The Disasters

By: M. K. England

Narrated by: James Fouhey

The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy in this YA sci-fi adventure by debut author M. K. England.

Hotshot pilot Nax Hall has a history of making poor life choices. So it’s not exactly a surprise when he’s kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy in less than twenty-four hours. But Nax’s one-way trip back to Earth is cut short when a terrorist group attacks the Academy.

Nax and three other washouts escape—barely—but they’re also the sole witnesses to the biggest crime in the history of space colonization. And the perfect scapegoats.

On the run, Nax and his fellow failures plan to pull off a dangerous heist to spread the truth. Because they may not be “Academy material,” and they may not even get along, but they’re the only ones left to step up and fight.

Full of high-stakes action, subversive humor, and underdogs becoming heroes, this YA sci-fi adventure is perfect for fans of Illuminae, Heart of Iron, or the cult classic TV show Firefly and is also a riviting thrill ride that anyone—not just space nerds—can enjoy.

Diverse story that isn't queer baiting!

This book was a good story over and I really loved the diverse characters. It is important for young readers to have representation and I think this book does a great job of doing that and not veering from the story. There was the perfect amount of diverse race, genders, sexualities. All that said, the story was still great! It has everything you want in a book. It was funny, heartfelt, and exciting,

Wow!

This was an adrenaline ride from start to finish, with just enough flirting and banter in the moments when no one was being shot at to have people rooting for Team Case and Team Ryan. I was absolutely shocked to learn this was a debut, as the characters were all fleshed out, the world(s) were well-built, the plot was perfect, and the dialogue was spot-on. Great book! I saw in a tweet by the author that this is a stand-alone (yes, the book is that good that I Twitter-stalked the author) and that bit of news is my sole disappointment. I need more of the Kick and its crew!

James Fouhey did an excellent job narrating. Five stars all around!

hmmmm

There is no such thing as a “gravity shadow,” but it was an entertaining story anyway. Very Firefly-esque, but with kids. I wonder if The Kick will fly again?

Liked the story line but

The story was ok, however I am not crazy about the swear words or the unique romantic triangle. I did like the the story of the underdogs saving the day.

My favorite book of 2020 so far! Fantastic!

I loved every minute of this book! Between the found family of a diverse cast of characters and incredible narration by James Fouhey, this book really is the perfect mash-up of The Breakfast Club and Guardians of the Galaxy. I highly recommend it!