Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc
by Ash BishopPublished by: CamCat Books on September 6, 2022
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction, Humor
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Finding work is easy. Staying alive is a little bit harder.
When Russ Wesley finds an unusual artifact in his grandfather’s collection of rare antiquities, the last thing he expects is for it to draw the attention of a ferocious alien from a distant planet. Equally surprising is the adventurous team of intergalactic exterminators dispatched to deal with the alien threat. They’re a little wild, and a little reckless. Worse yet, they’re so impressed with Russ’s marksmanship that they insist he join their squad . . . whether he wants to or not.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Supernatural-esque hunting and tracking of unique creatures.
- Space travel and encounters reminiscent of Stargate SG-1.
- Fun space squad made up of unique beings.
- Interesting setting filled with surprises at every turn.
- Sarcastic protagonist everyman who accidentally succeeds at things.
- Fast-paced action.
Many thanks to CamCat Books and Turn the Page Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes taken from an unfinished version and may differ from the final product.
When I first read the description of this book, I absolutely knew I had to read it! It sounded like such a fun, rip-roaring adventure that I just couldn’t resist. Who doesn’t love a good alien-hunting squad? This one gave me all sorts of Stargate SG-1 vibes, and I was here for it.
Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc., is what would happen if Supernatural and Stargate SG-1 had a baby, taught it sarcasm, and released it onto the universe. It’s a fun, action-packed ride in a setting I absolutely loved!
I wasn’t disappointed on the adventure front, as this book launches the reader into space and introduces them to all sorts of interesting creatures. The “squad” in this is a bunch of bounty hunters, and while we don’t really get to know them well, their life is exciting, if not extremely dangerous. And then there’s poor Russ, thrust in the middle of it, whose sarcasm is almost endearing. The end seems to set up for a possible sequel or series, and I am 100% here for that.
Russ Wesley is thrust into an unexpected and dangerous world when he finds out aliens are real . . . the hard way.
You know, like when a hulking giant of a cat attacks him and tries to eat his face. Surprise! Russ is given an ultimatum: join the crew and hunt alien pests or have his mind wiped. Unfortunately, Russ isn’t particularly good at following instructions, and he chooses option three: say “screw the system” and find his own way to space.
The setting Bishop sets up is a thrilling and exciting one that I absolutely enjoyed following Russ into. Some aliens are humanesque in their appearance, but most are not. They come in all different shapes and sizes, with vastly different cultures. It was extremely interesting getting the chance to see all these different aliens, especially the species Russ ends up hunting with the squad.
As far as protagonists go, Russ is a rather interesting one. He doesn’t have a whole lot going for him, but he’s not a bad guy, either. He’s mostly an everyman.
Which is exciting, in some ways, because it made me feel like, hey, I could totally be accosted in the middle of the night and forced to become an alien bounty hunter, too!
The one major talent Russ has is his marksmanship, which he’s always been ridiculously good at. Other than that, Russ is a drifter with almost no money to his name, no real property, and his family is currently in turmoil after his grandfather’s passing, with the bank threatening to take the bookshop, his grandfather’s only legacy. In short, he’s down on his luck, dirt poor, and with absolutely no idea how to go forward. If that’s not relatable, I don’t know what is.
At his heart, though, beneath the delightfully sarcastic exterior, Russ really does want to help. He just doesn’t always know how.
Every good book needs a robot with an existential crisis and questionable morals, right?! So meet Steven Applebaum.
He is absolutely delightful, let me tell you. Honestly, it’s really Russ’s fault that he’s currently in an existential crisis, reading all the books he can get his supercomputer fingers on in order to find an answer to his dilemma. Of course, the answers he finds aren’t always the ones you might want him to find, but reading is subjective, okay?
Steven is a delightful character, and I absolutely want more of him! I don’t want to say too much about his character for fear of spoilers, but needless to say, you will definitely want to meet him.
I wanted so badly to like Nina’s character, but I just . . . didn’t. Actually, I straight-up hated her.
Nothing about her character makes sense to me, starting with her name. I’m not sure how Doreena becomes Nina instead of Doree . . . or Reena . . . or basically anything else other than Nina, nor does the book explain why that’s the nickname she went with. Not that it’s a big thing, because it isn’t, but inquisitive minds are dying to know!
Readers are told that Nina is super smart. After all, she’s pursuing her master’s and is apparently an engineering genius. Other than a few smart sentences of dialogue, Nina does nothing to exhibit this. Russ, sure, is smart and wily, but Nina? She does one dumb thing after another and is a damsel in distress more often than not.
I believe it was Bishop’s intent to make her a badass female protagonist, but to me, she read like a horrible female stereotype. She’s super hot with big boobs, to the point where it’s repeatedly commented on, and she even laments how hard it is that men have lusted after her since she hit puberty. Despite being super smart, she allows a man to sexually harass and stalk her and acts like there’s nothing she can do about it (though she does eventually do something, as low-key as it is).
Worse of all, another female character even warns Russ that she’s a taker and will use him for her own purposes, to his detriment. Which made me mad because surely not. I was ready to defend Nina! But no, side character was right. Nina was a useless waste of space that did nothing but cause Russ trouble and then made flimsy, pathetic excuses to justify her actions.
I can see some people liking Nina or even empathizing with her. But for me? The character was a huge miss and just frustrated me.
About Ash Bishop
Ash Bishop is a lifetime reader and a lifetime nerd, loving all things science fiction and fantasy. He has been a high school English teacher, and worked in the video game industry, as well as in educational app development. He even used to fetch coffee for Quentin Tarantino during the production of the film Jackie Brown. Bishop currently produces script coverage for a major Hollywood studio, but he spends his best days at home in Southern California with his wonderful wife and two wonderful children. He earned an MFA in Creative Writing from San Diego State University.
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You had me at SG-1.
I don’t think I’d like Nina either. I’m glad you enjoyed this overall.
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