While the message of the story is powerful, I cannot justify giving this more than one star due to the sheer volume of racist claptrap and vitriol that Hendrix has his main character spew. I have no interest in reading or hearing racial slurs. This was just tacky.

Early Grady; it was interesting and unlike anything else of his I've read. It's hard to talk about the message of this book without giving away major spoilers, but I believe the message Grady was trying to send and the one I think the book actually sends are almost diametric opposites. Not essential Grady Hendrix reading, but cute enough.

I really liked this novel, but it didn't have the same sharp humor as his other novels that I was looking for. It may have just been his adoption of the character and effort to put things in a more Walter perspective. I still really enjoyed it, and I think this book was evidence of how he's evolved as a writer: from pretty good with wacky ideas to insanely good with descriptions that knock you out of your chair.

This one caught me by surprise. The concept was interesting but not my usual read so it took me a few weeks to get to it. Once I did, I couldn't put it down! A small, redneck town rallies to rescue one of their own from space when NASA refuses to do anything about the deserted astronaut orbiting Earth in a forgotten space station. The main character, Walter, is a drunk. A retired astronaut who never held the glory of going into space himself. I liken him to Haymitch from the Hunger Games. Though...

Re-read complete, in preparation for the updated BadAsstronauts. I am keen to see what has changed. The title was due for an update (remember the Occupy movement?), and some of the social media references, now 10 years old, are slightly dated, but I hope the characters' offensive utterings aren't too toned down. It was even more hilarious and heartfelt as my first time. It starts off wonderfully crude and absurd, and within a hundred pages has morphed into such a ridiculous tearjerker, I love it...

A theme so ludicrous that it reads like an allegory, which it would be if it were a bit more symbolic, I suppose. Putting that aside, it was a fun, if short read. Really a novella. I would have loved a lot more elaboration on the ending. Glossed over quite a bit. A book on demand, my first, printed days before it arrived according to a last page note, presumably at a nearby Amazon facility based on the address. No publisher info. All in all an interesting little early ditty from Hendrix, my newe...

A fun romp through a hillbilly fantasyland.As a space guy, I found a few things to nitpick, but it was fun just to take the journey.It's not long enough to feel like it ever drags, but it also knows not to overstay its welcome.The ending got me more than I had expected and is a stirring commentary on small-town life and the people who choose to live it.

This is one of the weirdest, funniest books I`ve read in a long time. How do you save a loved one that`s trapped in space when NASA is dragging it`s feet? Well, build your own rocket and go save them! Also, get a bunch of crazies to help you do it!

I don't even know why this ugly little story gets 5 stars. It just does. I feel like Grady Hendrix could write a compelling story about absolutely anything. Hopefully one day this one will get expanded because that ending will keep me up at night.

This is a fast fun read that explores whether or not “Redneck NASA,” consisting of a group of locals, outsiders, and freaks can achieve the impossible by launching the story’s hero, an absolute dumpster fire of a man, into space on a seemingly crazy rescue mission.

This one has no supernatural or horror elements but still has the same charm and humor of Grady Hendrix's other works. One of the things I like best about him is how even when his characters are jerks or losers (and there's plenty in this novella) or somewhat villainous he characterizes them in a way that can unsparingly honest but not mean.

Excellent! Made me want to build a rocket. I think I could do it, too. With Reddit at my disposal and whatnot. Great job, Mr. Hendrix! Keep 'em coming.

2.5 ⭐️ // CAWPILE rating 4.43Unfortunately this was a flop for me. I know it’s fiction but it’s not fantasy, there’s nothing supernatural at play. The rules of the world should still apply here and this just didn’t make any sense. No way anyone would ever get away with all that. It would just never happen. The synopsis sounds really intriguing, but as the story progresses it just gets more and more ridiculous and I just didn’t buy it. The main character was also pretty underwhelming for me. Ther...

I think this book should be used to teach high school kids. I think it's more interesting than reading dry out-of-date boring books, just because they are/were "Classics". There is so much in this book that can be pulled from for discussions, and for kids to become open-minded.Plus it's funny. No, scratch that. Hilarious.Grady Hendrix=SoulMate.

This was just a lot of fun. Redneck NASA. Basically this is The Martian except told by the people on earth and they are trying to rescue Walter’s cousin who is abandoned on the ISS. Also, they have no idea what they are doing so they are crowdsourcing the info in order to build the rocket. Very humorous and entertaining.

Not the stereotypical Grady Hendrix book, but the story was still exciting and believable, at least the way the people act, I’m not too sure how much I believe random rednecks could build a rocket.

Very Chuck Palahniuk-ish! Very good.

This one is absolutely hilarious! Mr. Hendrix’s quick wit and writing style keeps you engaged the entire time. I’ve enjoyed his horror writings, and even though this one is not that style, it still has that same excitement and intrigue that keeps you hooked until the end to find out what will happen next.

I was never able to find a copy of Occupy Space in my pursuit of reading everything Grady Hendrix has written, so I was happy that he's edited and republished it. Honestly, though, I can see why he had it out of print for so long. It's not his best work, tending to rush through the events of the story. That being said, I'm such a fan of his writing that I was able to breeze through this in a day.

This is a really fun story about a former astronaut and a bunch of small town folks building a rocket ship in the middle of nowhere so they can rescue one of their own who's stranded on the International Space Station.