"Brilliantly quirky, wildly absurd"

Clunk, a clapped-out robot, is convinced he's about to be junked. Instead, his penny-pinching boss is sending him off to be refurbished.

Being old and wise, Clunk knows there's a catch, but at first it doesn't seem too bad. He just has to help a freelancer pick up some cargo.

Unfortunately, Hal Spacejock - the freelancer - is obstinate, over-confident, and woefully under-skilled, and he's never going to let a lowly robot fly his precious ship.

Is there any chance this pair of misfits can lift off, collect the cargo and deliver it in one piece? Or will they fly straight into the nearest star, still bickering and fighting over the controls?

Set in the distant future, where humanity spans the galaxy and robots are second-class citizens, A Robot Named Clunk is the first novel in the Hal Spacejock series. (The first three novels are available in a boxed set called Hal Spacejock Omnibus One, which is cheaper than buying them individually. Hal Spacejock Omnibus Two is also available.)

These novels are self-contained, with a beginning, a middle, and a proper ending. They're not sequels, they don't end on a cliffhanger, and you could start or end your journey with any book in the series. Some events from earlier books are referenced in later ones, so it makes sense to listen to them in order, but it's not essential.

If you get a smile or two out of Hal and Clunk's first outing, you will love the rest of the series.