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A Swift Kick to the Thorax
When space poachers release Earth animals on an alien world, threatening a fragile new alliance, they anger the wrong people. A veterinarian, an accountant, and a furious sign-language-fluent gorilla are coming for them.
Robin enjoys being one of the only humans around: an exotic outsider, strange and tall, with no shell and only two arms. Consulting for locals who want to keep Earth pets is a fine job. But when a swarm of rabbits invade town and humanity is blamed, everything unravels.
If Robin wants to save the alliance between two planets - and keep from getting sent home in disgrace - she has to prove that a powerful crime ring is behind the crisis. Luckily for her, she makes friends who are eager to help: from planetside, from the nearby space station, and recently escaped from the poacher's ship.
Those poachers may be bug aliens with an excellent range of vision, but they won't see this coming.
Robin enjoys being one of the only humans around: an exotic outsider, strange and tall, with no shell and only two arms. Consulting for locals who want to keep Earth pets is a fine job. But when a swarm of rabbits invade town and humanity is blamed, everything unravels.
If Robin wants to save the alliance between two planets - and keep from getting sent home in disgrace - she has to prove that a powerful crime ring is behind the crisis. Luckily for her, she makes friends who are eager to help: from planetside, from the nearby space station, and recently escaped from the poacher's ship.
Those poachers may be bug aliens with an excellent range of vision, but they won't see this coming.
- GenresScience Fiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published November 14, 2022
13 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Mara Lynn Johnstone
16 books70 followersMara grew up in a house on a hill, of which the top floor was built first. She split her time between climbing trees, drawing fantastical things, reading books, and writing her own. Always interested in fiction, she went on to get a Master's Degree in creative writing, and to acquire a husband, son, and two cats. She still writes, draws, reads, and enjoys climbing things. She also has been known to make and wear costumes given any excuse, and to thoroughly enjoy life.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 14, 2024
Very good. Once the plot really kicks off, it really doesn't stop. What was that? A total of three days over the entire book? So much can happen in such a short time. I really loved the considerations about what alien life might look and act like and what accommodations multi-species places would need. Hopefully Dragon gets back home safely.
July 10, 2024
A mixed bag
There were parts of this story I really liked. The whole setup and initial world-building and bunny-catching were great. I loved the concept of a citizen animal—in this case a gorilla named Dragon. I liked the main character and her alien friend. Then about 70% in, it just read like the written version of one of the old Scooby Doo cartoons where the good guys are being chased in and out of rooms by the bad guys. Too many escapes, recaptures, evading discovery by walking around in a trash can, the works. All of this is stretched out for several chapters and told from multiple viewpoints and it’s just chaos. Maybe I was supposed to find it funny—and it might be in a cartoon, but I just wanted out of the chaos and for the story to proceed more smoothly.
I was also disappointed because I came across the story in a list of the top “humans as space orcs” stories, and the title seemed to endorse that. But it did not read that way to me at all. We were funny aliens on a world with short aliens with shells. We had some advantages, they had others. I don’t recall anyone getting kicked in the thorax—in fact, the thorax aliens pretty much stomp all over the humans until the gorilla is able to fight and reinforcements arrive. It does all come back together at the end (which felt just a bit abrupt, but at that point I just wanted it done anyway). So, a promising start and I would be interested in reading this author again if their writing evolves just a bit.
There were parts of this story I really liked. The whole setup and initial world-building and bunny-catching were great. I loved the concept of a citizen animal—in this case a gorilla named Dragon. I liked the main character and her alien friend. Then about 70% in, it just read like the written version of one of the old Scooby Doo cartoons where the good guys are being chased in and out of rooms by the bad guys. Too many escapes, recaptures, evading discovery by walking around in a trash can, the works. All of this is stretched out for several chapters and told from multiple viewpoints and it’s just chaos. Maybe I was supposed to find it funny—and it might be in a cartoon, but I just wanted out of the chaos and for the story to proceed more smoothly.
I was also disappointed because I came across the story in a list of the top “humans as space orcs” stories, and the title seemed to endorse that. But it did not read that way to me at all. We were funny aliens on a world with short aliens with shells. We had some advantages, they had others. I don’t recall anyone getting kicked in the thorax—in fact, the thorax aliens pretty much stomp all over the humans until the gorilla is able to fight and reinforcements arrive. It does all come back together at the end (which felt just a bit abrupt, but at that point I just wanted it done anyway). So, a promising start and I would be interested in reading this author again if their writing evolves just a bit.
November 17, 2022
I received an advance reader copy of A Swift Kick to the Thorax for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The author has a knack for crafting book titles that grab the reader’s attention and make them grin as they wonder what magic is contained beyond it. Like Spectacular Silver Earthling before it (a book that's every bit as wonderful as its title suggests), A Swift Kick to the Thorax’s title perfectly sells the tone of the book. And, once again, this book is every bit as wonderful as its title suggests.
Being by the author of Spectacular Silver Earthling, I was hoping for great things. While I would love a sequel to that book, A Swift Kick to the Thorax is just as entertaining as a sequel to Johnstone’s previous novel would be, possibly even moreso.
A Swift Kick to the Thorax is set at some point in the future, where humanity has taken to the stars, and follows a veterinarian, Robin, looking after Earthling animals that have been transported to a planet she resides on. Despite similarities with Spectacular Silver Earthlings (humans on an alien world with a focus on animalia of some description), the author tells a completely different story. This time, after a swarm of rabbits invades the planet, Robin must get to the source of the outbreak, a failure of quarantine that humans are blamed for, that threatens Earth’s fragile standing in the interplanetary alliance. It shares the same sense of humour and tone as Johnstone’s previous novel, and if you’re a fan of that, you'll love this.
A Swift Kick to the Thorax has a sense of freewheeling fun. Reading this book is an absolute joy from start to finish, and it gives the distinct impression that the author had an absolute joy writing it. This joy is infectious, ensuring the reader’s smile stretches from ear to ear, only subsiding once they reach the end of the tale. It's packed full of PG-rated humorous situations, great characters and witty one-liners, and brings them about in a thoroughly entertaining way that feels natural, ensuring it doesn’t break the reader’s suspension of disbelief.
This isn’t a particularly long novel, and the length feels perfect for the story and tone. It quickly sets the scene and introduces the world, and soon introduces the threat of a lone rabbit out in the wild. From there, the plot ramps up into high gear, with plenty of fun twists and turns. Throughout this, the author introduces readers to an alien landscape and plenty of alien races (particularly Rockbacks, or "turtledillos," thanks to their resemblance of a cross between a turtle and an armadillo. The book uses its space well, and gets through quite a bit, ensuring that it keeps the reader entertained without ever outstaying its welcome.
The prose is (predominantly) written in the first person perspective, courtesy of its point of view characters. The majority of these belong to Robin, with fellow human Jacinta and turtledillo Zephyr also narrating a number of chapters. Even a gorilla named Dragon, who communicates only by sign language narrates a few chapters, albeit in the third person. While the Dragon chapters set themselves apart from the others due to his third person narration and short, blunt sentences, each point of view character has their own unique voice which adds to the flavour.
While all the characters are engaging, the four POV characters fare the strongest, and are a joy to follow, with their different quirks. The characters all play off each other beautifully, with plenty of wit to go around, whether it’s within the narration, or the dialogue, in which characters bounce off each other brilliantly. A Swift Kick to the Thorax also includes some LGBTQI+ representation, mentioned in passing in a way that works for the characters, without being the focus of who they are.
This is a book written with one express purpose: to entertain the reader, and it does so without letting up. It constantly amuses with its situations, its plot and its characters, while still telling a story where the reader is invested in the stakes. Through all the humour, the author introduces readers to a great sci-fi world that's entertaining to explore.
My full review will be available on my website from 21 November 2022. To read it, and a host of other reviews, click here.
The author has a knack for crafting book titles that grab the reader’s attention and make them grin as they wonder what magic is contained beyond it. Like Spectacular Silver Earthling before it (a book that's every bit as wonderful as its title suggests), A Swift Kick to the Thorax’s title perfectly sells the tone of the book. And, once again, this book is every bit as wonderful as its title suggests.
Being by the author of Spectacular Silver Earthling, I was hoping for great things. While I would love a sequel to that book, A Swift Kick to the Thorax is just as entertaining as a sequel to Johnstone’s previous novel would be, possibly even moreso.
A Swift Kick to the Thorax is set at some point in the future, where humanity has taken to the stars, and follows a veterinarian, Robin, looking after Earthling animals that have been transported to a planet she resides on. Despite similarities with Spectacular Silver Earthlings (humans on an alien world with a focus on animalia of some description), the author tells a completely different story. This time, after a swarm of rabbits invades the planet, Robin must get to the source of the outbreak, a failure of quarantine that humans are blamed for, that threatens Earth’s fragile standing in the interplanetary alliance. It shares the same sense of humour and tone as Johnstone’s previous novel, and if you’re a fan of that, you'll love this.
A Swift Kick to the Thorax has a sense of freewheeling fun. Reading this book is an absolute joy from start to finish, and it gives the distinct impression that the author had an absolute joy writing it. This joy is infectious, ensuring the reader’s smile stretches from ear to ear, only subsiding once they reach the end of the tale. It's packed full of PG-rated humorous situations, great characters and witty one-liners, and brings them about in a thoroughly entertaining way that feels natural, ensuring it doesn’t break the reader’s suspension of disbelief.
This isn’t a particularly long novel, and the length feels perfect for the story and tone. It quickly sets the scene and introduces the world, and soon introduces the threat of a lone rabbit out in the wild. From there, the plot ramps up into high gear, with plenty of fun twists and turns. Throughout this, the author introduces readers to an alien landscape and plenty of alien races (particularly Rockbacks, or "turtledillos," thanks to their resemblance of a cross between a turtle and an armadillo. The book uses its space well, and gets through quite a bit, ensuring that it keeps the reader entertained without ever outstaying its welcome.
The prose is (predominantly) written in the first person perspective, courtesy of its point of view characters. The majority of these belong to Robin, with fellow human Jacinta and turtledillo Zephyr also narrating a number of chapters. Even a gorilla named Dragon, who communicates only by sign language narrates a few chapters, albeit in the third person. While the Dragon chapters set themselves apart from the others due to his third person narration and short, blunt sentences, each point of view character has their own unique voice which adds to the flavour.
While all the characters are engaging, the four POV characters fare the strongest, and are a joy to follow, with their different quirks. The characters all play off each other beautifully, with plenty of wit to go around, whether it’s within the narration, or the dialogue, in which characters bounce off each other brilliantly. A Swift Kick to the Thorax also includes some LGBTQI+ representation, mentioned in passing in a way that works for the characters, without being the focus of who they are.
This is a book written with one express purpose: to entertain the reader, and it does so without letting up. It constantly amuses with its situations, its plot and its characters, while still telling a story where the reader is invested in the stakes. Through all the humour, the author introduces readers to a great sci-fi world that's entertaining to explore.
My full review will be available on my website from 21 November 2022. To read it, and a host of other reviews, click here.
November 25, 2022
Disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy, but I still bought a copy of this book. I personally know the author, but if this were a stinker, I'd call it a stinker all the same. I'm more critical of my acquaintances than I am of anyone else. If I thought this book was meh, I might not have left any review at all.
I'll talk a lot about the old pulp SciFi grocery checkout books from way back. Not that I think pulp SciFi was the peak of the genre, but it had more to say about what was possible in science ficiton than some of the pre-eminent authors held on high. Sometimes when reading ASKttT I felt like I was back in those books - I mean this in the most positive light. This isn't "Midgets Vs. The Space Vampire" (a real book, it's on my bookshelf), it's a book with something to say, but it'll make you crack a smile on the way there.
This title doesn't rest on lazy trope-writing; we get a setup, decent character establishment, and we're off to the races.
Dialogue and characterization are where this book shines the best for me. There's a certain Preying Mantis and he had me in stitches. Characters felt like characters. I know real people who would watch the events of ASKttT and ask "what is this garbage...and why am I not in it?"
Comedy isn't easy. I fail at comedy more often every single day than I attempt human conversation. This succeeds at being funny. Johnstone wanted to be funny, and the humor lands.
There is no iteration of this review where I could talk about the story without spoiling it, so I won't spoil it. This is a good book, and worth the time it'll take to read.
I'll talk a lot about the old pulp SciFi grocery checkout books from way back. Not that I think pulp SciFi was the peak of the genre, but it had more to say about what was possible in science ficiton than some of the pre-eminent authors held on high. Sometimes when reading ASKttT I felt like I was back in those books - I mean this in the most positive light. This isn't "Midgets Vs. The Space Vampire" (a real book, it's on my bookshelf), it's a book with something to say, but it'll make you crack a smile on the way there.
This title doesn't rest on lazy trope-writing; we get a setup, decent character establishment, and we're off to the races.
Dialogue and characterization are where this book shines the best for me. There's a certain Preying Mantis and he had me in stitches. Characters felt like characters. I know real people who would watch the events of ASKttT and ask "what is this garbage...and why am I not in it?"
Comedy isn't easy. I fail at comedy more often every single day than I attempt human conversation. This succeeds at being funny. Johnstone wanted to be funny, and the humor lands.
There is no iteration of this review where I could talk about the story without spoiling it, so I won't spoil it. This is a good book, and worth the time it'll take to read.
January 16, 2024
I had an absolute blast reading this unique and fun story! Johnstone perfectly mixes humor with a bit of angst to create a page-turning adventure. We meet main character (and human) Robin as she's working as a consultant on an alien world, hoping to strengthen an alliance with Earth through a flora and fauna exchange. Not everyone is happy to welcome Earthlings, however - and this is made evident when a horde of fluffy rabbits is released in town. Will Robin and her new allies (both human and alien) be able to thwart the sabotage? You'll definitely want to find out!
May 29, 2025
I found this book, after I found this author's Reddit series "The Token Human" which involves this book's main character, and their crew. All those stories are light-hearted feelgood Sci-Fi, and imho, the best part of those stories is the interactions between the crew and the main character.
I didn't realise how much of a difference it would be for me not to get the rest of the main character's crew to go with the story.
That said, I still read it in one go, enjoyed it, and probably would read this book again in a year or two in the hopes I can read it as a semi-new experience again.
I didn't realise how much of a difference it would be for me not to get the rest of the main character's crew to go with the story.
That said, I still read it in one go, enjoyed it, and probably would read this book again in a year or two in the hopes I can read it as a semi-new experience again.
June 5, 2023
Diplomatic Incident? Not if I can stop it!
There are several POV, clearly labeled. Some of them are non-human, and all are delightful.
From Zephyr, the anti-smuggling accountant, to Jacinta, mechanic extraordinary, they work together to stop the smugglers, clear humanity'screputation, and save the space station. Action filled, with a little lying maybe, and definitely some corruption.
There are several POV, clearly labeled. Some of them are non-human, and all are delightful.
From Zephyr, the anti-smuggling accountant, to Jacinta, mechanic extraordinary, they work together to stop the smugglers, clear humanity'screputation, and save the space station. Action filled, with a little lying maybe, and definitely some corruption.
March 16, 2025
This was a 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I liked the world building which included a lot of different species in a future where they all work together. Very Trek. But the story followed too many POV's which dissipated the stakes and the suspense. Last half of the novel felt more like Space Jam than Trek.
February 11, 2023
Fun Read!
What does a human do when faced with great odds? She makes new friends.
This story was fun to read. Plenty of adventure and action. I absolutely loved the ending. Give it a try.
What does a human do when faced with great odds? She makes new friends.
This story was fun to read. Plenty of adventure and action. I absolutely loved the ending. Give it a try.
March 29, 2023
A Delightful Story
Told from various points of view, this adventure goes from catching fuzzy animals on an alien planet to a high pressure escapade to space and back. I loved it! I can't wait to read more
Told from various points of view, this adventure goes from catching fuzzy animals on an alien planet to a high pressure escapade to space and back. I loved it! I can't wait to read more
February 28, 2025
Honestly a really fun read. Definitely recommend it for a nice mental break for book club.
September 3, 2025
Cute but flimsy
October 28, 2025
Should not have finished. Seems like a children's book
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews