This book is a fast read, the best character is an AI ship. The lead human is not gifted with a lot of common sense, the aliens are given short descriptions that give you little information about them and the storyline is not original. Human is drafted to fulfil his father's contract as a repo agent , covering the galaxy in his own semi broken down spaceship.

This sci fi story made me smile. It was well worth the read and was a refreshingly original tale. I look forward to reading a sequel to this adventure.

This was such a quirky, quick read! I liked the characters and the premise very much. The story moved quickly, and the way the narrative left off makes me want to go read the next book post haste! If you're looking for something deep and drawn out and meaningful, this isn't it. This book is just fun to read!

So all the other reviews are saying the same thing and it’s true it is very ‘Guardians of the galaxyesque. And it’s worth a read too,
Defo have a looksee if the GOTG is up your street..


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Our protagonist is Frank Woods, a run-of-the-mill college kid whose biggest aspiration is to become a truck driver. But that all goes away when he's abducted by an alien and press-ganged into a gig as an intergalactic repo man. Or, to be more precise, his deadbeat dad willed the job to him. With a lifetime of debt to pay off and an inherited ship (and its deadpan sarcastic AI) to get him there, Frank will have to navigate alien encounters, red tape, system failures, and GOD themselves to get his job done.

Secondhand Spaceman has a relatively fun premise and wastes no time getting down to business, but the story itself appears to fluctuate between what it does best and what it wants to do. At its peaks, Frank is coming to terms simultaneously with the trauma of his youth and the terror of his new situation, discovering more about himself and with the potential to become a really capable, really unlikely hero. In its troughs, it leans into the sort of Guardians of the Galaxy quippy referential humor that's hit-or-miss even at the best of times. The books are engaging, intriguing, and even legitimately funny when the one-liners are relaxed and Frank is allowed to interact with his new reality in an honest way. Should future books embrace that, this series has some genuine promise.

An enjoyable read. Loved the snarky computer! Frank is just a kid but makes a life change from future truck driver to space ship captain. Talk about career change.
The banter between Frank and the computer is great.
Can’t wait for the next one.

The characters did not grab my attention. I struggled with relating to any of them because I felt like the reaction of the main character after being abducted by a purple alien was too tongue and cheek.

Thanks to Rachel Aukes, Waypoint Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick, easy read of a story that had a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe. The main character, Frank, is kidnapped off Earth and forced to work as a repo man taking jobs from his boss and others to earn money and eventually his freedom.

The book moved along quickly and was entertaining but it was short. I look forward to future adventures that take on more complexity and depth.

Review added manually to Goodreads due to linking problems.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6080923573

"Secondhand Spaceman" is a delightful sci-fi novella. A Terran is kidnapped and forced to become a space repo man alone on a ship with only a sarcastic computer for company. It's fun, fast-paced, and adventurous. There's cool science stuff, blaster fights, and a snappy ship's computer. I already preordered book two after reading this book in one sitting.

Book one in a four book series this sets the stage for the following books. A abducted earth man. His outspoken space ship ad plenty of tension and danger. This is a fun romp as he learns about aliens and what he has to do to survive. Does end in a cliff hanger. On the plus side the next books are out so no wait to read the entire series.

This was like if Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) got snatched up and kidnapped off into space at the age of 19 instead of 8.

Teenager Frank's life is not going well. His girlfriend has just left him for his best friend, his Dad abandoned him years ago, his mum has passed away, and he's just been abducted by an alien on his way into class.

Lol.

Turns out, his dad didn't abandon him. Funny story- he was also kidnapped by the same alien that just took Frank and now Frank is on the hook to complete his Dad's contract as an intergalactic repo man.

Shennanigans ensue.

*****

It's hard with such a short book to decide how I feel quite yet so I settled on 3 stars (which means I liked it). But it feels a bit like when you're in the first 30% of a full-length book where you're enjoying yourself fine but you're not totally invested yet, ya know?

Luckily, this is a planned series of novellas. A serialised story, if you will. So there will be more opportunities to get to know Frank and the other characters in future instalments.

I'd say Secondhand Spaceman would make an excellent palate cleanser in between bigger tomes and would be enjoyed by anyone into absurdist SFF or those looking for a short and fun one-sitting read!

I appreciated Aukes's creativity: the space world and cast of characters she created felt original, as did the premise of a young man kidnapped by aliens and forced to work as a space repo man. I could see the book working really well for older high school readers who are interested in sci-fi, especially if they are more reluctant readers: the short length and heavy action would likely draw them in.

The novella didn't quite work for me, personally: it felt too short to get invested in Frank or empathize with him. He seemed really quickly resigned to his unfortunate situation and content to just coast along as the situation took him. I know the book is the first in a four-novella release, but I was disappointed by the abrupt ending. I think it's also a smidge old for the teen/YA audience: Frank is out of high school, and some of his language or focus on checking out women/aliens make me hesitant to recommend this to my audience of middle school and high school teachers who are often looking for titles they can recommend from the front of the classroom.

Thank you NetGalley and Waypoint Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Review: I wanted to give this novella a five start rating but it was just too dang short. A galactic repo man is not a new thing under the sun but the writing talent is. What is great about this version is the multitude of weird aliens at every stop. The writing flows really well and the wit is well invented. Fun read.

Rating: 4.2