An incompetent, accident-prone pilot is given one last chance to save his ship. An ageing robot is trusted with a midnight landing in a deserted field. And a desperate businessman is prepared to sacrifice both of them to get what he wants ...

Combining relentless action with non-stop laughs, Hal Spacejock explodes onto the science fiction scene with the subtlety of a meteor strike and the hushed reverence of a used car salesman.

"Better than Red Dwarf" Tom Holt

"The quirkiest genre satire to hit bookstores since Terry Pratchett's Discworld" The West Australian

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.

Now the finance company is despatching heavies to all points of the compass, desperate to track Hal down and extract money and/or vital organs. Meanwhile, on a nearby planet, a wealthy businessman needs a freelance cargo pilot for a suicidal cargo mission. Ideally, he wants a desperate, debt-ridden loser . . .  (Amazon.com)

From the Inside Flap
Space pilot for hire

Bored with on-time deliveries? Want your valuable cargo strewn across the nearest planet? Call Hal Spacejock!

Partial deliveries, non-arrivals and total write-offs a specialty.

Visit Hal Spacejock by Simon Haynes Download Page

Download Hal Spacejock (The first book in a series) - Free!

"Fast, funny, quirky, enthralling comedy adventure" Tom Holt

• Paperback: 349 pages
• Publisher: Fremantle Press (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192073189X
• ISBN-13: 978-1920731892

The Hal Spacejock series to date:

1. Hal Spacejock (2005)
2. Hal Spacejock: Second Course (2006)
3. Hal Spacejock: Just Desserts (2007)
4. Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch (2008)

Simon Haynes - Biography

Simon Haynes is the author of four Hal Spacejock novels, a number of articles on writing and publishing, and several short stories, one of which collected an Aurealis Award in 2001. He divides his time between writing fiction and computer software, with the occasional round of golf thrown in for a laugh.

Born in the UK and raised in the south of Spain, Simon emigrated to Australia with his family in 1983. He's a founding member of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and lives in Perth with his wife and two children.

His goal is to write fifteen Hal Spacejock books before someone takes his keyboard away.

Chapter 1

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. Recently he'd skimmed an article extolling the benefits of the ancient game: how playing it would sharpen his mind, improve his memory and increase his attraction to the opposite sex. Chess had been an important part of his daily routine ever since, but after two hundred and seventy-six losses in a row Hal was beginning to doubt the article's claims. He didn't feel any smarter and he couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to a member of the opposite sex, let alone attracted one. Briefly, he wondered whether it was such a clever idea to play against the Navcom, the Black Gull's onboard computer. Underpowered and outdated, it was still more than capable of running the ship's accounts, navigation and life support systems while beating humans at simple board games. However, since Hal was the only human aboard the Black Gull, his choice of opponents was limited.

'Your turn,' said the Navcom, in a neutral female voice.
'I'm thinking.'
'While you're planning your opening move, can I tell you about a special offer?'
'What kind of offer?' asked Hal suspiciously.
'Planet Books have a chess title on sale.'
'Really? Put it on main.'

The wide viewscreen above the console turned red, and the word 'SALE' appeared in vibrating yellow text. The letters grew legs and marched off the screen, bringing a wire basket on wheels into view. ...

Comments (1)

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment