Finders Keepers in unlike anything I've read before, even within the sci-fi comedy genre. Check out my review and enter to win a copy.

Book Details:

Book Title: Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition by Russ Colchamiro
Category: Adult Fiction, 310 pages
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Publisher: Crazy 8 Press
Release date: October 17, 2018
Tour dates: Jan 7 to 25, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (A few f-bombs, and mild sex scenes + some casual drinking/pot smoking)

Book Description:

In the spirit of The Good Place, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, author Russ Colchamiro has gone back to the future to deliver his wildest, funniest novel yet--the updated Sci-Fi/Fantasy tale Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition.

When a jar containing the Universe's DNA falls from Eternity, bumbling backpackers Jason and Theo find their loyalties--and sanity!--put to the test. Unaware that a motley crew from another realm is chasing them across the globe to retrieve that radioactive vessel, these intrepid new friends are forced to contend with passion, responsibility, and their own mortality--and the fate of the Solar System, which hangs in the balance.

Traversing Europe, New Zealand, and the backbone of Eternity, Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition ultimately asks one simple question: Is the life you're living the life you actually want . . . or does the Universe have more to offer than you can possibly imagine?


As the subtitle states in the front page of the book, this is indeed "a tale of cosmic lunacy". Finders Keepers was a wild ride with parts that I enjoyed and others that left me scratching my head. But as with any highly imaginative sci-fi comedy, I let myself enjoy the weird, wacky tale.

Theo, a New Zealand dude (see, I'm even starting to talk like them) finds a jar that when touched makes him experience some out-of-this-world visions. He sets out on a quest to find out more about the origin of the psychedelic jar and meets Jason, also on a quest, but one of self-discovery. Unbeknown to them, they are being trailed by cast-offs banished from the realm of Eternity who are also after the jar.

Because this story was so unpredictable, it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. It's well-written by an author who can simultaneously describe something very well and with humorous overtones. I enjoyed trekking with Theo and Jason as they forged a friendship and travelled around the world. I'm always drawn to stories where I can see other parts of the world, even if it was limited to hostels and bars. I didn't like some of the characters from Eternity though.

Because there were many characters in this tale, it would have been helpful to have a list of them at the beginning of the book so I could keep them straight. The story also moves through different timelines, going back and forth through different times in history and realms. This was fine, although it confused me at times. And there were some subplots that, if eliminated, would not have been missed.

Overall, Finders Keepers in unlike anything I've read before, even within the sci-fi comedy genre. It was fun, yet at times cringey, adventurous with a strong beginning but lagging toward the middle. It picked up two-thirds in and had a feel-good ending.

To read reviews, please visit Russ Colchamiro's page on iRead Book Tours.

To read a guest post from the author on writing a sci-fi comedy series, please visit The WHAMO Effect: Writing a Sci-fi Comedy Series

Meet the Author:

Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space opera, Crossline, the zany SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, and is editor of the SF anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, all with Crazy 8 Press.

Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two children, and crazy dog, Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself.

Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, Altered States of the Union, Camelot 13, TV Gods 2, They Keep Killing Glenn, and Brave New Girls. Russ is repped by The Zack Company.

Connect with Russ: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Today, I'm kicking off the tour for Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition by Russ Colchamiro, the first book in a fun trilogy for those of you who like sci-fi comedy. Russ talks about how he came up with the idea for the book's story and the journey of this trilogy. 

When I launched Finders Keepers in 2010, it was written as a stand-alone story. I did keep it open-ended, thinking I’d revisit these characters someday…maybe… but to my eyes, it was one and done.

Talk about not having a plan! LOL

Yet about 18 months later I was writing my alternate-Universe sci-fi adventure Crossline… and WHAMO! I had that classic A-ha! moment. I suddenly had the blueprint for a Finders Keepers sequel. That novel became Genius de Milo, this time taking our backpacking heroes from the first book across America and Mexico, while caught in a battle for the Earth’s soul.

With the narrative picking up three years after Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo was going fairly well and then... another WHAMO! Like a rush, I could suddenly see the outcome of every character, completing each individual arc, in addition to the overarching story that ties the entire series together.

Talk about empowering! Whoa!

With the scope laid out, I was able to go back to the beginning of Genius de Milo (book 2) and write with more authority and confidence, delivering a novel that was exhilarating and satisfying unto itself but also planting the groundwork for Astropalooza (book 3).

In that series finale, our backpacking heroes have accidentally set in motion two energy waves barreling towards each other across the Universe. If they collide, those tsunami-level energy waves will initiate the next Big Bang, eradicating the Cosmos as we know it.