Rating: 2.5⭐️
This is the first of Julia Huni’s Space Janitor novels and introduces both the universe of Space Janitor (and its many series) and its main character of Triana, a space janitor, bot maintenance operator.
The rating is really more for the book’s storyline’s potential than the author’s actual execution of the plot. I love the idea of a story and series based around a space station janitor. That’s such a great point for a character to see how a space station functions, the various cultures and societies that make up the station as well as how it physically functions.
And it seems to start off this way. Triana is monitoring the bots as they clear various paths, she eats junk food, and is clearly a “sub level” employee who enjoys her world and odd work.
Then she finds a body. Or her bot does.
And the author abandons her , imo, clever approach, and does an entire storyline/series twist that shakes this character and her own ingenuity upside down. She’s not who we’ve come to expect at all.
Instead, Huni turns Triana into a person who is the complete opposite of the character we meet at the beginning of the story. And this one, is self pitying, whiny, and more than a bit irresponsible. That’s a huge leap and a loss.
Then there’s her instant boyfriend, Ty, a law enforcement agent, whose credibility is largely missing, and a friend who doesn’t seem very reliable. No relationships between her and the other characters feel like they had any believable connection or emotional depth. The closest the author came was with her mother’s old servant/assistant. That’s not enough.
The Vacuum of Space (Space Janitor #1 ) by Julia Huni is also listed as humorous science fiction but I find it with almost no resemblance to comedic fiction. It’s not funny, imo. And worse, there’s no satisfaction with the ending. So I was left wondering why I finished it.
I’m not going further into this series or universe. But the potential for a really interesting story was here. And that’s a shame.
Previously published as Murder is Messy, 2018
Cover designed by German Creative
Space Janitor Series:
The Vacuum of Space
The Dust of Kaku
The Trouble with Tinsel
Orbital Operations
Glitter in the Stars
Sweeping S’Ride
Triana Moore, Space Janitor (the complete series)
Tales of a Former Space Janitor
The Rings of Grissom
Planetary Spin Cycle
Waxing the Moon of Lewei
Tales of a Former Space Janitor (books 1-3)
Changing the Speed of Light Bulbs Sun Spot Remover Warp, Rinse, Repeat (late 2025)
Friends of a Former Space Janitor Dark Quasar Rising
Dark Quasar Ignites
Dark Quasar Reckoning (Fall 2025)
Buy link
Blurb
It’s a dirty galaxy and someone has to clean it.
Avoiding the wealthy inhabitants on the upper levels of Station Kelly Kornienko is bot-programmer Triana’s number one rule. Well, number two, right after “eat all the chocolate.”
But when one of her cleaning bots finds a dead body, all the rules go out the airlock. A highly connected security agent interrupts her routine with stories of missing bodies, and Triana can’t ignore him; it’s cooperate or find a new job. A girl has to pay the rent, even on a crappy studio compartment.
Working with a shiny detective beats a shuttle dirt-side, so Triana lends her programming skills to Agent O’Neill’s investigation. Together, they find more victims and evidence of a major cover-up.
It will take all Triana’s technical talents, most of O’Neill’s connections, and some really excellent croissants to stop the murders, save her job, and ultimately, her life.
The Vacuum of Space is the first book in a completed series.
This book was previously published as Murder is Messy
IPH Media
Publication date
August 1, 2019
Language
English
Print length
231 pages
Book 1 of 4
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 