Book Reviews
Look, if you want the full Clusterfuk, check these shenanigans out!
clint clusterfuk
by lucas pederson
About
He was eleven when the alien bug broke into his home, slaughtered his family, and left him with superior strength and weird healing powers. The years since, he’s been the REAL super, intergalactic badass. Like, the baddest. No one could ever compare. Maybe. He leads teams and platoons into battles, ending planetary wars before they can even begin. He singlehandedly saves Earth Two from two invasions and stops an intergalactic war. So what if too many people die and planets are destroyed.
At least the threats are gone, right? Right. He’s soon a respected, although infamous, Elite Sergeant for the Supreme Elite Division. Everything goes beautifully until he’s stripped of his stripes and banished to Earth One for not only following orders, putting his platoon in danger. He wakes up in Australia with parasitic kangaroos and–
BLAH-BLAH-BLAH. Look, if you want the full Clusterfuk, check these shenanigans out! I promise…you’ll come back for more.
WARNING: THIS BOOK IS FOUL MOUTHED, VIOLENT, AND BRIMMING WITH BAD JOKES! YOU’LL LOVE IT! BUT, YA KNOW, YOU’VE BEEN WARNED! SHUT UP.
My Thoughts
I make no secret of my love of over the top stories. Whether it be drunken dwarven berserkers, space pirates or weird aliens, those stories just appeal to me. When I heard the premise for Clint Clusterfuk, I knew I had to check it out. I have to say, this is a decision I can’t regret, because wow, is that a lot of crazy fun.
MY THOUGHTS
This book has some great world building to go with the hilarious characters. Starting on an alien world where the creatively named main character and his unit are facing off against an overwhelming force. Well, while Clint’s commander’s may think that’s an issue, for an epic bad ass like Clint, it’s just another day at the office, so lots of explosions and dead aliens later, mission accomplished.
This all sounds great, but he made his commander look bad, so the higher ups cashier him and exile him to a new role on Earth.
That role? Roo hunter in Australia. But these aren’t the cute kangaroo’s you think of. These are giant carnivorous mutant rabies Roos that would as soon as kill and eat you as look at you. This is common in this dystopian Australia, which already had dangerous fauna before climate collapse, which ended up mutating the animals. The people Clint works with in Australia are just as eclectic as he is, and really add some flavor to that section.
Clint picking up Aussie cursing is also hilarious, since he often reacts to using those words in tense situations with a hilarious inner monologue.
A couple years in Australia lead to Clint’s being recalled to do what he does best, kill giant bug aliens on a space station, while retrieving something for his mysterious benefactor. What follows is one of the craziest, over the top battle scenes I have ever read. From the moment he lands on the station things get so over the top nuts its just a glorious, snark filled contest, Clint and the occasional ally versus the hungering hoard.
This has to be one of the most gonzo, incredibly violent while simultaneously hilarious scenes I’ve ever read, and it leads one of the most frenetic but satisfying endings you’re likely to ever read.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really got drug into the story, in the best possible way. Is this the most complex, intricately woven sci-fi with massive universe shaking consequences? Nope. Not even close. What it is is just a throwback to the kind of old pulp sci-fi you’d read 70 years ago, but updated to add modern humor and tech. Clint is just such an over the top parody of a space marine that you can’t help but laugh and strap in for the wild ride he’s taking the reader on.
I think as long as you have a sense of humor, and are a fan of sci-fi, you can find something to enjoy in this story. It’s a definite recommended read.
RATING: 8/10 STARS
Check Out My Other Reviews
Review – Ritual of Bone by Lee C. Conley
Review – Eldritch Ops by C.T. Phipps
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Steve Caldwell
I have literally been a fan of fantasy/magic my whole life, with some of the earliest memories I have being my mother stories of brujas and spirits in the town in Puerto Rico where she was born. What really flipped the fantasy switch on full, though, was discovering a battered copy of the Sword of Shannara that cost me 25 cents at the local used book store when I was 11.
Its been a long journey since that day almost 40 years ago, and thousands of books later, here we are. Living with my wife, our two non-adult kids, four cats and a vicious attack beast Chihuahua about an hour south of Seattle, I’m glad to be able to share my love of fantasy and science fiction, especially Indie and small press, with anyone who’s interested.