Big Bang

Odd Jobs, Inc #3

by Ron Goulart

Book by Ron Goulart

Genres: Science Fiction, Humor

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Pseudonyms: Howard Lee; Frank S Shawn; Kenneth Robeson; Con Steffanson; Josephine Kains; Joseph Silva; William Shatner.
Ron Goulart is a cultural historian and novelist. Besides writing extensively about pulp fiction—including the seminal Cheap Thrills: An Informal History of Pulp Magazines (1972)—Goulart has written for the pulps since 1952, when the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published his first story, a sci-fi parody of letters to the editor. Since then he has written dozens of novels and countless short stories, spanning genres and using a variety of pennames, including Kenneth Robeson, Joseph Silva, and Con Steffanson. In the 1990s, he became the ghostwriter for William Shatner’s popular TekWar novels. Goulart’s After Things Fell Apart (1970) is the only science-fiction novel to ever win an Edgar Award.

In the 1970s Goulart wrote novels starring series characters like Flash Gordon and the Phantom, and in 1980 he published Hail Hibbler, a comic sci-fi novel that began the Odd Jobs, Inc. series. Goulart has also written several comic mystery series, including six books starring Groucho Marx. Having written for comic books, Goulart produced several histories of the art form, including the Comic Book Encyclopedia (2004).

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake and Hildy Pace are the owners and operators of Odd Jobs, Inc., an ace investigative agency in Goulart's near-future early 21st century. Big Bang is another furiously-paced, light-hearted romp of a case that sees them through a bewildering cast of extremely unlikely characters as the story lampoons and satirizes science fiction, detective stories, politics, social conscience, and everything else it can in 160 pages. A couple of bits would be viewed as racist nowadays, but it was Goulart's mission to make fun of everything and everybody. Jake and Hildy were his version of Nick and Nora Charles, and it's a lot of fun.

[Mikepottz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jakes wakes up in a cell accused of a sex murder and while in the cell is still trying to solve the big bang murders. Somebody is killing world leaders and predominant business leaders, destroying houses by a massive explosion which leaves no traces. Jake gets released on bail for a week. The current year is 2003 and the US President is a siamese twin jointed at the elbow. Sometimes the twins don't see eye to eye. Agents investigating the big bang murders are killed so obviously the best private eye company in the world odd jobs, inc get the job. Jake goes on a kids TV program where the actos have massive tits and get them out. Who would have thought this would get big ratings. Jake nearly gets killed. Then ends up on the Moon at a jazz festival and his wife Hildy knees people in the guts, karate chops necks and stunguns the murders. Case solved. Nowhere near as bonkers as the first two books in this series which is a shame. Bring on the last in the series. Give me batshit bonkers please.

[Brian Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, entertaining sci-fi that’s never too engrossing but fast paced and full of imagination about the near future (it takes place in the early 2000’s). Somewhat formulaic with characters getting into sticky situations and explaining how they got out after the fact over and over. Fun, though. Maybe I’d like it more if I had read the previous Odd Jobs, Inc. books.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, but I loved the "Odd Jobs, Inc" novels. His lampooning of the California granola-eating sub-culture, spy-novels and science fiction in general always makes me laugh.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3½. One of Goulart's more amusing books.

[Michael Sobczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing read, but not very memorable. As a matter of fact, I'd read this book back in 2000 and completely forgot that I had. Goulart has a way with character names, from Skullpopper Smith to Palsy Hatchbacker. However, the lead character, Jake Pace, is pretty drab, as is his wife Hildy. (All we ever really know about her is that she's really pretty.) The character of John J. Pilgrim is pretty annoying. The stylistic tic of having characters constantly cut off each other's sentences gets tiring after a while. The chapter in the futuristic Cleveland Ghetto Village seems pretty racist to me. The underlying mystery is fairly complex and Goulart does a nice job of unveiling it. There are some interesting touches, with Honey Chen as an actress on a children's TV show that has nudity on it. We'll probably get there sooner than we'd like! Having the action end up at a Jazz festival on the moon was a nice touch. And the various supporting robot characters are always fun.

[Kaleb Purdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very goofy as per Ron Goulart.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is lightweight fun. It reminds me of the wotk of Harry Harrison.