Review: You had me at “(Discount) Mercenaries for Hire”
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 24, 2014
When I picked up a copy of Rich Hynes’ The Adventures of Tek Danger and Larry Applebaum, (Discount) Mercenaries for Hire, I wasn’t quite sure what I had gotten myself into, but as soon as I started reading, I knew it was exactly what I’d hoped for.From the outset, Hynes quickly clues you in to what kind of journey you’re about to embark on: a style of storytelling that is very much film noir meets Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  The novella opens with three “religious” men in the seediest part of town. As the story progresses and we learn of their ludicrous religious order, the Pure Hand of the Universe - a questionable sect *possibly* crafted to evade taxes - and meet the disheveled heros (I’m using that term very loosely), Tek Danger and Larry Applebaum, we learn that something has been stolen from the Pure Hand and Tek and Larry are just the men to retrieve it.Our oft defeated detectives bumble through their investigation, attempting to acquisition a ship (with much difficulty) and confronting a series of decidedly underestimated foes. They consistently impress with their lack of cunning and ineptitude, and the cadence with which Hynes describes their adventure is appealing. By the end I found that against my better judgment I was actually rooting for them to succeed. Come for the angry space women; stay for The Brilliance.In closing, if you’d like to laugh at ludicrous scenarios described in unexpectedly amusing detail and don’t mind spending a few hours of your time with two of the most haphazard detectives in the universe, Hynes’ The Adventures of Tek Danger and Larry Applebaum, (Discount) Mercenaries for Hire is definitely the book for you.