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Hal Spacejock
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Read Hal Spacejock
Hal Spacejock: Book 1

Hal Spacejock (2011) (edit title/settings)

by Simon Haynes (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

A perennial loser, Hal Spacejock borrowed heavily to fund his intergalactic cargo business. His loyal customers evaporated after several highly publicised mishaps, and mounting bills have confined him to planet Lamira, a mining colony with the vibrant, up-and-coming economy of a rubbish tip. ... read more

Summary edit see section history

Hal took out a loan to fund his freight business, but so far he's not undertaken a single cargo job. He's stuck on a mining planet with no prospect of honest work and no money for fuel, but he does have a plan: Borrow more money!
When the loan arranger turns up Hal is rather surprised to... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Hal took out a loan to fund his freight business, but so far he's not undertaken a single cargo job. He's stuck on a mining planet with no prospect of honest work and no money for fuel, but he does have a plan: Borrow more money!
When the loan arranger turns up Hal is rather surprised to learn he's there to collect on the original debt. Faced with bodily harm, Hal takes the least-illegal sounding job available to him, which is transporting crates of robot parts to a nearby planet.
The businessman who hires him, Walter Jerling, is less than impressed with Hal's record, and insists on assigning a co-pilot. Hal doesn't care who is assigned to him, as long as he gets paid.
Then the co-pilot turns up, and ... it's a junky old robot. Hal is not impressed. THIS clapped out robot is supposed to fly his own ship better than he can? (Audience cries: YES!) What if it breaks down during the flight? What if it can't see straight? What if its arms fall off at the wrong moment?
Ready to back out of the arrangement, Hal calls Jerling to lay out the law. Jerling ignores him, steamrollers him, and terminates the call. Hal sends the robot to the cargo hold and prepares to take off. Unfortunately port control won't let him thanks to unpaid landing fees & taxes.
Hal leaves the robot in the ship and heads off to port control to sort out the misunderstanding. On the way he accidentally destroys a harmless maintenance robot and starts a huge fuel leak.
Meanwhile, Clunk is playing with the ship's flight simulator, attempting to find the mythical robot planet of Aklam. Naturally, all robots dream of Aklam. (= AC Lamb, = Electric Sheep. Nobody got this in the past 10 years so I might as well spell it out now.)
Hal argues with the port commander, Clunk smells smoke. Hal is impressed when the robot calls to say the landing field is on fire. Clever robot, thinking up a wheeze like that! Unfortunately the plumes of smoke are all too real, and very close to the ship.
While Hal races towards his pride and joy, Clunk wades into the smoke and does his best with an empty fire extinguisher, a toy spade and a plastic blanket off Hal's bed. (He tried the fire hose but it wasn't connected.) His battery fades and he topples into the stubble. Hal spots him but assumes he's the fallen maintenance robot. He gets aboard, seals the ship and lifts off, accidentally deploying a cargo hook at the same time. Clunk comes around, runs for and grabs the hook, and ends up dangling from the freighter as it powers into the sky.

That's the first 6 chapters out of 32, and I'm exhausted. Might continue later.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Hal Spacejock: Hal is a well-meaning freighter pilot with an exaggerated idea of his competence, intelligence and appeal to the opposite sex. He'll step into a situation to help you out, but don't be surprised if he makes everything much, much worse.
  • Clunk: Hal and Clunk meet in the first book, when Clunk saves Hal from a nasty crash and Hal saves Clunk from a recycling depot (where the robot had been sent under false pretences.)
  • The Navcom: Hal's flight computer. Snarky, sarcastic, extremely polite and not at all obliging. Obsessed with upgrades and ignoring orders it doesn't agree with or particularly feel like obeying.
  • Walter Jerling: Wealthy businessman who is happy to bend a rule or two to get what he wants. Big on public gestures, as long as there's a return in it for him. Still works out of his original tatty office, even though there's a multi-story company building nearby, because OHAS won't let him smoke his beloved cigars anywhere else.
  • Farrell Hinchfig: One of two brothers battling to save their long-lost father's business. Farrell is a playboy, more interested in spending money than earning it. He wants to revitalise the business, push it in new directions, but his brother is a reactionary.
  • Gordon Hinchfig: The second Hinchfig brother. Older and wiser, he's the head of the family business. Unfortunately he believes in keeping everything exactly the way his missing father left it ... right down to the outdated products. His few attempts to innovate have been complete disasters, and he now spends most of his time designing new and ever more desperate ads for the same junk they were selling twenty years earlier.
  • Vurdi Makalukar: A freelance debt collector with a rather large enforcer robot. He's chasing both Hal and Farrell for money.
  • Carina Rinoret: Jerling's assistant and PA.
  • Regan Muller: Runs a company called Incubots, on Seraph IV.
  • Terrance Bull (aka Terry): Farrell's right-hand man, bruiser and enforcer. Attracted to guns, bombs, knives and other weapons of manual destruction.
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Hal glanced round at the fugitives, then jerked his thumb at the taller, bronze robot. 'You can be Clyde, and he can be Albion.”
  • “''I think that's Bonnie,' said the shorter robot, in a deep voice.”
  • “Hal looked pleased. 'I'm glad you like it. My name's Hal, by the way. Hal Spacejock.'”

First Sentence edit see section history

Hal Spacejock was sitting at the Black Gull’s flight console, his attention riveted to a small chessboard balanced amongst the toggle switches, flashing lights and status displays.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 4 in Hal Spacejock. (standard series)

Followed by Second Course.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Simon Haynes (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Bowman Press
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: August 15, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 514 KB

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Suitable for ages 15+ Contains double-entendres and a handful of minor swear words (s--t is the worst, used a couple of times)

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
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