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Explore the Space Team books by Barry J Hutchison in order, with summaries, series background, and tips on where to start this comic sci-fi saga.

Last updated: July 13, 2026

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Space Team books in publication order

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13 books

1

Space Team

by Barry J Hutchison

2016

Small-time conman Cal Carver is abducted by aliens after the end of the world goes very wrong. Thrown in with the galaxy's least trustworthy crew, he stumbles into a mission that could save a civilization, and its god.

2

The Wrath of Vajazzle

by Barry J Hutchison

2016

Fresh from one miracle escape, Cal Carver and the crew become targets for Lady Vajazzle, the deadliest assassin in the galaxy. To save themselves and the Greyx, they must outthink a killer who has had centuries to get good at murder.

3

A Lot of Weird Space Shizz

by Barry J Hutchison

2017

This short story collection gathers extra adventures from the wider Space Team universe. It is the place for side trips, crossover fun, and more of the oddball chaos surrounding Cal Carver, Dan Deadman, and company.

4

Planet of the Japes

by Barry J Hutchison

2017

A cyberattack on Space Team's money leads Mech to a hidden set of coordinates and a planet-sized theme park called Funworld. Inside, clownbots, buried secrets, and horrors at the core turn a mystery into a fight to survive.

5

Return of the Dead Guy

by Barry J Hutchison

2017

A new threat to Earth pulls Cal back toward the ruins of home, only for aliens to abduct him yet again. Faced with impossible choices across parallel worlds, he may doom far more than one planet trying to save it.

6

Song of the Space Siren

by Barry J Hutchison

2017

Cal and the crew stumble into an interplanetary kidnapping plot after losing their ship. Returning a silent young captive to her home could make them rich, if pirates, bounty hunters, and a deranged warlord do not kill them first.

7

The Guns of Nana Joan

by Barry J Hutchison

2017

Trying to lie low during a galactic war, Space Team hides on a tiny moon and hopes events pass them by. That ends when Loren's brother is captured, forcing the crew into a choice that could break the team for good.

8

The Search for Splurt

by Barry J Hutchison

2017

Cal Carver heads into fresh disaster when his friend Splurt is taken by Lady Vajazzle and Zertex. The rescue mission leads through a wormhole to a strange planet where survival is only the first problem.

9

Sentienced to Death

by Barry J Hutchison

2018

Cal Carver only wants a quiet spell after months of mayhem. Instead he and his crew end up escorting the weakened Symmorium Sentience across a dangerous galaxy while darker forces try to turn that power into a weapon.

10

Sting of the Mustard Mines

by Barry J Hutchison

2018

After meddling with time, Cal and his crew discover they may have made everything worse. Captured and condemned to slavery in the Mustard Mines of Moktar, they must escape before a sinister new enemy carries out a galaxy-wide scheme.

11

The King of Space Must Die

by Barry J Hutchison

2018

Geronimus Krone has rewritten time and crowned himself ruler of the galaxy. Reeling from loss, Cal Carver and a much bigger Space Team must gather allies, crush his armies, and face the King of Space himself.

12

The Time Titan of Tomorrow

by Barry J Hutchison

2018

A distress call from a luxury cruiser looks like easy money for Cal Carver's broke crew. Instead they walk into a shattered timeline, a terrifying new weapon, and a crisis that could enslave the galaxy.

13

The Hunt for Reduk Topa

by Barry J Hutchison

2019

Tired of constant disasters, Cal Carver signs up for a hit game show to make quick money in a new corner of the galaxy. The catch is that contestants are hunted for public entertainment, and nobody is supposed to survive.

Space Team books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Space Team"

    Space Team

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2016Space Team, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Wrath of Vajazzle"

    The Wrath of Vajazzle

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2016Space Team, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Search for Splurt"

    The Search for Splurt

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2017Space Team, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Song of the Space Siren"

    Song of the Space Siren

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2017Space Team, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "The Guns of Nana Joan"

    The Guns of Nana Joan

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2017Space Team, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Return of the Dead Guy"

    Return of the Dead Guy

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2017Space Team, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Planet of the Japes"

    Planet of the Japes

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2017Space Team, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "A Lot of Weird Space Shizz"

    A Lot of Weird Space Shizz

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2017Space Team, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "The Time Titan of Tomorrow"

    The Time Titan of Tomorrow

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2018Space Team, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "The King of Space Must Die"

    The King of Space Must Die

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2018Space Team, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Sting of the Mustard Mines"

    Sting of the Mustard Mines

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2018Space Team, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Sentienced to Death"

    Sentienced to Death

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2018Space Team, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "The Hunt for Reduk Topa"

    The Hunt for Reduk Topa

    by Barry J Hutchison

    2019Space Team, Book 13

Series background & context

The Space Team books begin with Cal Carver, a small-time crook who is already having a terrible day before aliens make it much worse. He gets swept off Earth, thrown into a crisis he barely understands, and stranded with a crew of dangerous, deeply unreliable weirdos. From there, the series turns into a long run of disasters, escapes, arguments, and accidental heroics.

That setup gives the books their shape. Cal is not a grand chosen one. He is out of his depth from page one, and that is exactly why the stories work. He reacts, improvises, complains, and somehow keeps moving while the galaxy tries to kill him.

The tone is comedy science fiction, but not weightless comedy. The jokes come fast, and the titles tell you a lot about the series' sense of humor, but the books still run on real stakes. Cal and his crew deal with zombie plagues, kidnappings, assassins, time bombs, corrupt corporations, parallel worlds, galactic war, and television death games. One ridiculous idea tends to crash straight into the next.

The crew is the real hook. Splurt, Mech, Loren, Artur, and the rest of Space Team bring different kinds of chaos, and much of the fun comes from the way they clash. They are not polished heroes. They are a found family held together by bad luck, loyalty, and a shocking willingness to keep helping one another.

That found-family thread keeps the series from feeling like a pile of jokes.

There is also a wider universe around the main books. Dan Deadman Space Detective shares the same setting from a darker, stranger angle, and the short story collection A Lot of Weird Space Shizz adds extra adventures and crossover fun. Readers who follow the whole timeline get more payoffs, but the main series is easy to enjoy on its own.

If you like comic space adventure with fast pacing, loud personalities, and a surprising amount of heart under the nonsense, Space Team is exactly that kind of ride.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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