Book Review: Hard Luck Hank: Basketful of Crap by Steven Campbell

Hard Luck Hank

Basketful of Crap

by Steven Campbell

Hank was a dying breed on the space station Belvaille. The criminal gangs that had once made their homes there were forced out by the corporations that had taken over since the facility became an Independent Protectorate.

Instead of the gentlemanly gang wars that had once dominated the scene, and made Hank's services prized as a negotiator, the city was now plagued by the clash of corporate armies using heavy weapons. Even tanks roamed the streets regularly.

Most everyone from the olden days had either fled the station or was killed due to the organizational changes. Changes that Hank personally brought about when he had negotiated Belvaille's status with the Navy.

As Hank contemplates whether he can survive in this increasingly hostile environment, he realizes that things aren't as bad as they seem--they are quite a bit worse. The constant power plays among corporations might have further reach than just the alleys of a backwater space station at the edge of the galaxy.

NOTE: Sequel to Hard Luck Hank - Screw the Galaxy.

Hard Luck Hank: Basketful of Crap can be found on Amazon (Kindle Edition).

Check out http://www.belvaille.com/ for HARD LUCK HANK T-shirts, a 5 minute movie of Hard Luck Hank - Screw the Galaxy, and the making of the movie!

Our Thoughts
Hard Luck Hank: Basketful of Crap - Set 7 years after the events in Screw the Galaxy, much has changed on Belvaille. The days of mob bosses and gang wars are coming to an end because a new, much more sinister force is taking over: The Corporations.

With Belvaille no longer subject to Colmarian law, what better a place for big businesses to setup and move goods which are otherwise illegal?

The virtually indestructible Hank finds himself being pulled into multiple intrigues throughout the novel. Everything from waging war on a Corporation to settling a labor dispute.

Written as a sequel to Screw the Galaxy, Basketful of Crap is written to stand on its own. Some references are made to Screw the Galaxy, but the characters and multiple storylines (plans within plans within plans, to steal from Frank Herbert) in Basketful of Crap are fleshed out well enough that reading Screw the Galaxy is not a prerequisite (although recommended, because it’s a good story as well).

If anything, the characters have more depth in Basketful of Crap than Screw the Galaxy. Much is learned about Garm’s past, and as the story unfolds, one cannot help but develop a sense of empathy for Hank once the true cost of his mutation is revealed.

In the right hands and with the right cast, Basketful of Crap would make a fantastic movie. It’s very easy to picture Kate Beckinsale playing the role of Garm and Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock) as Hank.

Fast-paced and perversely humourous Hard Luck Hank: Basketful of Crap will keep you turning pages and is a story that can be enjoyed time and time again.



Book Review: Hard Luck Hank: Screw the Galaxy by Steven Campbell

*** Product was received for free in exchange for an honest review. ***

HARD LUCK HANK: Screw the Galaxy

by Steven Campbell

Hank is a thug. He knows he's a thug. He has no problem with that realization. In his view the galaxy has given him a gift: a mutation that allows him to withstand great deals of physical trauma. He puts his abilities to the best use possible and that isn't by being a scientist. Besides, the space station Belvaille doesn’t need scientists. It is not, generally, a thinking person’s locale. It is the remotest habitation in the entire Colmarian Confederation. There is literally no reason to be there. Unless you are a criminal. Because of its location, Belvaille is populated with nothing but crooks. Every day is a series of power struggles between the crime bosses. Hank is an intrinsic part of this community as a premier gang negotiator. Not because he is eloquent or brilliant or an expert combatant, but because if you shoot him in the face he keeps on talking. Hank believes he has it pretty good until a beautiful and mysterious blue woman enters his life with a compelling job offer. Hank and Belvaille, so long out of public scrutiny, suddenly find themselves at the epicenter of the galaxy with a lot of very unwelcome attention.

Excerpt from the book:

"I was a class-four mutant. Most people, if they were anything, were class one or two. My body was dense, very difficult to hurt, which was how I could jump off trains and not suffer a scratch. In fact, I was pretty much bulletproof. They told me if I was made out of solid steel, I would weigh less than I do now, so it’s all weird stuff. Unfortunately my muscles didn’t keep up with my size. I wasn’t weak, but I was underpowered for my mass. I liked to think I had torque instead of speed, but that was probably me being generous.

I could also heal very fast. The government had done testing when they first classified me and they sliced off the tip of my pinky. It grew back after a few months, but felt stiff for years after. I kept thinking what jerks they were for doing that since they didn’t actually know if it would regrow. But our government was not known for its competence.

Garm was also a mutant. I think she didn’t need to sleep. Or didn’t sleep much. Maybe that’s why she was all hyper. You find a lot of Colmarians go into lines of work where they can take advantage of their mutations.

Garm ran a crooked space station and never took her eyes off it.

I was a punching bag.

“Well, I finally know your weakness. If I ever get in a fight with you, I’ll just run away.” Garm had started jogging backwards to rub it in.

The fact she had picked me up personally for this particular job was unusual—not that we never dealt with each other, but she could have sent one of her soldiers. It told me she was personally invested in this deal. I didn’t ask her about it because I knew she wouldn’t tell me.

Garm and I had a great relationship. She always lied to me and I always lied to her. But each of us knew the other was lying."
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HARD LUCK HANK can be found on Amazon:
Paperback
Kindle

Check out http://www.belvaille.com/ for HARD LUCK HANK T-shirts, a 5 minute movie, and the making of the movie!
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Our Thoughts
Hard Luck Hank has a swift moving story line that didn't bog down, with a few chuckles in there.  The chararacters were interesting and likeable.  Now, Hard Luck Hank is moreso a gangster novel with sci-fi elements thrown in.  Hank's a bulletproof mutant, who is kind of a bully, but not really a bully, because he's hired by all the gangs and even the local government to settle disputes before they break out into wars. 

A few things though - two of the important characters (not main characters, but important ones nonetheless) just kind of disappear at the end of the book;  there is no resolution with them.  What happened to them?  One other inconsistency - they use this volatile, explosive material, but it sees a lot of use throughout the book yet doesn't explode.   The ending was very predictable, and the resolution just too simple. Wanted to give it 3.5 stars but Amazon doesn't allow half stars, so 4 it is.

Overall, an enjoyable, light read. If done right, it could be an enjoyable movie!


*** Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and were not influenced in any way. ***