I’ve read it too. With the amount of time that has elapsed, I actually don’t remember much of the sequel, which is kind of perfect in that I had no idea how this one was going to end!

Niko Larssen is the owner and nominal head chef of the Last Chance restaurant. Her employees are, for the most part, former members of her squad within the army of the Holy Hive Mind. They are now retired—supposedly—though not out of reach of this formidable entity. Disaster strikes on the eve of what could have been a great triumph for Niko and the Last Chance. She and her crew find themselves aboard a petulant bioship that thinks they’re trying to steal it. Saddled with a food critic who is more than she seems and an imperial heir mailed to Niko as cargo just before the disaster, this ragtag group must work hard to stay together and thwart the whims of a pirate out for revenge.

Everything I liked about Devil’s Gun is present in some form here. I don’t remember if the second book has the same omniscient narration. It’s not technically omniscient so much as it is a fast-switching type of limited third person. It works fine here, though the formatting of my ebook didn’t separate when the omniscient narrator switches perspective, and that can be confusing sometimes. Rambo also pulls a fast one in the sense that there are definitely some viewpoints we don’t see—Gio, Milly, Dabry, etc. This isn’t a criticism, of course. I appreciate Rambo leaving some questions open.

You can read these two books in any order, as far as I am concerned. Both scratch the itch of wanting a space opera that is loose in its affiliations. This story isn’t about the political machinations and military movements of a nation. It’s about family, in a way that might appeal to fans of Becky Chambers. Getting to see the genesis of You Sexy Thing’s sentience and personality (including its obsession with printing its logo on everything) is fun. Watching Atlanta become part of the family is likewise very touching.

I would gladly read many more novels set in this universe, with this crew.

Thank you to Cat Rambo, Tor, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I deeply apologize for the delay in review. Unfortunately, an extreme and long reading slump delayed me.

I was sold on this book based on the comp to Farscape. It's a fair comparison, with many interesting and new types of alien species in this far, far future that involves space flight. Also, who doesn't love a living ship. Not just an AI, but a truly living ship!

The banter in the book is superb and I've recently seen people requesting books with good banter. The stakes are low in comparison to other novels in the genre - the crew's lives basically. But much like the comp to a sci-fi show where no one seemed to ever really be dead, I didn't really believe that anyone could die.

I think this is more like Farscape meets Legends and Lattes.

There is a fair amount of "trust the author" at the beginning and I suggest readers do so.

I can't wait to read *Devil's Gun* which I believe is already out!

A fun light read. I've recently gotten into binging shows on Food Network, so this was right up my alley! The cast of characters is loveable and one I really wanted to follow, but the book is let down by uneven pacing and could do with a tighter plot. It takes long to set up and ending feels a bit cheesy and rushed. Still enjoyed and put a smile on me.

Fun and funny space opera with great cast of characters. It works as a standalone, but if there's more I'll definitely read it.

An interesting premise, but the pacing and tone didn't quite work for me. I would recommend this to people looking for quirky sci-fi novels.

This space opera was quick, fun, and full of unique worldbuilding aspects. I love the idea of a bioship that didn't act like a cute little puppy, but instead a sentient being learning things and thinking for itself. However I don't think I could ever get used to living inside a bioship where everything is like it's skin.

I think the plot moved along at a great pace that kept it interest and easy. Overall just a good time.

I received a gifted copy of YOU SEXY THING by Cat Rambo – thank you to Tor and Netgalley!

Rating: 3.5 / 5

YOU SEXY THING is the first book in the author’s Disco Space Opera following Niko Larson. Niko has retired from the role of Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive mind. Along with those who remain from her former command, they have created a restaurant, The Last Chance, in a station at the edges of the universe. Their peace is disrupted when they are drawn back into the war, pulled onto a sentient spacecraft and faced with a pirate king.

This book was pitched as Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off and that had me instantly intrigued. With the sequel, DEVIL’S GUN due out in August, I was happy to pick this one up knowing I’d be able to binge the two pretty much back to back.

I would classify this book as a semi-cozy scifi book. I really enjoyed the universe that Cat Rambo has set up and the mix of characters created. There is a relatively large cast of characters here and a good found family feeling between them. A lot of this bond comes from before the start of the book or happens so quickly that there were a few times where I wanted a bit more character or relationship development, but I really enjoyed them as a whole.

As someone who enjoys a good foodie book, I did really enjoy the discussions of food and cooking in this book. I thought there was a good story overall and it left a lot of interesting things to explore in book two. I will be looking forward to DEVIL’S GUN to see where the story goes from here!

I just bounced off this one. Maybe I was too tired when I tried it, maybe it just wasn't what I was in the mood for.

The idea of a ship's crew that is trying to open a restaurant as a second career is an interesting one. I just didn't really attach to the characters and everything felt complicated.

Tuve la suerte de coincidir con Cat Rambo en el festival 42 de Barcelona el año pasado, lo que hizo que me dieran ganas de leer alguna obra más suya. La elegida fue You Sexy Thing, una space opera divertida y sin complejos, que se ríe un poco de los lugares más comunes del género y que se lee con una sonrisa en los labios.


La receta para una space opera admite muchos ingredientes y puede dar lugar a platos muy diferentes dependiendo del chef que esté entre fogones. Rambo escoge crear muchas especies alienígenas que conviven más o menos en paz y macerarlas con mucho compañerismo y buen rollo, quizá pasándose un poco en la proporciones de optimismo frente a la tensión argumental.

La única forma que encuentra la protagonista de la historia para salir del control del ejército de una mente colmena es dedicarse a los fogones como expresión artística, ya que es una de las excepciones religiosas que permiten abandonar el servicio sin ir con los pies por delante. El libro comienza con Niko Larson, dirigiendo un restaurante como antes dirigía los designios de su unidad de combate, transformados ahora en chefs y pinches de cocina. Se enfrentará a un gran reto, ya que recibe la visita que puede catapultar a su restaurante al olimpo culinario con la concesión del equivalente a una estrella Michelín. Lamentablemente, nada saldrá como tenía planeado y se verá arrastrada en un viaje para enfrentarse con su pasado.

Con este inicio tan peculiar asistiremos a una serie de peripecias a las que se verán expuestas Niko y si tripulación, que tiene entre cero y menos cuatro capacidad de decisión sobre su destino y las acciones que podrán llevar a cabo. El tono desenfadado y poco serio del libro es el adecuado para una historia que más que ciencia ficción es fantasía, con transformaciones mágicas, clonación de cuerpos, piratas espaciales y alienígenas atractivos. Todo un cóctel que quizá queda un poco espeso de lealtad y felicidad grupal, pero que levantará el ánimo de cualquier lector que le de una oportunidad.

Las situaciones rocambolescas en las que se encontrarán Niko y sus compañeros incluyen unos diálogos descacharrantes con You Sexy Thing, la bionave sintiente que se lleva todo el protagonismo en cada escena en la que participa y que gracias a sus interacciones irá descubriendo nuevos elementos de su personalidad, bastante poco desarrollada hasta el momento. Creo que es la mejor invención de Rambo en la novela, consiguiendo un personaje memorable que destaca sobre los demás. Quizá solo por eso merezca la pena el libro, aunque como también tiene segunda parte os podré decir si la serie sigue por los mismos derroteros.

I'll read almost anything billed as a space opera, but add in references to GBBO and I am in!! I was immediately drawn in by the cover of this one and that title, how could I not pick it up? I had such a fun time with You Sexy Thing and really enjoyed the crew. I'm not sure if there will be more to this series but I look forward to seeing what comes next and having some of my open questions answered. Definitely a great opener, and a light hearted, enjoyable, space romp!

An assortment of ex-soldiers, human and alien, have recently retired from the a mind-linked military ad are about to realize their dreams: their restaurant is about to be reviewed by the foremost restaurant critic of the galaxy and possibly receive a coveted award. Wealthy patrons will then flock to their establishment, and riches will flow their way. What could possibly go wrong? To begin with, a package containing a possible imperial heir, an explosive assault on the space station in which they live and work, and being kidnapped by a sentient bioship, You Sexy Thing, which is programmed to take them to a prison planet before it’s hijacked by the most notorious, vicious, scheming pirate king of all time. So of course, the way out of their dilemma is to teach the ship to cook…

Cat Rambo’s space opera is at times hilarious, emotionally deep, complex, and playful, but always vastly entertaining. The worldbuilding details drew me along as the plot darkened and the characters revealed layer upon intricate layer of depth. I’m a sucker for stories that hook me with humor and whimsy before socking me in the gut. You Sexy Thing delivers on all counts. I’m particularly pleased to see that Rambo left the door open to a sequel, although with storytelling skill like this, I’ll gladly follow her into whatever new universe her imagination concocts.

It was a fun space romp! While I wish it was a bit better, it came out just alright for me. The characters were fine, but they aren't the kind that stick around in my head after I read it. But thank you for letting me try it out!

You Sexy Thing is a virtuosic standalone SF novel by Cat Rambo. Released 16th Nov 2021 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

I've been a fan of the author for years and some of their short fiction is not just good, but sublime. The writing here is, as always, competently written and eminently readable. The main themes here, of found family, finding one's purpose, and making the universe a slightly better place, sit side by side with LGBTQIA+ representation (which -hallelujah- does *not* drive the entire plot), adventure, and a solid mix of humor which surprised a chuckle out of me in several places.

There is so much going on in the plot that it could easily have devolved into a muddled chaotic mess, but the author is skilled and technically so adept at their craft that the whole gels into a cohesive and entertaining melange.

The titular "Sexy Thing" is an AI bio-ship central to the plot, and this is not a racy/sexy book by any salacious definition of the word. There is some inherent violence (it's a pirate space opera), but again, not egregious, and the violence is integral to the plot. As in much of the author's oeuvre, there is heavy tragedy mixed in amongst the humor. I found the second half of the book hard going at places.

Four stars. All in all a good and worthwhile space opera with some foodie moments. The author writes very very well.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I picked this up as I’ve previously enjoyed Cat Rambo’s short fiction – in particular Red in Tooth and Claw as well as Every Breath A Question, Every Heartbeat an Answer and I was curious what a longer story from them would look like. They’re particularly good at looking at what comes after being a solider and in this respect You Sexy Thing is no different. But this makes it sound heavier than it is. The most straightforward comparison is A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, in that both books have a crew that is very close with a new member who is put among them and becomes one of them. But that does both books a disservice. You Sexy Thing has a much more cohesive story although this doesn’t stop the action shifting from various ships and planets.

While there is a large cast of characters each of them is distinct and memorable – from Dabry, Niko’s second in command who’s also the head chef and passionate about his herbs and spices, to Skidoo, who is Octopi shaped but formed of two symbiotic beings and is unembarrassed about seeking their pleasures where they can. Atlanta, the outsider to the crew is both naive but capable in her own way and her development over the story, in particular the ending is both satisfying and adds to the comfort factor of the book. Finally, the star of the book is the ship You Sexy Thing. A sentient bio-ship, they have gone through a succession of owners who have barely stretched their potential and Niko’s crew give them plenty of opportunities to experience new emotions such as pride, petulance, novelty, a sense of learning and a range of others. Rambo’s description of these is perfect and very much endears you to You Sexy Thing as they’re very much their own character in a way that’s different to other ship’s AI. It doesn’t feel like a human voice, but is a person in their own right.

Overall the plot shifts between Niko’s past and the crew’s present with several flashbacks from different characters. While the short works well as a standalone, there are plenty of hints at a wider story, both with a sinister threat, and the mystic Lassite’s constant mutterings about the importance of Niko to the Golden Spiral and following the path. All in all it was an enjoyable sci-fi adventure, and I would look forward to seeing what’s in store for Niko and the others.

You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo is a action-packed sci-fi novel of found family, peril, and cooking, blended together in a remarkable and entertaining way.

Niko and her restaurant staff are military veterans who managed to break away from their old lives by convincing the military that Niko is a culinary artist. Her real artistry is in keeping the ragtag bunch of former soldiers working together as they try to get her space station restaurant off the ground. But just when things look like they’re heading for success, disaster strikes, and the staff find themselves hurtling toward a horrible destination, and then toward a worse one.

One of the interesting things in this novel is the use of third person omniscient point of view, which allows the narrative to flow from one character to another as if a camera that could read their minds was moving amongst them. While it may take a little bit of getting used to, Rambo uses the technique to excellent effect, allowing for “head hopping” with intent.

You Sexy Thing is described as a mashup of Farscape and The Great British Bake-Off, and that’s an apt comparison. Not quite as zany as Space Opera by Cat Valente, there’s still plenty of humor blended into the mix of You Sexy Thing, and it’s likely to appeal to fans of sci-fi, cooking, and a whole lot of weirdness!

The publisher provided me with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for review consideration.

I really like the social commentary present in a lot of sci fi, and You Sexy Thing is no exception. Despite the name, this book is not a romance (though, as with most fiction, there are romantic sub-plots) and I liked the way this book critiqued war, imperialism, classism, racism and more. Some of the commentary is more up front (The Holy Hive Mind being the prime example), while others (the language and social barriers faced by sentient people resembling earth animals) are more integrated into the world-building.

Niko was an amazing main character and I really liked the setting of a fine-dining restaurant stocked by ex-military staff. I think it's a set-up that has huge potential, and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here. I can't list every character I thought was amazing (it'd be pretty much all of them) but I particularly liked Niko, Atlanta, Darby, Talon and Thorn, the Thing and the way they all interacted as friends, members of a team, and operatives under Niko's command.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Lassite’s prophecies, as I feel they took away from the suspense as much as added to it. However, I have to admit my bias in the situation. I’m never a huge fan of prophecy or time travel in books, as I think they rarely add to a story. It can be done well, and I don’t think most people would take issue with how it is done in You Sexy Thing. I also think there was a couple of coincidences in the storyline that strain belief a little, although I wouldn’t be surprised if they are explained further in future novels. The first book in a series always has a hard time of telling an engaging story in its own right, while also laying the foundation for what is to come. I think You Sexy Thing strikes a good balance between the two, I am just (as always) impatient to know more.

Some of the first sci-fi novels I ever read were Anne McCaffrey’s Ship Who Sang series, and I adored the Thing’s additions to this book. I loved the diversity of characters in general, and the representation of gender and sexual minorities was incredible. I think in science fiction especially, racial, sexual or gender homogeneity is less explainable than a joyful array of sexuality and gender, and I always like to read the variations that authors come up with. I also liked the world building surrounding religion, the sourcing of food/eating of meat, clones and sentience.

Overall, I really enjoyed You Sexy Thing and I think things wrapped up well. I was surprised that some issues never came to a head in this book, but the novel was fast-paced, exciting and fun, and as a lover of long series, I am not mad in the slightest. However, if you prefer stand-alone novels or episodic plots with all loose ends tied up by the end of the book, be warned, there is some fairly major unfinished business at the end of this novel.

I think You Sexy Thing would appeal to people who would prefer a less maths based alternative to Yoon Ha Lee’s Machineries of Empire or SL Huang’s Cas Russel series; to people who enjoyed The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong; to lovers of classic sci fi with a fun, fast-paced take; and to anyone who enjoyed the found-family heist feel of Six of Crows, but would prefer a few more space battles and explosions.

I love a good space opera, especially if it features a sentient spaceship, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a science fiction novel before in which food and cookery play such a big part as they do in Cat Rambo’s You Sexy Thing. A fun, action-packed SF adventure with a brilliantly diverse cast of characters and a pacy, page-turning plot, it opens on a remote space station with a group of ex-soldiers whose only way of escaping service to the Holy Hive Mind was to set up a restaurant and throw themselves into their new line of work. When TwiceFar station is destroyed, the soldiers-turned-restaurateurs escape on the aforementioned sentient spaceship (the titular You Sexy Thing, of course) only to find themselves in arguably even more trouble – involving a dead celebrity, a dubious food critic, pirates, an awkward ship and an unexpected new addition to the team.

If that all sounds like gentle, light-hearted fun, well…it is, in some respects. There’s a lovely dynamic between Niko Larsen – ex-captain of the Holy Hive Mind – and her team, sort of part military unit, part work colleagues, part dysfunctional family, and indeed there’s a strong theme of found family running throughout. For all that it’s often very funny though, that light breeziness hides a darker backstory to these characters, and there are some genuinely bleak moments scattered throughout the story. The Holy Hive Mind might sound like a bizarre mix of Monty Python and Warhammer 40,000 but it’s a pretty dark concept, an expansionist military power that’s part cultish religion, part creepy collective consciousness. The prospect of being forced to return to the Holy Hive Mind hangs over Niko and her team at all times, and over the course of the story it gradually becomes clear just how much they’ve all been through together before reaching this point, and how personal the stakes really are.

That backstory becomes increasingly important as the book progresses and the darkness starts to set in, Niko’s past coming back to haunt her even as more of this intriguing setting is revealed to us as readers. The world building on display is light touch but really impactful, and in particular the wild variety of alien races makes for a lot of fun. The visual archetypes behind these characters – the squidlike Skidoo, feathered Milly, leonine twins Thorn and Talon, and so on – go in some interesting directions, not least with the benignly promiscuous, sensation-seeking Skidoo, and the sheer variety lends itself beautifully to a story in which diversity and respect play important parts. For all the action and adventure, all the cool tech and weird aliens, what has the most impact is the relationships these characters have with each other and with the world around them – as SF settings go, this feels like one you might actually want to spend some time in.

It’s not often you read a space opera in which cooking plays as important a role as fighting or adventuring, but it works beautifully and adds a delightful extra element to this story, and there’s something genuinely satisfying about a spaceship trying to wrap its hyper-advanced brain around the culinary arts. These little moments of whimsy – including a few enjoyable pop culture references – fit perfectly in with all the other elements of this fun, irreverent novel, balancing out the darker aspects that lurk beneath the surface. All told, You Sexy Thing nails that brilliant sense of scope and potential that space opera allows for, but its own unique blend of ingredients (obligatory cooking reference) give it a sense of identity that sets it apart from the rest of the SF crowd. It’s fresh and it’s fun, and I can’t wait for the sequel (in the meantime though, I can see myself investigating Cat Rambo’s back catalogue!).

Many thanks to Cat Rambo and Tor Books for sending me a copy of You Sexy Thing, in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fun! It took me about fifty pages to get into the omniscient narration style but once I did I didn’t want to put this book down! The idea of an ex-military squadron owning and operating a restaurant was a space opera plot I didn’t know I needed in my life! There’s a reason I love the found family trope so much! And the sentient bioship was just icing on the cake! The food aspect of this book is compared to Great British Bake-Off (GBBO) but really there wasn’t as much food content as I expected from the tagline. It more embodies the feeling you get from watching GBBO.

This book reminded me a lot of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series. There are some pretty heavy parts in this story but they’re infused with hope and a good dose of sarcastic wit. I laughed a lot but there are some places where I cried. It still makes me sad to think of some of the events of this book.

The other reason this reminds me of Becky’s books is that the aliens are diverse and peculiar. They act alien and not like pseudo-humans. I loved the whole crew so much! The Farscape comparison is a good one.

The story is billed as a standalone and while it ended in a satisfactory way, it is open-ended enough that a whole series could be written from this book. I, for one, am hoping for some more books following this crew and their culinary and non-culinary adventures!

a GREAT read. the characters are really interesting and I was immediately invested in them. it's a really cool world and the magic system is interesting. the world building got a little complicated but not in a bad way. we love a found family!! I think the story thread got a bit tangled in the end but I really liked it.
the food was super cool it's really involved in a lot of the story and it's integrated well.
I was waiting for an explanation as to why the ship was named 'you sexy thing' which I didn't get but aside from that the ship was my favorite.