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Zeno's Last Grain
- A Space Comedy (The Galaxy Marshals, Book 1)
- Narrated by: Kevin E Green
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
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Zeno's Last Grain
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Summary
When an interstellar freight hauler puts a doomsday weapon in the wrong hands, he seeks redemption, and at any cost.
A number one Amazon best seller.
Space trucker Jon Simmons has messed up, big time. He’s put blueprints for a planet-destroying weapon in the wrong hands, threatening billions. And now it’s up to his guilt-ridden derrière to stop it – once he’s had supper, that is...
After the revelation of what he’s done sinks in, Jon is hell-bent on putting things right – even if things do get a bit...squiffy. Fighting his way across the galaxy with his ragtag crew, Jon finally comes face-to-face with his archenemy. But things don’t quite turn out as planned. As people begin to die, it seems Jon’s fate is sealed. But he begins to wonder if he can change his future, and his past – prevent countless deaths? He doesn’t know yet, but try he must...
Zeno’s Last Grain is the hilarious first book in a new space comedy series. If you’re a fan of quirky sci-fi, you’ll love Jay Gaskell’s fast-paced galactic romp.
Previously number one in the Amazon best seller charts in numerous categories:
- Number one best seller in Parodies (Amazon US)
- Number one best seller in Political Humor (Amazon US)
- Number one best seller in Absurdist Fiction (Amazon US)
- Number one best seller in Comic Drama and Plays (Amazon US)
- Number one best seller in Western Science Fiction (Amazon UK)
- Number one new release in Absurdist Fiction (Amazon US)
- Number one new release in British and Irish Humour and Satire Literature (Amazon UK)
- Number one new release in Political Humor (Amazon US)
- Number one new release in Parodies (Amazon UK)
Critic reviews
"A rip roaring read!" (SPR Review)
What listeners love about Zeno's Last Grain
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- A. Williams
- 09-09-22
Hmm. I must be missing something
There are flashes of humour and absurdist delight in this but for me the bulk of the book was dragged down by a clichéd jobsworth who had a surprising side to him that was never explored for humour and an almost permanently annoying character whose main traits were forgetfulness and tendency to continually umm and ahh to the point of serious irritation. Villain was suitably villainous to a delightfully farcical degree but sadly not given much space in the book. I struggled to get to the end and won’t be picking up the second book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Aylesbury
- 06-09-22
Reet up my wormhole this one
Daft, funny, inventive and entertaining. Oh and suitably northern. I’m going to hope Jay keeps penning these buggers because I’m gonna keep buy them.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. T. Cole
- 06-07-22
Brilliant
Best comedy Sci Fi that I've listened to in a long time, I do hope they return.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrea Kennedy
- 16-06-22
Easy listening and fun
I really enjoyed this book. The characters become like old friends and it has an usual and intriguingly funny plot. The style of narration was brilliant and I would heartily recommend this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 31-05-22
great
enjoyed the book and the narrator was excellent
didn't want to stop listening
looking forward to the next
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Leslie Baker
- 07-05-22
Persistence is futile
I write this review whilst still persisting to try and finish it. It’s slow, very slow.
Every time I try to get into this I find myself wanting to hit fast forward, hoping against hope that it might get interesting. It doesn’t.
I keep hoping that the story will suddenly bring some glimpse of humour in a one liner… it doesn’t.
It’s a shame as at the beginning it was quite interesting but slowly became emotionally painful to follow. The characters are not engaging, there’s no excitement and the attempts at humour deplorable.
My advice? See the title, keep walking, nothing to see or hear here.
What makes it worse is that if one pictures the image of a train spotter in the mind, the characters come into view… except that would be an insult to train spotters. Although the plot is just as interesting as watching paint dry.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Heath Walford
- 23-10-21
Great Book
Really did enjoy this book, one of those little gems that pulls you in and keeps you entertained throughout, loved the characters and looking forward to the next book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L
- 08-10-21
Brilliant
having read the book and really enjoyed it bought the audio book to listen to on my break time.
Brilliant it really brought the characters to life and filled in a couple of things I missed.
Highly recommended
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-10-21
Funny, stupid and brilliant!!
Loved it. Some belly laughs, some "groan" moments and a crazy adventure. Hope "Next Book"? Continues from where the epilogue left us!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Hyrum
- 09-09-22
Amusing
Fun if a bit gross at times. The ending is pretty cool. Not hilarious but often funny
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Caleb J R
- 08-09-22
I finished it ...
The story was kinda all over the place but interesting. It was fairly light but I certainly wouldn't call it "hilarious." Good enough to buy the second one and hope it's a little better.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- swyrlgirl
- 23-05-22
Fun
and funny! Excellent space opera with a ridiculous premise. Well read and written. More please!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Williams
- 04-05-22
A fun listen that kept me wanting to hear more
First off, the narration by Keven E Green was spot on. A good variety of voices and certainly kept me hooked.
Really enjoyed the story lines throughout the book and waiting to see how the 'heroes' would get out of trouble time and time again. Good pace to the book so never really a dull moment. Humour was good and mixed.
Overall a very good listen and I'll be waiting for the next book.
So, stop eating a pie Jay and get that next book out :)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jas P
- 03-01-22
Absolutely Brilliant – Very Pratchett Like!!
Zeno’s Last Grain is one of those books that reminds you of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, or Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. – an action-packed adventure story in which our Main Hero, (In this case, a guy named Jon Simmons, a poor schmuck going about his business of trying to deliver some contraband to an evil kingpin) comes up against one of the universes most dire weapons of all time - bureaucracy!!
This is one of those stories that is actually quite difficult to review without giving away a lot of the book. I found it fascinating sitting down to write the review and realising just how much had happened to the characters from the first chapter in which Jon tries to go through Gate 2890, right the way to the final chapter in which your side hurts from laughing so much, and you are still in awe of the journey you have just been on.
When Jon goes gets to Gate 2890, he meets , Charles Durkin, possibly one of the most pedantic people in the universe, and ends up starting Jon’s entire journey through this story. Charles’s character is brilliant in this book as the ‘Felix’ type character in the ‘Odd Couple’ that starts out as Jon and Charles. Even when additional characters are added to the story, Charles continues to be the oddball out to everyone else, providing for some hilarious, and just exceptional humour that leaves you laughing not just to yourself, but outload (this is one of those audiobooks you shouldn’t listen to whilst walking around in public – people stare at you when you suddenly burst out laughing for no apparent reason….)
I can’t go into too much detail about the other characters without giving away the story, but I will say that each of the other main characters that turn up in the story are equally as funny as the original two, and the secondary characters they encounter in this story make for a captivating and entertaining, sometimes just plain hysterical at the strife they get into, just so much fun to read.
Gaskell has created and incredible story that just captivates the imagination, with a series of different places that as I said, remind you of the greats like Pratchett and Adams. Gaskell’s world building is extraordinary, so visual and creative, you get drawn into this places like you are there (and the amazing thing with this book, is that he has created so many of them, Simmons journey takes him across a lot of the galaxy and to all these very funny places (I have a grin on my face remembering them all!!), it really adds a whole extra element to the story.
This is the story of one man desperately trying to right a wrong, after he finds out that the cargo he has been delivering (he never bothered to check), was plans to a galaxy destroying weapon – like who would have thought?? He thought it was something harmless, but now, realising billions are at risk, he has to try and save people. Of course, that means getting past possibly the most pedantic person in the galaxy (that is the polite way of putting it), and beating the galaxies worst enemy – bureaucracy – something that is pretty much impossible.
As a result – Jon and a very, very, VERY reluctant Charles, end up on a journey to save the galaxy and that fungus we call Humanity….
It doesn’t matter what you like to read, what genre of Sci-Fi, because this is one of those books that is just too funny to miss. It is too busy taking the, um, well you know, out of things, and having fun to be a serious ‘genre’, and it doesn’t care anyway, you just have to read it and laugh along with it – So don’t miss out, you will be incredibly sad if you do!!!
I have not heard Kevin E. Green narrate before, but he was fantastic. He did a wonderful job of narrating in a very clear and concise voice that was easy to understand, and the story flowed really well so it was easy to listen to as well.
Green has a good voice to listen to, and he does a wonderful range of both male and female voices, his characters voices were clearly distinguishable so that you clearly understood who was talking without having to be told, which made the flow of the story so much better, and made for a great audiobook.
The other really great thing was that he captures the emotional state of the character and conveys that so well. You really understand how the character feels (it was so easy to tell when Charales was changing from angry, to moody, to distressed etc – he changed moods regularly, but we always knew thanks to Green’s narration, without having to be told).
Overall, this is an exceptional Audiobook, and Green does an outstanding job of Narrating it – I will be getting the 2nd Audiobook without a doubt.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jamie M.
- 16-12-21
An amusing sci-fi space time-travel journey
Jay Gaskell is a genius, his world-building, and characters are creative. The story starts a little slow but I couldn't help but keep reading to find out what was going to happen. The four knuckleheads (main characters) are funny and likable. Well, except for Charles... but he has his moments. If you like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy you will love this. The narrator was great.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John D.
- 07-12-21
Funny, witty, and very interesting!
Great first book. The characters work very well together, and make for an fun story. The whole book from start to finish got better and better. Definitely worth a read/listen.
Can't wait for the next book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Matt B
- 06-12-21
Entertaining light comedy
Entertaining light comedy about a newly minted space Marshall helped along by himself from the future...with a surprise twist at the end.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anthony Schmidt
- 03-12-21
Absolutely loved this book!!
The perfect balance of sci-fi and humor. I can't wait for book 2 to be written!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Trevor
- 29-11-21
Intriguing!
Listening to this brought a smile to my face the comedy is something else. Good performance.