The Sheriff of Yrnameer

June 8, 2009
A down-and-out space faring rogue finds himself the protector of a bunch of peacenik artisans in this lighthearted, adventure-filled debut from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
writer Rubens. Space adventurer Cole is a liar and a thief and a cheat, and he owes a lot of money to Kenneth, an alien who wants to incubate eggs in the deadbeat's brain. Cole's escape from Kenneth lands him in the middle of a scheme to deliver a batch of freeze-dried orphans to the backwater planet of Yrnameer, which turns out to be under attack from Cole's archenemy, the outlaw Runk. Cole's ludicrous exploits keep the laughs coming as Rubens grandly ignores the niceties of world building and coherent plotting in favor of clever pop culture references and a rocket-fast, knee-slapping narrative.

June 15, 2009
Picaresque first outing for former Daily Show writer/producer Rubens.

Gambler and petty criminal Cole owes large amounts of money, and indestructible, tentacled alien lobster Kenneth is determined to collect it. To make matters worse, Cole's spaceship's been disintegrated by a punctilious robot traffic cop. Cole steals another vessel, though he's not at all sure he knows how to pilot it, and acquires the usual array of unwelcome passengers. Bacchi, one of Cole's alien rivals in crime, attractive but irritatingly self-righteous social worker Nora and her cargo of freeze-dried orphans must all be delivered to the nonaligned planet Yrnameer. Cole scrapes up a conscience from somewhere and heads for Yrnameer with Kenneth in hot pursuit. An unfortunate navigational error deposits them in orbit next to Success!Sat 1, a corporate seminar satellite whose inmates have been given illegal implants that have turned them into zombie cannibals. After various adventures aboard the satellite, Cole finally reaches Yrnameer, only to find that he's signed up to be the sheriff and defend the peace-loving colonists against a motley band of bloodthirsty bandits.

Broadly amusing characters and situations, although the yarn never quite clicks as laugh-out-loud comedy.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 15, 2009
On the run from a tentacled bounty hunter with a macabre sense of humor and no mercy, space smuggler Cole steals a spaceship filled with a cargo of freeze-dried orphans and bound for the theoretically nonexistent planet of Yrnameer only to find, when he arrives, that this world is in need of a sheriffa position that seemed doomed to failure. A former writer for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show", Rubens hits the jackpot with a zanily humorous parody of sf adventure, with tributes to space-opera and Western classics along the way. VERDICT Recalling the volatile and irreverent humor of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, this madcap journey through space will appeal to Pratchett's readers and fans of such sf film parodies as "Galaxy Quest" and "Space Balls".

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
The galaxy has been branded. Every world has a sponsorship deal, or several. Yrnameer is a legendthe last completely unbranded worldand its in trouble. Cole, leading man in the drama, has lost his girlfriend and his sidekick. Hes being chased by a terrifying alien bounty hunter. He steals his rivals ship to escape after his own is vaporized by an overzealous meter-robot, only to discover that its packed with dehydrated orphans and their guardians. Reluctantly, he agrees to help them get to Yrnameer, where they should be safe. Along the way, they meet a cast of fabulous characters, including a computer; aliens that are referred to as Greys (although they hate that); and even a few humans. The trouble isnt over when they reach Yrnameer. By a stunning coincidence, Coles archnemesis, Runk, is at the head of a band of outlaws attacking the town. A lot of fun to read, full of hilarity and mishaps.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)