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So, yes I asked for suggestions for new comfort books last time I wrote a Bookchat. And wow, did y’all come through. Of course, immediately after, I saw that the third book in a series that I really like is finally coming out. Jim Hines mostly writes fantasy. He has a YA trilogy about a goblin which is really cute, and another series about a librarian who has the ability to take objects out of books (like, if he’s reading a Star Trek book, he can reach in and take out a phaser). I loved that series because there were so many Trek, Dr. Who and Firefly references. The Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse series is set some time in the far future. Something happened to humanity, the people we follow are among the lucky few who have been removed from Earth, healed and work in space alongside several alien species. Most humans are “feral” — mindless creatures who will attack and eat anything. Other species are terrified of humans, even the healed ones have a reputation of being very violent.
Our people are the janitors/maintenance crew on a military vessel, with the Kraku, the race that rescued them from feralness. Something goes terribly wrong, most of the nonhuman crew are killed and all humans but our janitors revert to being feral. Marion, called “Mops” is the main character — when humans come out of the process of being healed, they choose a name from Earth history, she chose the name of the person they are taught caused humanity’s fall. Our crew manage to limp their way to a space station, where they investigate the attack on their ship. Something is off. (because of course) They find out a secret, and a chance to cure all their fellow humans. Oh, and stop a galactic war, an attack on the Kraku by some people who have been harmed by them. In the second book, they go to Earth, looking for the lab where the thing that turns cured humans feral again — and maybe the cure for feralness for all humans — is being worked on. Of course, it isn’t all that straightforward. Some Kraku think having feral humans to cure and turn into scary soldiers is just dandy, and who says it only works on humans?
Our friends run into a group of librarians who are keeping Earth civilization as together as they can. Because of course that’s what librarians would do after the apocalypse. (please tell me you’ve read the Mercenary Librarians books by Kit Rocha) And Marion Adamopoulos, Mops’ namesake, isn’t who humans were taught she was. They battle the Kraku who are trying to make more soldiers to do all the icky fighting part of wars and figure out a way to get off the planet and tell the galaxy about what’s going on before the conspirators, wild animals or feral humans kill them. They pick up Cate (short for Advocate of Violence), a member of a race (the Prodryans) that wants to kill everyone who isn’t them. He is a spy, and yes he wants to kill them all, but for now his interests align with theirs. Wolf (Wolfgang Mozart — healed humans take names of people from human history) is awesome, she wants so badly to be a soldier. She actually is fiercely protective of people she’s around, she’s just….not a good shot. We get to see character development in the other characters, too. Hines is good at this.
Book 3 picks up a few months later. Mops fears she may be reverting to her feral state. And just because the cover of a conspiracy was blown doesn’t mean the conspirators are gone. There is a planet that even the Prodryans won’t go to, and don’t want anyone to know anything about. (If you’ve seen any episodes of Doctor Who, imagine something/somewhere that the Daleks are afraid of) Of course, Mops decides we must go there. Getting there around the Prodryan blockade, and avoiding the Kraku who are still pursuing our crew as criminals is rather exciting, and our janitor friends use their usual creative solutions. And when we get there, the threat isn’t anything you think it is. It is much bigger, and our friends have some decisions to make. The inhabitants of the planet are divided into those who want to follow the Path, and others who want to ”free sail”. Our heroes find a way to save themselves, the natives of the planet, the Kraku and even the Pyrodians. Mops’ condition does get worse, and the other members of the crew have to step up. There’s a reason for this, read the postscript. Have tissues handy.
This is a really good series. Light, fun, with heart.
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