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on August 18, 2015
“Computer dating is fine, if you’re a computer.” – Rita Mae Brown
““Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with.” ― Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City
OK, Ignore. The. Cover. It has nothing to do with the book. It is silly, and over the top, but you know what works? This is a funny book! I mean, really funny, really interesting, and creative. I guess they were going for the funny on the covers of this seven (so far?) books. But Kelly, the heroine of the tale, is nowhere as freaky trampy looking as the female on the cover! Anyway, that is beside the point . . . ignore how freaky-deeky the woman looks (she wears a black dress for her dates, kids! LOL)
But anyway. Here is the deal – this book is Funny! Did I say that already? Yep. Funny. Kelly Frank is a great character. Strong, patient, funny (yep, there is that word again) she is struggling, and struggling hard, just to survive. Living in space, paid less than a janitor, she is still doing her best and giving her all for her position as Ambassador for Earth on Union Station. The Earth is flat broke, and most of its population is off on other worlds, thanks to the Stryx Intelligence, a highly advanced race of artificial intelligence. A race who gathers up the dross of the universe, playing nursemaid to the galaxy’s lowest achieving lifeforms – a group Earth is definitely a part of. It is pretty hard to keep up when everyone has better technology, cheaper manufacturing, spaceships – well, you get the picture. But on Union Station humans are welcome, and finding a new life is, well, interesting!
I enjoyed this first in the series a lot. Relaxing, humorous, and truly sweet. No erotica, nothing rough, just a really fun book. If you want to relax and laugh out loud, pick this up. It’s PG rated, and so cute!
““Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with.” ― Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City
OK, Ignore. The. Cover. It has nothing to do with the book. It is silly, and over the top, but you know what works? This is a funny book! I mean, really funny, really interesting, and creative. I guess they were going for the funny on the covers of this seven (so far?) books. But Kelly, the heroine of the tale, is nowhere as freaky trampy looking as the female on the cover! Anyway, that is beside the point . . . ignore how freaky-deeky the woman looks (she wears a black dress for her dates, kids! LOL)
But anyway. Here is the deal – this book is Funny! Did I say that already? Yep. Funny. Kelly Frank is a great character. Strong, patient, funny (yep, there is that word again) she is struggling, and struggling hard, just to survive. Living in space, paid less than a janitor, she is still doing her best and giving her all for her position as Ambassador for Earth on Union Station. The Earth is flat broke, and most of its population is off on other worlds, thanks to the Stryx Intelligence, a highly advanced race of artificial intelligence. A race who gathers up the dross of the universe, playing nursemaid to the galaxy’s lowest achieving lifeforms – a group Earth is definitely a part of. It is pretty hard to keep up when everyone has better technology, cheaper manufacturing, spaceships – well, you get the picture. But on Union Station humans are welcome, and finding a new life is, well, interesting!
I enjoyed this first in the series a lot. Relaxing, humorous, and truly sweet. No erotica, nothing rough, just a really fun book. If you want to relax and laugh out loud, pick this up. It’s PG rated, and so cute!
VINE VOICEon November 21, 2016
I don't claim to be some kind of higher critic of literature, and I'm no style-master of the written form. My favorite kind of entertainment is science fiction, and I've read plenty of it. In my quest to find new stories to read I stumbled onto the Union Station series, and decided to give it a go due to several factors. First of all, it's very highly rated. Secondly, it's CHEAP compared to most digital books. And thirdly, it sounded like exactly what I was looking for. An easy-to-read, entertaining, light story that would leave me feeling uplifted no down and out.
In the last few years I've slowly been weeding most of the darkness out of my life, giving up gritty video games, adult television shows, and movies that don't have a happy ending. People can call me whatever names they want for preferring Friendship is Magic and JEM And The Holograms to The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, but at the end of the day I'd rather tread through the bright colors of Child of Eden than play through the latest sepia-toned FPS and afterwards contemplate throwing myself off a bridge. What's that you say? Get to the point? Certainly gentle reader...
While I think there's a place in this world for serious Epics like Mass Effect and The Wheel of Time, I think people too often judge the "maturity" of entertainment by its body count, and consider it material for "adults" if it has material that would upset a child. I think quite the contrary is true. Any idiot can get your attention with sex and violence, but it takes a GREAT writer to draw you with character and wit. And that's EXACTLY what E. M. Foner has done in this book.
A rollicking good time in a generic sci-fi universe
You know how Elizabeth Moon and David Weber's ideas are basically ripped-off wholesale in Mass Effect? You know how all those Imperialistic Humans-Are-Just-One-Of-A-Gazillion-Aliens-On-The-Station sci-fis are basically just an excuse for some kind of rip-roaring man-the-top-sails and arm-the-torpedoes daring-do? Well this series turns all that on it's head with something that's a whole heck of a lot more realistic. Instead of constant conflict and intergalactic war that blows everything to smithereens, you get a station overrun with every kind of alien under-the-sun all under the watchful eye of a beneficent race of immortal machines. And instead of everyone being some blood-thirsty war-hero-mercenary-bald-space-marine, you get NORMAL people tossed into the mix living out their existence with the sort of problems that plague people like you and me. The whole thing is incredibly refreshing and slice-of-life, in the best possible way. But that's nothing because...
I was shocked, SHOCKED, at how well-written this book is. It's beautifully paced, exquisitely written, endlessly entertaining. It's the best short book I've read since The Emperor's Soul. Yes, it's THAT good. It's so good that I bought the entire series halfway through my read of this book, just to help the author. And I could not stop reading until I had polished off this book.
Others have complained that the main character lets life happen to her and isn't a strong protagonist. To them I say Kelly is a REALISTIC protagonist. She's not some kind of intergalactic warrior. She's a young-but-aging diplomat who's smart but kind of clueless in life and love. She's sympathetic and likable, attractive and friendly. In short she's the sort of person you would want for a friend. And then there's the the clueless junk hauler who is in much the same boat. Same thing. He's a good guy who is just sort of winging it through life and trying to make the best of the real world, not some headstrong heroic type. If you like your characters ridiculously dynamic you probably won't like these two, but for me they felt REAL and I liked them very much.
The real star of the story is the constant surprises around every corner, and the endless charm wit, and HILARIOUS humor. I imagine the humor won't appeal to everyone. I've read several sci-fi books that people said were hilarious, and I only found mildly amusing (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy for one). But this book was so funny I found myself in an uncontrollable laughing fit making a scene while waiting for a table at a restaurant. I couldn't stop laughing for like two minutes straight. Yes, this is the funniest sci-fi I have ever read in my life.
As for the ending, I find it disturbing that people don't get it. The ENTIRE book was leading up to the ending. The ending is PERFECT. If you don't think so, it's very likely that everything that was happening throughout the story went over your head, because the ending was the conclusion that should have been obvious to for quite a while (and yes the WAY the story ended should have been obvious as well). Did it feel rushed? Yes! Is that a bad thing? No! Because good things take time, and great things happen all-at-once.
Which is why I suggest you read this book immediately. All-at-once. You won't regret it.
In the last few years I've slowly been weeding most of the darkness out of my life, giving up gritty video games, adult television shows, and movies that don't have a happy ending. People can call me whatever names they want for preferring Friendship is Magic and JEM And The Holograms to The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, but at the end of the day I'd rather tread through the bright colors of Child of Eden than play through the latest sepia-toned FPS and afterwards contemplate throwing myself off a bridge. What's that you say? Get to the point? Certainly gentle reader...
While I think there's a place in this world for serious Epics like Mass Effect and The Wheel of Time, I think people too often judge the "maturity" of entertainment by its body count, and consider it material for "adults" if it has material that would upset a child. I think quite the contrary is true. Any idiot can get your attention with sex and violence, but it takes a GREAT writer to draw you with character and wit. And that's EXACTLY what E. M. Foner has done in this book.
A rollicking good time in a generic sci-fi universe
You know how Elizabeth Moon and David Weber's ideas are basically ripped-off wholesale in Mass Effect? You know how all those Imperialistic Humans-Are-Just-One-Of-A-Gazillion-Aliens-On-The-Station sci-fis are basically just an excuse for some kind of rip-roaring man-the-top-sails and arm-the-torpedoes daring-do? Well this series turns all that on it's head with something that's a whole heck of a lot more realistic. Instead of constant conflict and intergalactic war that blows everything to smithereens, you get a station overrun with every kind of alien under-the-sun all under the watchful eye of a beneficent race of immortal machines. And instead of everyone being some blood-thirsty war-hero-mercenary-bald-space-marine, you get NORMAL people tossed into the mix living out their existence with the sort of problems that plague people like you and me. The whole thing is incredibly refreshing and slice-of-life, in the best possible way. But that's nothing because...
I was shocked, SHOCKED, at how well-written this book is. It's beautifully paced, exquisitely written, endlessly entertaining. It's the best short book I've read since The Emperor's Soul. Yes, it's THAT good. It's so good that I bought the entire series halfway through my read of this book, just to help the author. And I could not stop reading until I had polished off this book.
Others have complained that the main character lets life happen to her and isn't a strong protagonist. To them I say Kelly is a REALISTIC protagonist. She's not some kind of intergalactic warrior. She's a young-but-aging diplomat who's smart but kind of clueless in life and love. She's sympathetic and likable, attractive and friendly. In short she's the sort of person you would want for a friend. And then there's the the clueless junk hauler who is in much the same boat. Same thing. He's a good guy who is just sort of winging it through life and trying to make the best of the real world, not some headstrong heroic type. If you like your characters ridiculously dynamic you probably won't like these two, but for me they felt REAL and I liked them very much.
The real star of the story is the constant surprises around every corner, and the endless charm wit, and HILARIOUS humor. I imagine the humor won't appeal to everyone. I've read several sci-fi books that people said were hilarious, and I only found mildly amusing (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy for one). But this book was so funny I found myself in an uncontrollable laughing fit making a scene while waiting for a table at a restaurant. I couldn't stop laughing for like two minutes straight. Yes, this is the funniest sci-fi I have ever read in my life.
As for the ending, I find it disturbing that people don't get it. The ENTIRE book was leading up to the ending. The ending is PERFECT. If you don't think so, it's very likely that everything that was happening throughout the story went over your head, because the ending was the conclusion that should have been obvious to for quite a while (and yes the WAY the story ended should have been obvious as well). Did it feel rushed? Yes! Is that a bad thing? No! Because good things take time, and great things happen all-at-once.
Which is why I suggest you read this book immediately. All-at-once. You won't regret it.
VINE VOICEon April 17, 2017
Don’t be put off by the cover. This isn’t a cheesy book about robots dating humans. This is the first book of a series of books that take place on a space station.
I stumbled across the Union Station series of books after reading the author’s hilarious review of the Amazon Echo. I thought that the books by anyone who wrote such a witty review were worth checking out and that turned out to be correct.
The story takes place on Union Station which is run by the Stryx, a race of artificial intelligence beings. The S8 run a tunnel network that connects numerous races across the universe and they have invited Earth to join on a trial status to save the Earth from its pyramid scheme economics and other destructive practices. Kelly is EarthCent's top diplomat to the station and this first story is about her attempts to set up her office and to take part in a dating service run by the Stryx which she participates in only because her friends gave her a membership as a gift.
The author’s writing is fast, funny and well done. There is good character development over the course of the book and the series. Each of the books in the series picks up some time after the last one and characters return as more are added. It is a fun series to read and my only complaint is that it currently only spans eleven books. More please!
I stumbled across the Union Station series of books after reading the author’s hilarious review of the Amazon Echo. I thought that the books by anyone who wrote such a witty review were worth checking out and that turned out to be correct.
The story takes place on Union Station which is run by the Stryx, a race of artificial intelligence beings. The S8 run a tunnel network that connects numerous races across the universe and they have invited Earth to join on a trial status to save the Earth from its pyramid scheme economics and other destructive practices. Kelly is EarthCent's top diplomat to the station and this first story is about her attempts to set up her office and to take part in a dating service run by the Stryx which she participates in only because her friends gave her a membership as a gift.
The author’s writing is fast, funny and well done. There is good character development over the course of the book and the series. Each of the books in the series picks up some time after the last one and characters return as more are added. It is a fun series to read and my only complaint is that it currently only spans eleven books. More please!
on May 3, 2017
A gem of a book that came as a complete surprise to me.
Date Night at Union Station is a combination slice of life science fiction mixed with light-hearted comedy. Frankly, a match made in heaven if you ask me. The book follows two characters. Primarily it follows Kelly, who is Earth's top diplomat in a section of space at the largest space station. She is surrounded by all sorts of oddball races and species, but they are nothing compared to her mother nagging her to get married since she is already past 30! The other character is Joe, who sorts and sells scrap in the space station with his adoptive son. Sound like a romance? Well, it kind of is, but it kind of isn't. It's more a series of tales about dates that are anything but. You have a maybe homicidal queen in need of a king. Or you have a space pirate selling counterfeit goods that mistakenly agrees to a date through a dating service with the woman trying to catch him. Or beyond the dates there are rich little girls selling flowers to buy a baby brother. Or an entire alien species that is sabotaging humanity's chances at a video game tournament.
You get the idea. The book is just like that, some fun bad first date stories in space.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes slice of life or light-hearted laughs with a light feeling overall, something like a spring day before it gets too hot.
Date Night at Union Station is a combination slice of life science fiction mixed with light-hearted comedy. Frankly, a match made in heaven if you ask me. The book follows two characters. Primarily it follows Kelly, who is Earth's top diplomat in a section of space at the largest space station. She is surrounded by all sorts of oddball races and species, but they are nothing compared to her mother nagging her to get married since she is already past 30! The other character is Joe, who sorts and sells scrap in the space station with his adoptive son. Sound like a romance? Well, it kind of is, but it kind of isn't. It's more a series of tales about dates that are anything but. You have a maybe homicidal queen in need of a king. Or you have a space pirate selling counterfeit goods that mistakenly agrees to a date through a dating service with the woman trying to catch him. Or beyond the dates there are rich little girls selling flowers to buy a baby brother. Or an entire alien species that is sabotaging humanity's chances at a video game tournament.
You get the idea. The book is just like that, some fun bad first date stories in space.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes slice of life or light-hearted laughs with a light feeling overall, something like a spring day before it gets too hot.
on January 18, 2017
Don't read this book expecting serious science fiction or space drama. Date Night on Union Station is a comedy, a fun read characterized by gentle humor and mild social satire. Union Station, the locale of the story, is a huge space station inhabited by numerous alien species and ruled by ancient, benevolent machine intelligences. Kelly, the overworked, underpaid sole representative of humanity is trying her best to represent Earth and to help other humans despite limited resources and opaque guidance from headquarters, while taking collect calls from her mother on Earth who is concerned that Kelly's not married yet. Is a dating service the answer? Although Union Station may remind some readers of Babylon 5 or Deep Space Nine (the space stations portrayed in the 1990's television series of those names) the tone is closer to the late Douglas Adams' classic space comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I doubt I'll read every book in the series but I'm now enjoying the second one, Alien Night on Union Station. Although the books are written for adults I'm not found any objectionable content in what I've read so far. Also absent are the grammatical errors and editing glitches found in some books written for Kindle.
on July 8, 2016
The covers and shortness of each book in this series gave me pause and led me to expect something much sillier. Instead I found a fully fleshed out universe of amazing and interesting people and despite its protagonist being human, the entire series does a great job of avoiding overly human-centric viewpoints. This is even addressed in the books by the characters as a lot of the misunderstandings come from species refusing to see other species POV.
on January 24, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. A lot!
I have been incapacitated for about two months with a foot injury. I have read sooo many SCIFI sagas and space operas during that time. Probably a book a day.
I have grown so weary of energy weapons, 100 gravity accelerations, FTL communications and jump drives.
This book is so different. A page turner without space ships disintegrating or planets being slagged. The book was fun, calm, interesting and funny.
Totally enjoyable change of pace. Next I am downloading the sequel.
Update: I have now finished the series. While some are good, but others better, I am so pleased to have taken this on. Imaginative, but consistent, with lots of favorites from a whole mix of species.
I would like for my middle school students to read these books, but the covers, and the covers only are a bit racy!
Strongly recommended!
I have been incapacitated for about two months with a foot injury. I have read sooo many SCIFI sagas and space operas during that time. Probably a book a day.
I have grown so weary of energy weapons, 100 gravity accelerations, FTL communications and jump drives.
This book is so different. A page turner without space ships disintegrating or planets being slagged. The book was fun, calm, interesting and funny.
Totally enjoyable change of pace. Next I am downloading the sequel.
Update: I have now finished the series. While some are good, but others better, I am so pleased to have taken this on. Imaginative, but consistent, with lots of favorites from a whole mix of species.
I would like for my middle school students to read these books, but the covers, and the covers only are a bit racy!
Strongly recommended!
on February 2, 2016
I have been a fan of science-fiction for over 50 years and have read so many authors and genres that it all begins to blur. I was very happy to discover the EarthCent series and to my considerable delight have read all of them. I highly recommend them because they are unique in my experience and do not fit into the usual categories or genres of SciFi. They seem to me to represent something rather new in that the entire series is quite funny and humorous without being snarky or cynical. Indeed, one is at the end of a book hungry for more just to see how things develop and what new levels of fun are revealed in a universe dominated by a benevolent species of artificial intelligence who seem to have discovered that all sentients seem to engage in trade and commerce, and from that commonality the fun and sometimes ridiculous situations arise. Humor and wit are the hallmarks of this series rather than violence, confrontation and "space opera" plots. This series is indeed well suited for people of all ages and the author has done a remarkable job of creating family friendly characters whose appeal is irresistible. Buried in these stories are profound and humorous reflections of so many of our contemporary values and practices--both social and economic. I would recommend this series and this author to anyone. You will find it all quite enjoyable!
on May 28, 2016
Update: I'm in the process of re-reading this series because it was so much fun the first time around and I'm current on the books until a new one comes out. I wrote the author to say how much I enjoyed te series. He describes it as "family science fiction" and I must agree. The books are funny, creative, positive and can be read by anyone who enjoys science fiction and the problems that come up with cultural differences. The characters continue on into future books, but each book is definitely a standalone book.
Original comment: This story is about a young diplomat (female) who is trying to solve problems on an outlying trader station. She's being helped by a robotic species who helps "undeveloped" species. This book was such a fun quick read! If you like it, the series builds on the characters in this story. I thought this book was interesting, but the series is even more fun. It's one of the few series I've seen that could do this without murder or the upset of safety for an entire planet. The author introduces interesting characters and builds on the things those characters like. I particularly liked the careers that women, young and older, have in this series (finance, business and diplomacy), but the men (young and old) also have fun carreers (mercenary, games, brewing, etc,) Ok, as a sci-fi fan, I also liked the robotic species helping them, the Stryx, the subvoc speaking links, and the various alien races introduced! I've already read the second book and am moving on to the third. I got this book for free, but purchased the second and plan to read the series! Excellent book!
Original comment: This story is about a young diplomat (female) who is trying to solve problems on an outlying trader station. She's being helped by a robotic species who helps "undeveloped" species. This book was such a fun quick read! If you like it, the series builds on the characters in this story. I thought this book was interesting, but the series is even more fun. It's one of the few series I've seen that could do this without murder or the upset of safety for an entire planet. The author introduces interesting characters and builds on the things those characters like. I particularly liked the careers that women, young and older, have in this series (finance, business and diplomacy), but the men (young and old) also have fun carreers (mercenary, games, brewing, etc,) Ok, as a sci-fi fan, I also liked the robotic species helping them, the Stryx, the subvoc speaking links, and the various alien races introduced! I've already read the second book and am moving on to the third. I got this book for free, but purchased the second and plan to read the series! Excellent book!
