It is tough to find the right kind of funny when it comes to books and even harder when it comes to humorous sci-fi. I dip my toes in these waters often and usually come away perplexed as to why other reviewers thought the book was funny. I took a similar chance on this one and while I do like the main character Hank the overall story leaves a lot to be desired. Steven Campbell tells a meandering tale that fluctuates between interesting and mind numbing and Hank's humorous outlook on life just wasn't enough to carry the day with this one.
Hank is a mutant and his special power is that he is pretty much indestructible. He leverages this to his advantage on the space station Belvaille, which is in a nowhere part of space on the ass end of the galaxy. Over the years Belvaille has come to be inhabited by a bunch of criminals and has a number of mob bosses who often disagree with each other. Of course this usually turns to violence and Hank with his mutant power finds himself well suited to be the go between to keep the peace. He happily leads his life here keeping rival factions from killing each other until all of a sudden Belvaille becomes the focus of the entire Colmarian Confederation. The book then goes through a myriad of almost random events which continually result in Hank needing to constantly save the day despite his lack of qualifications to do so.
Hank's inner monologue as he finds himself at the center of these events is what keeps things entertaining. Hank is a good natured guy who is able to stay cool in any dangerous situation because he is not likely to die no matter what happens. Hank isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer which only adds to his charm and gives him a unique and entertaining perspective as ridiculous events occur to him and Belvaille. Hank reluctantly takes on each new challenge that the galaxy throws at him and you can't help but root for him to succeed.
I thought Liam Owen did a good job with the voices in the audiobook and his portrayal of Hank made him larger than life which was a great fit. Unfortunately I don't plan to continue the series at this time which is a shame because Hank really is a fun character; however, one good character just isn't enough for me. There are 5 books in the series right now and on both Goodreads and Audible the reviews for the latter books are more positive than they are for this one so maybe I will eventually give it a try.