Michael Duckett is fed up with his life. His job is a drag, and his roommate and best friend of fifteen years, Stephanie Dyer, is only making him more anxious with her lazy irresponsibility. Things continue to escalate when they face the threat of imminent eviction from their palatial 5th floor walk-up and find that someone has been plastering ads all over the city for their Detective Agency.The … Agency.
The only problem is: He and Stephanie don’t have one of those.
Despite their baffling levels of incompetence, Stephanie eagerly pursues this crazy scheme and drags Michael, kicking and screaming, into the fray only to find that they are way out of their depth. They stumble upon a web of missing people that are curiously linked to a sexually audacious theoretical physicist and his experiments with the fabric of space-time. And unless Michael and Stephanie can put their personal issues aside and fix the multi-verse, the concept of existence itself may, ironically, no longer exist.
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I just finished reading Ducket & Dyer: Dicks for Hire, an adventure/science fiction story written by G.M. Nair. This story revolves around a pair of life-long friends who are about to embark on an adventure. Problem is, they just don’t know it yet.
Those who read the blurb before buying will not be disappointed. This story drives through space, time, alternate universes and people to deliver non-stop action that will leave you baffled as to where exactly in this story you are.
The author’s creativity really shines when it comes to the alternate universes. While the series Sliders may have been limited by sets and budgets, his imagination and ability to set scenes to page knows no bounds!
If you want a quick read that feels like a roller coaster ride through the weird and wonderful? Then this book is for you! The author closes up all the loops nicely but leaves just enough of a story behind for the promise of a sequel is out now! So what are you waiting for?
I think it was somewhere in the Twitterverse where goodreads asked, “describe your current read in three words. I was in the middle of this indie book at the time, and I described it as “New Potential Pratchett.” That description still holds up. Or maybe Douglas Adams is a better comparison, because I’m strongly reminded of Dirk Gently.
Either way, I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t expecting much, as G.M. Nair was an indie author I had never heard of, and debut indie books have a (possibly unfair) reputation for being hit or miss. But I’ve made a pledge to give lesser known authors a shot, and Duckett and Dyer crossed my path.
The story is a comedic scifi hardboiled detective mashup where two inept detectives, Michael Duckett and Stephanie Dyer, set out to solve a case of several missing persons that become weirdly connected. Okay, so from the start these two are not really detectives, but the universe seems to want to will that title on them for… reasons. Michael and Stephanie are roommates and best friends who can barely make their rent, and Stephanie’s irresponsible streak has finally begun to wear thin on Michael. Then Michael’s first date love interest goes missing, and a search to find her in a literal multiverse ensues.
This was a fun read. The characters were well drawn, and the story ended to satisfaction with the tease of a sequel.
I give this story a solid 4 out of 5 little twinkly stars.
One of my favorite novels of all time is Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. If you’ve not read it, it dives deeply into the ever-expanding philosophical quagmire of infinite universes. It’s terrifying. It’s heartbreaking. It’s a near perfect sci-fi novel.
Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire by G. M. Nair is the exact opposite of Dark Matter in all the right ways. Where Dark Matter goes dark, Duckett & Dyer goes absurd. Where Dark Matter goes hard science, Duckett & Dyer says “screw it, it works how we want it to work because we say so.”
I cannot understate the simultaneous ridiculousness and seriousness that occurs in this novel. It’s like if Weird Al Yankovic wrote a sci-fi novel.
I don’t want to talk much about the story of this book because it’s too good to hint at in a review. Don’t want to spoil a single thing! I’ll just say this story has the potential to suck you in. I read the entire second half on a plane ride today. If I had one complaint about this book, it’s that the first half is too slow . . . but the set-up of the first half is necessary to land the satisfying conclusion to the book.
Well done, Nair.
Writing: 8/10. No complaints here. High quality prose, nothing stood out to me as fantastic but I was never bored nor did I feel as if the writing lacked flair.
Characters: 10/10. What a duo, Duckett & Dyer. Nair expertly crafts conflict between his two protagonists, fueling the insane plot while developing their relationship in a nuanced and creative fashion.
Setting: 9/10. While I never got a strong sense of place for the generic city they live in throughout much of the story . . . there are a lot of really cool moments of absurdity in the world of this book that nail the comedic nature of this book with graceful poise.
Plot: 8/10. Clever. All of its just clever. The first half was slow, as I emphasized above, but I think that’s good. Some readers may not enjoy it, but it’s all necessary to establish what turns into a very creative conclusion . . . and an ending that sets up future tales with flair.
Overall: 8.75/10. A clear five star review. It hits all the marks of a high quality indie authored novel, I’m glad I put this book on my list. Seriously, go grab yourself a copy.
Michael and Stephanie (Duckett and Dyer respectively) are both a bit of a mess in their own ways. Michael is a lovable curmudgeon. Life has kicked him a few times. Stephanie has zero interest in being a responsible member of the community, although you have to give her some leeway once learning her back story. She is incredibly funny, has zero filter, and generally marches to the beat of her own strange drum. Their friendship is a bit rocky and watching it evolve throughout the story was a bit of a rollercoaster!
It is hard to describe this book without spoilers, such is the case with a lot of mystery/science fiction blends. Nair did a great job of breakdown the multi-verse aspect of the story so that readers had a rudimentary understanding even if they had no background in physics. Duckett and Dyer’s adventures would be a fun introduction for readers (high school and upward) new to science fiction. It has just the right blend of lovable, relatable characters along with crazy, mind-bending hijinks.
Audience-wise, I honestly think fans of Futurama are going to love this book. I know I did, and I immediately started nagging Mr. B to read it. Bookish comparisons are Space Team by Barry J. Hutchison and Cryptofauna by Patrick Canning.
Laugh-out-loud funny with important notes on how to be a good friend all sprinkled with the shavings of mushrooms. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who is unfortunate enough to slow down so I can crow at them and. I am now off to pick up the second book and hunker down for some more Duckett and Dyer lunacy!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.