# Dark Run

By Mike Brooks · Keiko, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/dark-run-d1c8fc23/

Captain Ichabod Drift and the smugglers aboard the Keiko prefer to keep their pasts private. Blackmail forces him to take a secret cargo to Earth, turning a job into a threat to the life his crew has built around evasion and dubious deals.

## What makes it funny?

Facing trouble over a fraudulent bounty, Drift suggests they should have substituted a shaved bear for the corpse. Rourke's objection is financial: importing a bear would have eaten up the profit. Their problem-solving remains cheerfully crooked even with weapons pointed at them.

### The comedy at work

Drift keeps making jokes under threat while Rourke answers him with practical objections. The narration contributes its own dry judgments, including an assessment of liquor that comes off worse than paint stripper.

### Try this if…

Crew loyalties, criminal schemes and wisecracks drive this smuggling adventure. Brooks has named Firefly as an inspiration, and readers drawn to a worn, working future with accessible science may find a familiar appeal.

### Good to know

The opening contains strong language and graphic, fatal gunfire. Its scruffy criminal setting comes with real violence.

## What to expect

- Genre: Science fiction
- On the shelf: Space opera
- Kind of humor: Banter · Dry wit
- Format: Novel
- Length: 368 pages
- Published: 2015

## A few distinguishing details

- A blackmailed smuggler carrying secret cargo to Earth
- A shaved-bear solution rejected on cost grounds
- Wisecracks during an armed confrontation

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Simon & Schuster lists Dark Run by Mike Brooks as a trade paperback, ISBN 9781481459532, with a length of 368 pages.](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Dark-Run/Mike-Brooks/Keiko/9781481459532)
- Author commentary: [Author interview](https://civilianreader.com/2015/06/02/interview-with-mike-brooks)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Dark-Run/Mike-Brooks/Keiko/9781481459532)
- Reading sample: [Opening chapter](https://reactormag.com/excerpts-dark-run-mike-brooks)