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The Blunt End #1
The Blunt End of the Service
With a little more drive and ambition, Chuck Poulson might have found himself serving as first officer aboard a hyper liner. By the same token, if Cadet Penelope Parker had accepted the amorous advances of the notorious Commander Dickens, she might well have been posted to the Cromwell, the latest Type 53 destroyer.
But with things as they stand, Chuck and Penny find themselves serving together aboard the half derelict space station Orbital One, alongside a motley crew of ‘misfits, slackers and has-beens’.
And that would have been that, but their neatly ordered world is suddenly turned upside down as they find themselves at the centre of intrigue in a plot involving sabotage, larceny and murder. Can Penny redeem herself and put her fledgling career back on track? Can Chuck just muddle through it all with his limbs still attached to his body?
Cut off from outside help, they find themselves propelled to the sharp end of the service and with things not always as they seem, they must negotiate ruthless staff officers, overcome battle hardened marines and outwit inter-stellar crime syndicates if they are to survive and win the day.
But with things as they stand, Chuck and Penny find themselves serving together aboard the half derelict space station Orbital One, alongside a motley crew of ‘misfits, slackers and has-beens’.
And that would have been that, but their neatly ordered world is suddenly turned upside down as they find themselves at the centre of intrigue in a plot involving sabotage, larceny and murder. Can Penny redeem herself and put her fledgling career back on track? Can Chuck just muddle through it all with his limbs still attached to his body?
Cut off from outside help, they find themselves propelled to the sharp end of the service and with things not always as they seem, they must negotiate ruthless staff officers, overcome battle hardened marines and outwit inter-stellar crime syndicates if they are to survive and win the day.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 9, 2016
81 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Simpson
6 books1 followerL.J. Simpson was born in Wolverhampton, England in 1956. He worked primarily in the steel industry until 1990 when he embarked on a fairly radical change of direction, moving to Japan where he opened a small English language school. Married with two grown up children, work still takes up a great deal of his time. The remainder he divides up between taking long walks by the sea with his ever faithful border collie, building model tall ships and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 15, 2016
The Blunt End of the Service by L.J. Simpson is a great sci-fi. It seemed to be made for teens since it was based around the Cadets but adults will love it too. It has everything in it that a good sci-fi needs including action, adventure, mystery, space ships, humor, hint of romance, suspense, and more. The characters are clever and well done. The plot steady until the end and then it was a real page turner. Well done.
August 22, 2019
A nice space adventure
This story was well written with likable characters who are taking part in a little space adventure. Effort is taken to give each character a back story, which makes each one a little less one-dimensional. The story has a slow and steady build-up, which made me think it might end with a big payoff ending, but that big payoff never came. Ending was predictable and fairly mundane. I'll read the sequel on the hope that it contains more 'epic' storytelling qualities.
This story was well written with likable characters who are taking part in a little space adventure. Effort is taken to give each character a back story, which makes each one a little less one-dimensional. The story has a slow and steady build-up, which made me think it might end with a big payoff ending, but that big payoff never came. Ending was predictable and fairly mundane. I'll read the sequel on the hope that it contains more 'epic' storytelling qualities.
February 7, 2019
Chuck is a reluctant hero, with a sense of humor.
Chuck is the #2 man on a space platform scheduled for demolition, and his crew of misfit's make the 3 stooges look smart. Chuck bumbles his way in to and out of every misfortune. A new #1 officer arrives, throwing Chuck and crew into a tizzy. Along comes a cadet, Penny, on a training exercise, and she gives them the spirit to fight several different bad guys. A fun book, easy to read. Well edited.
Chuck is the #2 man on a space platform scheduled for demolition, and his crew of misfit's make the 3 stooges look smart. Chuck bumbles his way in to and out of every misfortune. A new #1 officer arrives, throwing Chuck and crew into a tizzy. Along comes a cadet, Penny, on a training exercise, and she gives them the spirit to fight several different bad guys. A fun book, easy to read. Well edited.
October 21, 2019
The Keystone Cops in space!
The two MCs in this are Senior Cadet Penelope Parker (Penny) and Chuck Paulson but special mention should be made about Marines Burke and Dobbs. They could be likened to the Keystone Cops! The proud Marine Corps is not represented by its finest I’m afraid.
Penny is obviously headed for renown while Chuck is exactly where he wants to be! This book is great fun with a cynical undercurrent. A relaxing read.
The two MCs in this are Senior Cadet Penelope Parker (Penny) and Chuck Paulson but special mention should be made about Marines Burke and Dobbs. They could be likened to the Keystone Cops! The proud Marine Corps is not represented by its finest I’m afraid.
Penny is obviously headed for renown while Chuck is exactly where he wants to be! This book is great fun with a cynical undercurrent. A relaxing read.
September 6, 2019
It was fun to read
It was fun to read. Chuck is a pretty laid back but at the right time he is zealous and energetic. There is a great villain. The story concludes, no cliffhanger, only a hint of who the villain might be in the next story. The words flow nicely and i wanted to keep reading.
It was fun to read. Chuck is a pretty laid back but at the right time he is zealous and energetic. There is a great villain. The story concludes, no cliffhanger, only a hint of who the villain might be in the next story. The words flow nicely and i wanted to keep reading.
May 28, 2018
Rollicking good space fun. Can't wait to read the next book.
December 6, 2018
Great fun read!
I liked this story, well written, funny, it kept moving well, interesting characters, great plot, a really fun read!. Highly recommend it.
I liked this story, well written, funny, it kept moving well, interesting characters, great plot, a really fun read!. Highly recommend it.
September 5, 2019
Review
Very good read. I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.Really thought the storyline and characters were well thought out. Loved it!
Very good read. I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.Really thought the storyline and characters were well thought out. Loved it!
January 27, 2021
Hard hitting action and a bit of romance.
A very human story. Greed, lust and camaraderie. If you enjoy people stories this is fantastic. Solid characters and setting.
A very human story. Greed, lust and camaraderie. If you enjoy people stories this is fantastic. Solid characters and setting.
September 22, 2022
Good old-fashioned fun
All too human characters, a parody military, a good commander turning his resentment into crime, a gunship with no guns...and it all ends too soon
All too human characters, a parody military, a good commander turning his resentment into crime, a gunship with no guns...and it all ends too soon
August 29, 2016
Enjoyable!!
A delightful read...finished in one sitting! Very relaxing and appropriately placed. Thoroughly enjoyed the various characters and also the storyline.
A delightful read...finished in one sitting! Very relaxing and appropriately placed. Thoroughly enjoyed the various characters and also the storyline.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews