Review copy was received from Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Space Academy Vagrants by C.T. Phipps, Michael Suttkus Narrator: Jeffrey Kafer
Series: Space Academy #5
Published by Podium Audio on February 18, 2025
Genres: Space Opera
Length: 9 hours, 13 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Author
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
"These are the voyages of the starship Melampus. We're on an eight-year mission to seek out new life and are bored to tears."
High Protector Vance Turbo managed to save the entire galaxy and retrieve his wayward child, Astrid. As such, he's been looking for a safe job to raise his daughter and find some peace. Unfortunately, that turns out to have been a terrible idea because while Vance believes the universe doesn't need him, the universe disagrees.
Sent on a crazy mission to assassinate a Sorkanan warlord and recover a long-lost space pirate treasure, Vance discovers that humanity is on the chopping block for its many sins. The Elder Races intend to judge mankind, and Vance must prove that his species is worth saving—which is hard since he doesn't even believe that himself.
Space Academy is an all-new series from the hilarious duo of C.T. Phipps (Supervillainy Saga, Agent G) and Michael Suttkus (I Was a Teenage Weredeer, Lucifer's Star) that lampoons the space opera as well as military science fiction genres.
Includes a bonus short story, "Twinkle, Twinkle."
I’ll be upfront that I wrote this review way too long after listening, so I’m a little light on details, but I’m confident I got the important part right, which is that I really enjoyed it. I’m always happy to spend more time with Vance Turbo, and this time I’m glad I didn’t wait as long between books as I did with Space Academy Miscreants. Getting back into the story while everything was still fresh made a real difference.
Vance has saved the entire galaxy (again), retrieved his daughter Astrid, and decided what he really needs is a quiet, safe job to raise her in peace. If you’ve read any of the previous books, you already know how well that’s going to go. This time he’s sent on a mission to take out a Sorkanan warlord and track down long-lost space pirate treasure, which is exactly the kind of absurd assignment that suits him perfectly. And then humanity itself ends up on trial, and Vance has to convince the Elder Races that his species is worth saving, which is hard when he’s not entirely sure he believes it himself.
After the heavier tone of Space Academy Miscreants, this one feels like a return to the sillier, lighter energy of the earlier books, and I was glad for it. The pop culture references are alive and well, the crew dynamics are as entertaining as ever, and it does venture into Vance’s wartime past in places, which gets genuinely dark. Phipps and Suttkus have always been good at balancing snark with real stakes, and that holds here.
The bonus short story, Twinkle, Twinkle, is a fun little extra. Something is eating a planet’s star, and Vance has to evacuate the planet (not exactly the mission he had in mind, but you work with what you’ve got). The culprit is a creature that can’t quite settle on a name, a fire dragon, a fire bat, a space phoenix, there’s some debate, and it’s being controlled by a villain from the Colon race (fans of the Colon Wars will appreciate that one). It’s a great little bonus that fits perfectly with the tone of the series.
This is also the penultimate book in the Space Academy series, which I’m choosing not to think about too hard. If you haven’t started this series yet, go back to Space Academy Dropouts and begin there.
Narration:
Jeffery Kafer is back, and at this point he is as much a part of this series as Vance himself. I genuinely don’t know what I can say that I haven’t already said across the previous four books in this series alone. He just gets it, the snark, the humor, the timing. I can’t imagine anyone else in this role.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Jeffrey Kafer
An award-winning, Los Angeles audiobook narrator, Jeffrey Kafer has performed over 375 titles in all genres from indie authors to bestsellers.
About C.T. Phipps
C.T. Phipps is a lifelong student of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. An avid tabletop gamer, he discovered this passion led him to write and turned him into a lifelong geek. He is a regular reviewer at The United Federation of Charles and the author of Agent G, Cthulhu Armageddon, The Red Room series, Lucifer’s Star, Straight Outta Fangton, and The Supervillainy Saga.
| Rating Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Plot |
|
| Writing |
|
| Characters |
|
| Dialogue |
 |
| Narration (Audio) |
|
| Overall: | |
I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
Friend me at Goodreads.
- 🎧 Space Academy Vagrants by C.T. Phipps and Michael Suttkus @ctphipps.bsky.social @CT_Phipps @JeffreyKafer @PodiumAudio #LoveAudiobooks @audiobookmel.bsky.social @AudiobookMel - June 12, 2026
- 🎧 The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner @LisaGardnerBks #BrillianceAudio #BantamBooks @audiobookmel.bsky.social @AudiobookMel #LoveAudiobooks - May 8, 2026
- 🎧 Space Academy Miscreants by C.T. Phipps and Michael Suttkus @ctphipps.bsky.social @CT_Phipps @JeffreyKafer @PodiumAudio #LoveAudiobooks @audiobookmel.bsky.social @AudiobookMel - April 10, 2026
Sounds fun. A fire dragon/fire bat seems fun too.
Ohhh space opera, I could do that
I love when they give little extras at the end 😀
That happens to me too if I wait too long to write a review after I finish a book. Sounds like you did really enjoy it though, and that is the important part for me! Great review!