Agony (Debt Collector 2)

Agony by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review: Minor Spoilers
I had decided to read the Debt Collector series some days ago. I'm familiar with Susan Kaye Quinn having read some of her Mindjack series, which I highly recommend. For some reason I thought the Debt Collector series would feature rather independent stories in the "Debt Collector" world, or may be about different "debt collectors", but like most series, this is a continuation of Lirium's adventures.

The trouble with a series that follows one character through many short books is that nearly anything shared here possibly spoils a previous or future book in the series. So I'll try to go with brief, vague, and ratings.

For the record, Susan Kaye Quinn is a very good writer. Her 30 page stories pack around 30 things to cringe about, hold your breath, or go for your own snack to let your body's adrenaline simmer down a little.

Delirium (Debt Collector 1)

Delirium by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Susan Kaye Quinn has come up with a unique idea for her Debt Collection books. Lirium is a "debt collector". We never learn how a character learns how to collect this kind of debt.

We start out in the hospital with Lirium coming to "collect" Mr. Henry's debt. His debt is the remainder of his life force.

I would assume this takes place in the future with single payer health care firmly in place and some bean counter has calculated that the amount of life force remaining in Mr. Henry exceeds the cost of his medical bills, and any other debt he may owe. He's reached a negative balance that the bean counters presume Mr. Henry could never repay. In this health care plan, someone better able to contribute to society gets Mr. Henry's life force debt.

Stank Delicious by Steven Campbell

Stank Delicious by Steven Campbell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hard Luck Hank #5. If you haven't read Hard Luck Hank #1-4 it is possible I may say something that will be a spoiler. Alternately a person can't review a Hard Luck Hank book without spoiling something. Maybe the milk in your refrigerator, or and earlier or later Hard Luck Hank novel.

In this book, "Stank Delicious" I initially thought Steven Campbell, who should win the Nobel Prize for literature, might be slipping a little, but then he fine tuned his marshmallow mallet and whacked me right on the humor point of my funny bone. I was read-listening along and suddenly could not stop laughing. It went on so long I had to stop the audiobook and go back 3 pages to where I started laughing, Lucille Ball should be the person handing Steven the Hugo award for science fiction's greatest advancement in intergalactic humor.

If I were able I would nominate this book, and Steven Campbell, of course, for the Edger Award --because it is a mystery beyond imagination that he didn't win the Nebula award for his previous 4 books.