Grease Monkey - Softcover

Eldred, Tim

Softcover

ISBN 10: 076531326X ISBN 13: 9780765313263

Publisher: Tor Books, 2008

Synopsis

Caught in the crossfire of an interstellar war, our Earth was bombed to flinders--and then repaired. The mysterious alien Benefactors who healed the planet also offered "uplift" to our dolphins and gorillas. The dolphins turned them down. The gorillas said yes. As a result, we're now sharing our world with language-using, tool-making simians. Tensions are inevitable, in both directions, but it's gradually working out.

Decades later, teenage cadet Robin Plotnik has been assigned to Fist of Earth, a defense station high above Earth, keeping watch against further attacks by the interstellar Horde. Robin's a spacecraft mechanic-in-training, apprenticed to Chief "Mac" Gimbensky, a cranky but basically benign gorilla with issues of his own.

Fist of Earth is a challenging place to grow up. Robin and Mac maintain fighter craft for the all-woman "Barbarian Squadron", which constantly competes for prestige with the other squadrons based on Fist of Earth. Robin's trying to romance a young librarian, and he's far from sure he knows what he's doing. Most of all, he's constantly struggling to figure out his moody, mercurial boss.

Then he and his best friend become entangled in a burgeoning scandal over betting on the squadrons' standings. And just when things look like they've hit rock bottom, the worst thing imaginable arrives at Fist of Earth: an efficiency expert from Earth, determined to reorganize Robin's hard-won life, and the whole squadron system, out of existence.

Fresh and engaging, crammed with likeable characters and science-fictional inventiveness, Grease Monkey is like a classic "Heinlein juvenile" in sequential-art mode.

Introduction by Kurt Busiek, author of Astro City

About this title

About the Author

Author and artist Tim Eldred lives in San Diego, California. His books include Grease Monkey.

From the Back Cover

Praise for "Grease Monkey"
" Believable characters, good writing, humor and excitement. Who could ask for more?"
--Trina Robbins
" Delightful science fiction with a sense of humor, "Grease Monkey" is an all-ages series that doesn' t write down to its readership--and that' s much more rare than it should be."
--"Comic Shop News"
" What snuck up on me over the years was just how much is actually going on in this series. What I thought of as a loose string of stories--almost a sitcom set on a space station--was turning out more and more to be a single work, more ambitious, more structured and deeper than I'd realized. This wasn't a series, it was a novel--an episodic novel, to be sure, but a novel nonetheless."
--Kurt Busiek, author of "Astro"" ""City"

Reviews

First impressions can be deceiving. This tale, set in a postapocalyptic future, starts out by introducing young space cadet (and science fiction buff) Robin Plotnik as he reports for duty as a mechanic aboard the spaceship Fist of Duty. There he meets his superior, Mac Gimbensky, a talking gorilla who is rumored to eat people, and the Barbarians, a squadron of gorgeous female fighter pilots. It would seem that we are in the realm of juvenile sci-fi, bursting with undiluted adolescent male fantasies. But beneath the fantastic trappings, this is really a coming-of-age story that takes the form of a charming romantic comedy. While learning how to fit into shipboard society, Robin cautiously seeks to court a young librarian named Kara. As for the allegedly fearsome Mac, the gorilla not only becomes Robin's mentor and protector, but is something of an overgrown kid, who has a surprisingly touching romance with a female gorilla space fleet admiral. Eldred's writing is filled with gentle comedy and wise personal insights. His artwork is traditional in the best sense: not flashy but clear, efficient and handsome, and particularly good at conveying his cast's personalities. While swimming in some time-tested waters, this work should appeal to readers who appreciate a universal story and nuanced characterization with their space battles. (May)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Tor Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 076531326X
• ISBN 13: 9780765313263
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352