On the HahaFiction shelf
Bob's Saucer Repair
Bob and Nikki · Book 1 · 2019
Bob comes home to find a repair job that his usual tools were never designed for: Nikki has a broken flying saucer at his garage. Helping her brings the mechanic and his friend John into the lives of visitors who need their vehicles, and sometimes themselves, patched up away from official attention.
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What makes it funny?
A spaceship breakdown calls for auto parts and a cutting torch. Bob’s readiness to help turns an alien encounter into something closer to a neighbor stopping by with engine trouble. Readers in science-fiction book groups enjoy the ordinary people making foolish decisions they recognize from everyday life.
The comedy at work
The characters bring local practical skills to problems from much farther away. Their informal response to alien visitors keeps the story close to a repair shop and its friendships, even when the work involves a saucer.
Try this if…
Readers describe it as light science-fiction pulp that’s easy to keep reading, with some quickly moving through several installments. The early books have an episodic shape, so it suits readers happy to follow everyday jobs and adventures as they arise.
Good to know
Readers who continued the series flag repeated statements and situations. In a review of the first three books, Jonathan Feinstein also found the plotting rambling and the characters’ successes sometimes too easy. Those traits may matter if you prefer tightly connected plots and harder-earned victories.
A few distinguishing details
- A flying saucer repaired with ordinary workshop tools
- A local mechanic and medic helping alien visitors
More funny first contact & aliens
Sources & further reading
- Jonathan Feinstein review
Review
- Fantastic Fiction bibliography
Book information
- Reader discussion
Reader discussion
- Paperback edition
Book information
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