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Scum of the Earth
THEY CAME TO RAID… THEY STAYED TO GET LAID!
For centuries, alien drug-runners plundered the Earth, harvesting organs and freebasing fear. Few drugs could match the potency of humanity’s dysfunctional two-stroke brains, so the Intergalactic Enforcement Force burned it down.
Now, the last scattered, ragtag pockets of humanity strewn across a hundred backwater worlds are the most sought-after cash crop in the universe, and their only hope lies in the unsteady, oversexed hands of a pirate crew of intergalactic trash under the command of a devious cutthroat nymphomaniac known as Callista Chrome.
But to save the unworthy human race, Callista and her drug-hungry horde will have to go through conniving alien cartels, buzzkill narcs, priapic platypuses, polymorphic ex’s and bloodthirsty space-Vikings before facing the most devastating enemy in the worst place in the known universe… home.
For centuries, alien drug-runners plundered the Earth, harvesting organs and freebasing fear. Few drugs could match the potency of humanity’s dysfunctional two-stroke brains, so the Intergalactic Enforcement Force burned it down.
Now, the last scattered, ragtag pockets of humanity strewn across a hundred backwater worlds are the most sought-after cash crop in the universe, and their only hope lies in the unsteady, oversexed hands of a pirate crew of intergalactic trash under the command of a devious cutthroat nymphomaniac known as Callista Chrome.
But to save the unworthy human race, Callista and her drug-hungry horde will have to go through conniving alien cartels, buzzkill narcs, priapic platypuses, polymorphic ex’s and bloodthirsty space-Vikings before facing the most devastating enemy in the worst place in the known universe… home.
201 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 28, 2019
10 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Cody Goodfellow
162 books385 followersCODY GOODFELLOW has written nine novels and five collections, and has won three Wonderland Book Awards for Bizarro Fiction. He wrote, co-produced and scored the short Lovecraftian hygiene films Stay At Home Dad and Baby Got Bass, which have become viral sensations on YouTube. He has appeared in numerous short films, TV shows, music videos and commercials as research for his previous novel, Sleazeland. He also edits the hyperpulp zine Forbidden Futures. He “lives” in San Diego. Find out more at codygoodfellow.com.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 7, 2019
Advanced Reader copy. (Scroll down for a link to an interview I did with Cody on the Dickheads podcast)
This is a good month two new Cody Goodfellow books in one month. I admit this is a time when I have great privilege being published by the same press I accidentally got my hardcopy before Mister Goodfellow. I have not been shy in my opinion of Cody's work, as a writer I think he is the most underrated genre voice of my generation. one of the aspects that makes Goodfellow such as fun voice as he is important as he is not afraid to just have fun. This is the writer who already showed early in his career how he could go from a genius work political body horror like A Perfect Union to at times Satirical Kaiju action in the collection All-Monster-Action that you can still pick-up from Kingshot Press.
Close fans of Cody's Career have read novellas and short stories that have gone into full satire most notably The Last Goddamn Hollywood Movie about a crew trying to take advantage of the end of the world to make their movie. That book has a tongue in cheek crazy-ness that not every author can pull off. Scum of the Earth is like an artifact of late 50's or early 60's pulp sci-fi spit out of a wormhole into 2019 complete with Monty Python level of snark and Goodfellow's hyper-intelligent meets gonzo style of insanity. This book could only be written by Cody Goodfellow because it requires someone with the writing chops, the wit, and most importantly someone well read in the classic genre not afraid to play and poke fun at the conventions.
The back cover does a good job of selling all the weird elements from brain stealing drug-dealing gray aliens to space Vikings. All seen through the eyes of an ex-stripper turned starship and her shapeshifting first officer. Everybody fucks everyone on the ship as they are bored traveling through space inside a giant fish who they have to get drunk and trick into going to warp speed. The earth is dead and humans are scattered trying to not have their brains stolen...look you are better off reading this on your own.
There are twists that are smarter than anyone who didn't know Goodfellow's work before might not be ready for. Goodfellow speaks directly to the reader many times letting you know when he is conveniently using certain tropes. My favorite was part when he was describing a race of barbarians called Monitors with FTL ships and he described them as "the monitors are that rare exception that proves those optimistic nerds read entirely too much Asimov and not enough Ellison."
There is also a funny scene that despite my years being straight edge made me laugh. A character is trying to figure out if their ship is a time machine and another responds "Fuck Science," She snarled. "science is for people who can't handle Drugs."
Scum of the Earth is a fun read, people looking for more humor in their science fiction can't go wrong. Codiacs whose numbers are growing rejoice because this is a fun one to add to the collection.
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodca...
This is a good month two new Cody Goodfellow books in one month. I admit this is a time when I have great privilege being published by the same press I accidentally got my hardcopy before Mister Goodfellow. I have not been shy in my opinion of Cody's work, as a writer I think he is the most underrated genre voice of my generation. one of the aspects that makes Goodfellow such as fun voice as he is important as he is not afraid to just have fun. This is the writer who already showed early in his career how he could go from a genius work political body horror like A Perfect Union to at times Satirical Kaiju action in the collection All-Monster-Action that you can still pick-up from Kingshot Press.
Close fans of Cody's Career have read novellas and short stories that have gone into full satire most notably The Last Goddamn Hollywood Movie about a crew trying to take advantage of the end of the world to make their movie. That book has a tongue in cheek crazy-ness that not every author can pull off. Scum of the Earth is like an artifact of late 50's or early 60's pulp sci-fi spit out of a wormhole into 2019 complete with Monty Python level of snark and Goodfellow's hyper-intelligent meets gonzo style of insanity. This book could only be written by Cody Goodfellow because it requires someone with the writing chops, the wit, and most importantly someone well read in the classic genre not afraid to play and poke fun at the conventions.
The back cover does a good job of selling all the weird elements from brain stealing drug-dealing gray aliens to space Vikings. All seen through the eyes of an ex-stripper turned starship and her shapeshifting first officer. Everybody fucks everyone on the ship as they are bored traveling through space inside a giant fish who they have to get drunk and trick into going to warp speed. The earth is dead and humans are scattered trying to not have their brains stolen...look you are better off reading this on your own.
There are twists that are smarter than anyone who didn't know Goodfellow's work before might not be ready for. Goodfellow speaks directly to the reader many times letting you know when he is conveniently using certain tropes. My favorite was part when he was describing a race of barbarians called Monitors with FTL ships and he described them as "the monitors are that rare exception that proves those optimistic nerds read entirely too much Asimov and not enough Ellison."
There is also a funny scene that despite my years being straight edge made me laugh. A character is trying to figure out if their ship is a time machine and another responds "Fuck Science," She snarled. "science is for people who can't handle Drugs."
Scum of the Earth is a fun read, people looking for more humor in their science fiction can't go wrong. Codiacs whose numbers are growing rejoice because this is a fun one to add to the collection.
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodca...
August 12, 2019
Cody Goodfellow writes the kind of stories that should be banned from our public schools, for fear of incubating the kind of zealous free-thinkers that our society just isn’t equipped to handle.
In the tradition of Burroughs, Ballard, Dick, and Ellison - Goodfellow takes up the reins of the mind-bending surrealist-shaman, showing the rest of us what words can do if wielded as the dangerous weapons they are.
In the tradition of Burroughs, Ballard, Dick, and Ellison - Goodfellow takes up the reins of the mind-bending surrealist-shaman, showing the rest of us what words can do if wielded as the dangerous weapons they are.
August 2, 2019
3.5 out of 5.
Full Review
Scum of the Earth is an often entertaining read, but by the high standards of Cody Goodfellow's work, this feels like a lesser entry. Fans of science fiction comedies will likely enjoy this, but it wouldn't be the first of Goodfellow's work I recommend to someone unfamiliar with his work. Still, if all you want is a quick and funny read, you can't go wrong with this.
Full Review
Scum of the Earth is an often entertaining read, but by the high standards of Cody Goodfellow's work, this feels like a lesser entry. Fans of science fiction comedies will likely enjoy this, but it wouldn't be the first of Goodfellow's work I recommend to someone unfamiliar with his work. Still, if all you want is a quick and funny read, you can't go wrong with this.
July 7, 2022
3.5 rounded up to 4
August 8, 2019
I may not be the ideal target audience for Bizarro Fiction, a distinct genre that I was unaware of until I read the Eraserhead website, the publisher of this book. It's hard to describe this book, I originally thought it was some form of SF satire, and maybe it is, but it also has a strange porn joke feel to it like a bad shaggy dog story. I read the first quarter, just too many bad cliches and disjointed writing, and skimmed the rest. I did enjoy the cheesy cover, one reason why I brought it home from the library.
For slightly more tied down SF versions that use sex, evil SF Egypt and intergalactic bad guys as heroes that are readable, you can try Farmer's Image of the Beast / Blown or Spinrad's The Men in the Jungle.
For slightly more tied down SF versions that use sex, evil SF Egypt and intergalactic bad guys as heroes that are readable, you can try Farmer's Image of the Beast / Blown or Spinrad's The Men in the Jungle.
December 15, 2022
What.
//
Look, I picked this book up because it was obviously aping vintage sci-fi and I thought, sure, sounds fun. What I got was a mess. To pull off a book this all-over-the-place, you’ve gotta have a really strong sense of control and assurance. But the author never seemed get to a handle on the narrative voice. It swung between jokingly highfalutin, workmanlike, and infuriatingly smug. Unfortunately, usually infuriatingly smug. Most other aspects of the book—plot, characterization, even my sense for who the main character was—felt similarly shaky.
There are some hints of something compelling here—a world in which human imaginations make all the aliens seem like they have aphantasia in comparison—but all in all, this was not a book for me.
Also, major content/trigger warning for rape.
//
Look, I picked this book up because it was obviously aping vintage sci-fi and I thought, sure, sounds fun. What I got was a mess. To pull off a book this all-over-the-place, you’ve gotta have a really strong sense of control and assurance. But the author never seemed get to a handle on the narrative voice. It swung between jokingly highfalutin, workmanlike, and infuriatingly smug. Unfortunately, usually infuriatingly smug. Most other aspects of the book—plot, characterization, even my sense for who the main character was—felt similarly shaky.
There are some hints of something compelling here—a world in which human imaginations make all the aliens seem like they have aphantasia in comparison—but all in all, this was not a book for me.
Also, major content/trigger warning for rape.
September 12, 2019
4.5 star review.
Highly imaginative take on the sci-fi space opera full of drug-fuelled mayhem. One of my favorite of Goodfellow's books yet! (Granted, it is also only the third I have read.
Highly imaginative take on the sci-fi space opera full of drug-fuelled mayhem. One of my favorite of Goodfellow's books yet! (Granted, it is also only the third I have read.
August 15, 2020
This is probably the most random book I have ever read. Random in that I had thought I had ordered "Scum of the Earth" by Arthur Koestler--a serious book about the collapse of resistance in France to the onslaught of the Germans and the fate of many refugees--like himself--in a country whose morale and according to Koestler, sense of honor evaporated.
Instead, for some reason Amazon shipped me Cody Goodfellow's bizarre sleazy/comedic science fiction work by the same name. The cover made the retro in me read it anyway--maybe Amazon's AI brain knew what I would really like.
Unfortunately, no. While there are flashes of humor and even a few passages where the consequences of single parent upbringing in small town Alaska (in this case) can unfortunately encourage bad choices which negatively impact lives, overall this book seems like a first draft of a gifted but lazy writer who seeks to provoke but runs out of energy along the way. Too much swearing, and a confusing amount of almost background antiseptic and selfish sex begins to lose any meaning. The proposition that the infected yeast in the eyes and anuses of bichon frises is the universe's superior being is maybe also a little provocative, but all things considered, stupid.
If there is one line worth citing in this blissfully short (158 pages), it could be the following:
"Because sometimes, even an impossible dream can make it a little easier to be who you are, and maybe be a little better than you were before."
But I think this book is pretty much a waste of time and destined for the poubelle. Hopefully I can get Amazon to ship me Koestler's book.
Instead, for some reason Amazon shipped me Cody Goodfellow's bizarre sleazy/comedic science fiction work by the same name. The cover made the retro in me read it anyway--maybe Amazon's AI brain knew what I would really like.
Unfortunately, no. While there are flashes of humor and even a few passages where the consequences of single parent upbringing in small town Alaska (in this case) can unfortunately encourage bad choices which negatively impact lives, overall this book seems like a first draft of a gifted but lazy writer who seeks to provoke but runs out of energy along the way. Too much swearing, and a confusing amount of almost background antiseptic and selfish sex begins to lose any meaning. The proposition that the infected yeast in the eyes and anuses of bichon frises is the universe's superior being is maybe also a little provocative, but all things considered, stupid.
If there is one line worth citing in this blissfully short (158 pages), it could be the following:
"Because sometimes, even an impossible dream can make it a little easier to be who you are, and maybe be a little better than you were before."
But I think this book is pretty much a waste of time and destined for the poubelle. Hopefully I can get Amazon to ship me Koestler's book.
July 27, 2019
Thinking of starting a Twitch channel where I live broadcast video of the man I have locked in the basement as he reads this book. The book is the only thing in the room, see? A little bit of dappled sun shines through the window. By that he can read. And laugh. And cry. Happy-cry, mind you. Because the book's so good. The emotional responses of the prisoners in this situation have nothing to do with the conditions of their detainment. I did mention this is hypothetical, right? I guess I'll have to find a new dude every day, since it's a pretty quick read. I guess I should post some instructions in the cell, or provide a dictionary. Hang on
January 3, 2022
I just find this snarky sloppy sort of jaded cheese ball swear word for emphasis bad ass babe kitchen sink posturing punk depravity kind of writing inherently annoying, but you know what? If you're into that sort of thing, this is actually pretty good. It's definitely got <3 heart and passion and enough fun or ingenious ideas to keep one page turning. In fact, if you dig this style, you might even think this book is GREAT. It's just not my thing, okay? Is that so wrong? But the man uses the word sundry way too much. You have to give me that.
May 28, 2020
Cody, if you are reading this, you are awesome!
May 30, 2020
An excellent premise powers this fast, funny, out-of-control rocket on it's drug-fueled, sex-crazed path across the galaxy. Engaging characters and purposefully improbable events keep the pages turning. The execution is a little too loose/drunken for me to give it five stars, but I definitely enjoyed it. This book is not for everyone although, if the adventures of a nymphomaniac space-pirate and her motley crew sound intriguing to you, you're probably good.
August 7, 2019
What an absolute wild ride! It was like Douglas Adams high on illegal steroids from some questionable merchants in deep space wrote this. What a fantastic and weird book from the perspective of a bunch of ruthless space pirates. I'm all about this kind of stuff. It was pretty far out there.
December 20, 2019
What a bleak and empty world it would be if there where no Cody Goodfellow. 150 pages or so of amazing madness. This was like an S. Clay Wilson comic in prose. Goodfellow's imagination dwarfs most writers. This guys is super powered. I highly recommend!
February 19, 2021
A cosmic bong packed to the gills with dank sci-fi pulp, which will undoubtedly be used as “Exhibit A” when Cody Goodfellow’s imagination is justifiably classified as a schedule one controlled substance.
November 6, 2019
Fantastically sleazy.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews