Bob's Saucer Repair (Bob and Nikki Book 1) Kindle Edition

I have to admit that I'm normally a bit of a stickler for editing. When I hit a misspelling, grammatical error or lapse in continuity, it knocks me out of the story and I start seeing the words instead of the imagery. With that said, I found the characters and premise compelling enough to push through the "unique" Jerry Boyd Style.I'm 6 books in and enjoying the ride. The writing isn't going to win him a Nebula, but it is absolutely entertaining.There are no chapters, no obvious breaks and a lot of issues that would drive an editor to drink. But I don't think that an editor was involved (or Jerry got them extremely drunk and kept them that way throughout the process.) Initially, I thought that this could be so much better if it was more polished, but I've become used to the style. Now I wonder if an editor and more structure might make it feel more stilted. There's an immediacy to the writing and a "roller coaster rush" that might be lost. There is a definite sense of "what did I miss?", but before you can get lost in it, he's on to the next plot point.Jerry Boyd writes in a stream of consciousness and primarily tells his story through dialog. It can take a bit of getting used to, especially when scenes change and time passes with no transition. You'll just find yourself in a new setting that you have to pick up through context. The style is more like a play than a book, but even a play has stage directions. You will absolutely find yourself going back and re-reading a sentence when you miss the switch and it clicks that you're in a new scene.With that said, I love his storytelling. His characters are a modern interpretation of the fast-talking characters of 30's and 40's dimestore mysteries and movies. His main characters are witty and have distinct personalities, though the secondary characters tend to be underdeveloped MacGuffins (and seem like dullards in comparison). It's going to become a problem if the NPCs don't become a little bit more three-dimensional as the series moves on. But, for now, they don't really need to be anything more. There are Bob's People and "one dimensional a-holes" and it works. Without turning it into a spoiler, there are also "one-dimensional a-holes" that make the transition to "friends of Bob" and gain depth and more complex motivations and personalities in the process.Virtually all of the primary characters also tend to catch the "groan-worthy pun and banter bug". But I've seen that happen in a lot in groups who start to fall into sync. That's just accelerated by the culture packs that everyone has access to and the almost psychic rapport that Bob & John share and inflict on others.His primary characters have a Robert Heinlein/Spider Robinson feel and that's one of the things that really kept me in the books. There's a lot of that quick-wit, humor, common-sense and acceptance of the absurd that flows through everyone in the inner circle. There is quite a bit of repetition of phrases and jokes starting to show up, but even that is somewhat natural for "real people". Unfortunately, it is a bit jarring in written characters. If it keeps up through the next 20+ books, it might become tedious.It's a fun ride and I'm absolutely enjoying every minute of it. I do think that they could be so much more with an editor providing direction. But, I'm entertained and loving it, in spite of that. We'll see if the turd stays polished through all 30+ books.

Jerry has written a great, fun, sci-fi comedy with lovable characters. However, because the book doesn't have any chapters, it's very hard to follow at times & you have to figure out on your own when the best places are to stop & take a reading break.

I like these books; I am in #8 now and having a good time. It's easy, however, to understand why other folks could tire of many of the features of the text. Let me address some of the complaints offered in the negative reviews.1. Improbable real estate transactions. Really, that's what pushes you over the edge. The books are works of fiction, so coincidence, luck, and improbability propel the plot. To be sure, the coincidences, luck, and improbabilities contiue chock-a-block, non-stop for book after book well into #8. If you are looking for realism in real estate transactions, take the negative review and head for the legal division of Amazon Kindle Books. (And, btw, the "Navy SEAL/Marine Scout Sniper/Sooper Green Beanie" appears soon enough to keep everything moving.)2. Only one character in the book. Not technically true, but many characters are set up as peers of Bob in most respects. That, in fact, is one of Bob's most essential features - a sense of camaraderie egalitarianism. The "crew" that Bob assembles are deeply sympatico. My take is that this is very Clancy-esque in that Bob's crew are uniformly capable people, and their adversaries are variously venal, stupid, aggressive, wimpy, or anti-social by some other measure.3. Technically inaccurate. This part of the review was a failure to read with comprehension or an intentionally unwarranted cheap shot. The exact passage in the book from which this complaint arises is: “I don’t know, but it’s putting out enough infra and ultrasonics to keep anything away.” It's the ultrasonics that are the problem, of course, but the infrasonics were detected as well. No technical violations in the presentation.Now all that said, let me try to characterize what the books are like.Snappy Dialog: Oh, yes. If you like movies from the 30s or 40s, like The Front Page or The Adventures of Robin Hood ("Why, you speak treason!" "Fluently.") or the James Cagney movie One, Two, Three - any dialog-heavy film such as Neil Simon adaptations - then these books won't be so off-putting. Another effect of the dialog-heavy writing is like reading a Gregory McDonald Fletch or Flynn book: they jut fly by. It's easy to read one in a day.Only One Character: Not true, of course, but it is not that far off the mark in some respects. The snappy dialog genre doesn't work as well with only one snappy dialoger (monologer?). It's a process of give as good as you get. Think Marx Brothers.My experience is that single snappy comebacks repeat too frequently; multiple characters get to crack the same wise multiple times each. Fortunately that does taper off a bit the further you get into the series. But I don't think it is ever going to stop. Same with some of the aw-shucks, good-old-boy set up. But there is even good reason for that. I'm on book #8, and the total elapsed time in the narrative is only two months.Some of the really old school science fiction writers (E. E. "Doc" Smith or A. E. Van Vogt, for example) followed the rule that they needed to introduce a new plot twist every 800 words. I have not been counting, but I have no doubt that Jerry Boyd has lapped the field.When I suggested that my wife might like these books, I cautioned that some of the grammar was off-putting: "... between him and I"-style. Then I remembered the review of The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress that complained about the broken English with missing "a" and "the" articles. Bob is supposed to be a southern Missouri hillbilly, so the first-person accounts are in character.These are short books. Things move fast. Lots of fun things happen. The plots have been consistently inventive, with unexpected themes and steadily expansive scope. There is more than a hint of a technical procedural, and the technical narrative hangs together pretty well. Never any doubt who anchors the side of the angels, though occasionally characters present a false face or turn about face.

Fun. Lots of cultural references, and banter. Plausible first contact story, includes many bits of mechanic's lore, auto repair work, some pirates, and bounties for catching same. The beginning of a great series.

A little too heavy on coincidences, but nothing that wouldn't make it worthwhile.I like the style, but a touch lighter would make funnier.

I liked it but would have liked it better with a bit less of the joking, not Practically Every comment has to be a joke. Also, I've never used off-color words in my life and prefer authors that don't as well. Believe it or not it's totally possible to have a great read without them.

I have just finished reading book number 31 of this series and decided to come back to leave a review of the series. As stated, I love this series. The humour and character interactions are first-class writing.I found this series from a recommendation by the author John Van Stry, who is on my "must buy as soon as available" list along with Jerry Boyd.

Humourous story, doesn't take itself seriously and the characters are great fun. Lots of good pins and word jokes galore.

Loved the characters. And made for a good read.The humour cracked me up.Some good one liners to use on my husband😉Looking for ward to more of this series. Well worth it.