{"product_id":"grease-monkey-9780765313263","title":"Grease Monkey","description":"\u003cp\u003eCaught in the crossfire of an interstellar war, our Earth was bombed to flinders--and then repaired. The mysterious alien Benefactors who healed the planet also offered \"uplift\" to our dolphins and gorillas. The dolphins turned them down. The gorillas said yes. As a result, we're now sharing our world with language-using, tool-making simians. Tensions are inevitable, in both directions, but it's gradually working out. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDecades later, teenage cadet Robin Plotnik has been assigned to \u003ci\u003eFist of Earth, \u003c\/i\u003e a defense station high above Earth, keeping watch against further attacks by the interstellar Horde. Robin's a spacecraft mechanic-in-training, apprenticed to Chief \"Mac\" Gimbensky, a cranky but basically benign gorilla with issues of his own. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eFist of Earth \u003c\/i\u003eis a challenging place to grow up. Robin and Mac maintain fighter craft for the all-woman \"Barbarian Squadron\", which constantly competes for prestige with the other squadrons based on \u003ci\u003eFist of Earth\u003c\/i\u003e. Robin's trying to romance a young librarian, and he's far from sure he knows what he's doing. Most of all, he's constantly struggling to figure out his moody, mercurial boss. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThen he and his best friend become entangled in a burgeoning scandal over betting on the squadrons' standings. And just when things look like they've hit rock bottom, the worst thing imaginable arrives at \u003ci\u003eFist of Earth: \u003c\/i\u003e an efficiency expert from Earth, determined to reorganize Robin's hard-won life, and the whole squadron system, out of existence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFresh and engaging, crammed with likeable characters and science-fictional inventiveness, \u003ci\u003eGrease Monkey\u003c\/i\u003e is like a classic \"Heinlein juvenile\" in sequential-art mode. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIntroduction by Kurt Busiek, author of \u003ci\u003eAstro\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e City\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAuthor and artist \u003cb\u003eTim Eldred\u003c\/b\u003e lives in San Diego, California. His books include \u003ci\u003eGrease Monkey.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"St. Martins Press-3PL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50872793628946,"sku":"9780765313263","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8f1b8b4b-fb15-499f-96fb-2c9173060535.jpg?v=1737910647","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/grease-monkey-9780765313263","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}