PRAISE FOR JOHN ZAKOUR & LAWRENCE GANEM
For THE PLUTONIUM BLONDE
DAW Books, 2001
Russian rights to AST; Czech rights to Baronet
"the best humorous sf title of 2001" - Science Fiction Chronicle
An excellent first novel in the style of the great Douglas Adams ... This novel can be universally recommended to anyone with a funny bone. Pulp fiction enthusiasts in particular should pick the novel up, if only to see the contemporary state of the genre. Here's hoping Zakour and Ganem are at the beginning of a long career.
Cinescape
A light, witty SF detective novel ... consistently funny throughout ... a fun weekend read for fans of the genre, obviously written by fans, and worth reading.
Ain't it Cool News
Surprisingly clever ... spoofs the genre and everything else in sight.
Science Fiction Chronicle - Best of '01
A fast-paced science fiction noir thriller that has entertaining plot twists.
Romantic Times
Fast-paced, witty and shrewd ... futuristic pulp for the thinking reader ... No one who got two paragraphs into this dark, droll, downright irresistible novel could ever bear to put it down until the last heart pounding moment.
SF Site
A tongue-in-cheek hardboiled attitude .. good fun for those who can handle the concentrated doses of humor.
Locus
Funny, enjoyable, very well written, extremely well plotted, and contains good tech and lots of subtle humor (both geeky and otherwise). It's also a great detective story that kept me guessing on a lot of things until the very end, and it's graced with all the stock detective story situations and twists that make the great detective novels fun--but with distinctive Zakour/Ganem twists. I can't recommend The Plutonium Blonde highly enough.
Geek.com
Manages to blend the puply hard-boiled detective genre with pulpy sf for an entertaining read that pokes fun at both. The writing and dialogue is snappy and smart and the story is fast paced. I can't recommend enough for anyone looking for a fun twist on sf and detective novels.
Pink Raygun
The book is hillarious. [It] delights in them [puns] and being a science fiction novel just makes it easier. The AI-protagonist interaction is hillarious. There is a general feeling that the authors were enjoying themselves a lot as they were writing this - and as such, I highly recommend it.
goodreads.com
A wonderfully bizarre bunch of suspects ... a fun, thoroughly off-the-wall investigation.
Locus
A good one! If you like your humor slapstick and inventive, you need look no further for a good fix.
(Science Fiction) Chronicle
A near-perfect murder mystery. The interactions between these off-the-wall characters is surprisingly realistic. The personalities are well formed and the relationships believable.
Rambles
Flat out fun. Readers never know what to expect, but they should know it is going to be wilder and more outlandish than anything they're picturing.
SF Site
Readers will find themselves in stitches of laughter. This work of speculative fiction is first class entertainment.
Midwest Book Review
There is so much humor in the tale that readers will find themselves instantly laughing out loud.
Alternative Worlds (Harriet Klausner)
Engaging as well as funny in a blunt trauma sort of way. What intrigues me is how closely the adventures of Zach Johnson map into more serious SF and mystery themes. Just with an overdose of puns, classic comedy references (let's hope it doesn't occur to the author to mine the Three Stooges for physical comedy next), and thriller cliches. Unlike stories that take themselves seriously, though still use shopworn components but hope you won't notice, here the author knows you're going to notice, so he puts bells on them and dances them around the plot. Like fruitcake, you wouldn't want a steady diet of it, but it might just be the thing for a happy holiday read. Ho, Ho, Ho.
SF Revu
I will say in all honesty that I love this book. I thought it was great. You can't get any better than killer robots, superhuman femals, and genetically engineered elves. Zach Johnson is wonderful as a futuristic Humphrey Bogart, constantly hassled and harassed by his holographic sidekick, swaggering around New Frisco in his fedora and trenchcoat. The was actually the third in a series centering around Zach and I plan to pick up the other two as well.
BookFetish
A lot of fun. Thrills and chills interspersed with groaners and guffaws. What more could you ask?
Critical Mass
Some slapstick humor and a healthy dose of action. The end result is an oddly-entertaining tale with a pleasantry retro feel to it. You'll never able to accuse this series of being great literature, but for sheer unadulterated fun, it's hard to beat. I always enjoy installments in this series. Good fun, and worth checking out.
SF Site
A wonderful mixture of humor and adventure, this science fiction mystery was a fun treat.
Scifichick.com
For BAXTER MOON: GALACTIC SCOUT
The gags fly thick and fast (the author writes them for a living), and his ever-cocky protagonist repeatedly saves the day -- usually in a spectacularly destructive way. Fans of Kathy Mackel's tongue-in-cheek romps will happily tune into this one.
Booklist
Its simply written, easy-to-follow narrative will appeal to adventure fans.
School Library Journal
A funny and exciting new science fiction bok for youth. The characters are the highlight of his book. Each is unique and adds to the fun and imaginative setting. Youngsters will enjoy this science fiction adventure with snarky computers and plenty of action.
SciFi Chick
A lot of fun...puns galore, friendly banter, royalty with attitude, and good-old-fashioned shootouts to provude hours of amusement. If you like the young adult science fiction books of the '70s and '80s, give [it] a try. I hope it gives you the same nostalgic feelings and laughter that it gave me.
SF Revu
THE WORK OF JOHN ZAKOUR & LAWRENCE GANEM
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