Maybe Violence Really Can Solve Every Problem: A Review of Brandon Getz’s Lars Breaxface: Werewolf in Space

Lars Breaxface: Werewolf in Space (2019)
Written by: Brandon Getz
Genre: Science Fiction/Horror/Comedy
Length: 299 pages
Publisher: Spaceboy Books

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the novel for free in exchange for an honest review.

Why I chose it: Maybe you can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can choose to read it based solely on its title. Lars Breaxface: Werewolf in Space is a hilarious title, and I couldn’t wait to read it. Aside from the fact that I absolutely adore werewolves, I love stories that combine genres and play with their conventions to create something fresh and new. Brandon Getz’s debut novel is essentially a space opera with an interesting cast of aliens/monsters with complicated personalities and enough comic relief to make the harsh and often violent settings seem a little less stark and dangerous. The clever humor that relies mainly on pop culture references from the late twentieth century and parody of the genre tropes the novel emulates, goes a long way to make the landscape seem more livable for the characters.

The premise:

Exiled from his home planet after exposure to a lycanthropic virus, orbit-salvager Lars Breaxface roams the cosmos as muscle for hire, the ultimate lone wolf. But when he meets a mysterious stranger in the far reaches of space, the wolfman finds himself in the middle of an alien plot he doesn’t understand, breaking a lot of faces. With the galaxy hanging in the balance, can Lars tame the beast? Or is he only capable of super apocalyptic werewolf mass destruction?

No spoilers!

Discussion: When we meet Lars Breaxface in the opening pages of the novel, he’s drinking in a bar and within seconds of finishing the first paragraph, he gets in a fight. He’s a delightful amalgam of werewolf and space cowboy cliches driven by his basest desires to fight, eat, and get laid. In fact, most of his internal dialog consists of fond memories of alien prostitutes, when he last ate, a desire for the eternal buzz, and the grim reality that he won’t be able to outrun his mistakes forever. He’s incredibly protective of his spaceship, Sheila, which is the science fiction equivalent of a classic muscle car. And, you get the sense that Lars has been self-medicating for quite some time in order to deal with the darker aspects of his personality. He felt like an old familiar friend I wanted to cheer on despite the fact he seems to be hell-bent on self-destruction.

Lars tries to keep his beast under control and earn a decent living as a mercenary while running from a haunted past he’d rather forget. And, despite his best efforts to appear calm, cool, and collected, he finds himself in a lot of fights due to his short temper. A temper amplified by the lycanthropy flowing through his veins that has earned him a reputation that attracts the attention of Jay, one of the last surviving members of her magic-wielding vampire-like race, who seeks revenge against the people who tried to make her kind extinct.

Jay hires Lars for a mission to return to her rightful home and an alliance of sorts forms between the two while they punch, stab, and claw their way through space, creating enemies and earning bounties on their heads on every outpost along the way.

I’d love to share all the cool details and reference snippets of dialog that made me laugh out loud, but I would be doing future readers a disservice by revealing this book’s treasure trove of fast-paced scenes, detailed landscapes, and cultural artifacts. It’s a well-written book that shows the author’s love of the genres he employs to tell a violent, yet funny tale that takes us on a quest through the void while Lars and Jay discover their true selves and find their place in the Universe. You know, while punching a lot of people in the face.

In conclusion: Getz’s debut novel might have a super macho werewolf and a deadly ninja vampire princess, but if you’re looking for a romance like Twilight, then you’re barking up the wrong Tremuloid. But, if you enjoy mixed genre novels jam-packed with interesting monsters, alien landscapes, and spooky blood magic that pay homage to your favorite science fiction, fantasy and horror tropes, then Lars Breaxface: Werewolf in Space will not disappoint.