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Greetings, Planet Earth! (Jack Gripper Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Steve Heiman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 40 ratings
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Book One of the Jack Gripper Series

Jack Gripper’s just a normal dude who enjoys playing pranks and eating pizza. But when he’s tasked with selecting an alien species to mentor Earth for the next one-hundred years, it’s up to him to make the right call or the Earth is doomed. That’s a lot to ask from a guy with a questionable past.

Can Jack overcome challenging obstacles and diabolical plots to pick the right alien? And, more importantly…can chocolate and pizza survive the alien encounter?

You’ll love this satirical sci-fi adventure for its fast paced action, hilarious hi-jinks and relatable characters.
________________________________________
Book Three of the Jack Gripper series
Oops, Wrong Universe!
Out Summer 2023
________________________________________

More than meets the eye!
"Jack is an amazing character! His humble origins make you think he's probably not the best candidate to represent Earth in such a decisive moment. But Jack overcomes his tasks with a refreshing mix of wit, kindness, and wisdom.
I did not expect the story to swerve into metaphysical questions, the purpose of humanity, and what we can offer to the universe." — P. Menz

Total fun!
"I started off wondering if this would be just a silly book, but I was soon caught up in a boatload of fun. Great characters, wonderful adventure, and a cool ending. I really look forward to the next in the series." —W. Ward

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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 2
    Jack Gripper
  2. Print length
    230 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    June 7, 2021
  6. File size
    3970 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B096L993DD
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 7, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3970 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 230 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 40 ratings

About the author

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Steve Heiman

Steve Heiman

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Book three is coming!

Oops, Wrong Universe!

Due out summer 2023

I was lucky enough to have fled the big city life at the age of ten to enjoy a healthy country upbringing on a farm. Well, ok, it was my parents who moved, I just tagged along. My parents also got me reading at a young age, and as a bit of a loner, I read a lot of fiction at an early age.

After decades of dreaming about being a novelist, the Covid-19 Lockdown of 2020 became my golden opportunity to actually make it happen. A lifetime resident of the Northwest, I now live in Portland Or, and look forward to a future life in the country with a dog and several cats while writing more zany escapades.

With Help, I Lost My Planet! complete and on the shelves, I am working on the third book of the Gripper series, Oops, Wrong Universe! as well as a new book set in a new world titled The Source of All Magic. Follow me on social media or join my newsletter for updates, sneak peaks and special content.

Thanks!

Mailing List

https://www.steveheimanauthor.com/follow

Follow on InstaGram:

https://www.instagram.com/steveheimanauthor/

Or Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/SteveHeimanNovelist/

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
40 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly wild ride.
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
The amount of creativity demonstrated in this book is wonderful. I am not typically a reader of sci-fi or of comedy novels, but Heiman managed to keep me captivated and laughing during the entire read. The variety of characters and the relatable main character helped make the story come to life.

Can't wait to read the sequel. May there forever be pizza and chocolate!
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Art.books.chemistry
4.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculously Hilarious
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2022
I was a little bit wary starting this book, since I was not a fan of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and this was giving off similar vibes. This wasn't helped when the bosoms of the first aliens were mentioned a handful of times in less than 20 minutes of audio.

From that point onward Steve Heiman wove a hilarious first contact story. I loved that he wrote a realistic main character who gets the ability to travel anywhere on the planet in a second and decides to get pizza. He throws a little mystery in there that isn't too deep but not 100% obvious either which was nice.

Not even a little bit serious, totally ridiculous but definitely funny. My only real complaint is what I feel like is playing to teenage boys with the copious bosom references and descriptions. I know sci-fi does often cater to boys and men but some of it was just unnecessary.

Overall, I recommend this book for fans of comedic sci-fi.
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Whitlock
5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and comical sci-fi adventure
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
What a unique comical sci-fi adventure. Though there is a lot of humor in this book, there’s also serious messages making for a great mixture. I love the sci-if tech which was very unique and well done and all the unique aliens we meet. The main character, Jack, is an ordinary guy who works as a trash collector and in his spare time pulls pranks. He’s an unlikely hero when he’s chosen to represent earth and that’s what makes this story all the better. It was nice seeing Jack grow and take responsibility. I highly recommend
2 people found this helpful
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Paula Menz
5.0 out of 5 stars More than meets the eye!
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
Absolutely awesome!
I started this book with mild expectations, since sci-fi is not a genre I read without an ulterior motive.
The witty humor and the great writing quickly caught my attention and I decided this was going to be a fun, simple read.
Wrong again!
Jack is an amazing character! His humble origins make you think (along with everyone else on the planet) he's probably not the best candidate to represent Earth in such a decisive moment. But Jack overcomes his tasks with a refreshing mix of wit, kindness, and wisdom.
I did not expect the story to swerve into metaphysical questions, the purpose of humanity, and what we can offer to the universe. It was nice to see such important matters represented in such a lighthearted way, without taking importance from them.
Ok. Loved, loved, loved this book, and I really want to know what will happen to Jack and all his new alien friends!
3 people found this helpful
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shrimp8406
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun debut novel
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2022
In this quirky debut novel, the aliens have arrived and want to welcome Earth to the Galactic Trade Coalition. Jack Gripper, a garbage man, is randomly selected by lottery to act as Earth's representative and select one of the applicants to be Earth's steward as they learn to interact with other species from other planets.

The various alien species are unique and amusing in their appearance and behaviors. Jack is a bit out there as well - one of his favorite things to do is perpetrate epic pranks, making use of his hidden intelligence and training in chemistry. The situations that Jack finds himself in as he is thrown into the deep end of intergalactic politics are at times hilarious and at times mysterious. Mr. Heiman has created an entertaining galaxy populated with outlandish beings and amazing technology. Against this backdrop, a mystery is developing. Why are the aliens so interested in Earth? What could this backwater planet have that would appeal to technologically advanced galactic civilizations?

This was a fun, snarky, sci-fi read. Jack is a clever and engaging character, and his self-confidence improves over the course of the story. The reader will really like this everyman as he tries to navigate intergalactic intrigue and stumbles his way through a series of misadventures.

Casual drug use may be a no-go for some readers.

Four stars for this debut novel.

This is an honest, voluntary review of an ARC of the story.
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David Brazelton
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing for a first novel
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
Very enjoyable, making it a fast read, as you don’t want to put it down. However, it still contains the flaw that earth must be United to achieve greatness. A fatal misconception that science fiction has branded on the human psyche. A United earth can only be a totalitarian nightmare as innovation would become traitorous.
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Warren W. Ward
5.0 out of 5 stars Total fun!
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
I started off wondering if this would be just a silly book, but I was soon caught up in a boatload of fun. Great characters, wonderful adventure, and a cool ending. I really look forward to the next in the series.
One person found this helpful
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D. K Syron
5.0 out of 5 stars Chocolate and Pizza for All!
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2021
Verified Purchase
What are delightful book!

A mix of comedy, galactic politics and metaphysics.
Not what I expected at all.

I am looking forward to more adventures with this trash collector turned earth representative.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Skilful writing!
Reviewed in Australia on March 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is well written. I spend so much time beta-reading that I just can't help critiquing a book as I read it now. It is comic sci-fi, but doesn't make the mistake of trying to turn every scene into a Keystone Cops affair. There is a thread of serious humanity stitching the storyline together, with a romantic thread woven through it as well. Technically, I appreciate the skill involved in balancing these elements so well.

It is written in the present tense throughout, which is difficult to do consistently without slipping into anachronisms. This adds immediacy to the scenes. The third-person point of view focussed on the 'hero' is maintained throughout, which often can result in other characters being poorly developed, but he avoids this trap as well. His narrative and dialogue convey secondary characters effectively and concisely.

He deserves to sell well.
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