🔥 Bestseller Badasstronauts — Horror Fiction

📖 Have you read this book?

Your review can inspire others to read it

🩸 Horror Fiction

Badasstronauts

Name: Badasstronauts
Price: 15.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781625675583

✍️ Grady Hendrix

Reader Score

4.4

(7 reviews)

$15.99

In stock — ready to ship Ships in 1–2 business days

📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A town builds a rocket to save an astronaut after government funding disappears.

The plot unfolds in a depressed South Carolina community that loses its financial stability and its connection to space exploration. When one resident remains isolated on the station due to budget cuts, the locals take matters into their own hands. They construct a vessel from scratch, ignoring legal boundaries and federal oversight. The narrative highlights their resourcefulness and disregard for protocol as they attempt a dangerous launch. Hendrix uses this premise to explore themes of resilience and local solidarity against institutional failure.

Key Themes

community resilience government budget cuts DIY rocket building

Literary Context

The story is set in Melville, South Carolina, during a period when both American and Soviet space programs faced severe financial constraints. This backdrop reflects the real-world tensions of the Cold War era, where geopolitical rivalry drove technological competition until economic pressures forced significant reductions in funding and personnel.

Grady Hendrix

📚 all books by this author (48) →

Difficulty

●● Medium

Recommended For Fans Of

Stephen King · Joe Hill · Douglas Preston

🩸

Horror Fiction

🏛 Jab Books 📅 2022 📖 166 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781625675583

📝 Description: Badasstronauts

Grady Hendrix returns with a tale set in Melville, South Carolina, a town defined by economic collapse and lost hope. The narrative centers on the desperate efforts of its residents to retrieve an astronaut stranded on the International Space Station after government funding for both American and Soviet programs vanishes. With official channels closed, the community decides to construct their own rocket ship using whatever materials they can salvage. The story follows these unqualified locals as they violate insurance laws and international missile treaties to achieve low earth orbit. They face opposition from the FBI while demonstrating that ordinary people possess the necessary courage despite their lack of formal education or sobriety. Hendrix, known for blending horror with historical settings, frames this struggle through a lens of gritty determination rather than scientific accuracy. This work suits readers who enjoy character-driven narratives about underdogs defying authority. It appeals to those interested in Cold War era tensions and DIY culture. Readers seeking hard science fiction or polished protagonists may find the premise too chaotic. The book captures a specific moment where desperation overrides regulation, showing how far people will go for their neighbors.

💎 Our verdict on Badasstronauts

“

🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Hendrix frames this desperate rescue mission through gritty determination rather than scientific accuracy, creating a chaotic but compelling atmosphere. The story highlights resourcefulness and disregard for protocol as locals construct a vessel from scratch. While the premise is engaging for those who appreciate underdog stories and historical tension, readers seeking hard science fiction or polished protagonists may find the narrative too chaotic. The lack of formal education among characters adds to the rough texture, which might alienate fans of precise technical details. However, the exploration of local solidarity against institutional failure provides a strong emotional core. It is a bold entry in the horror-fiction shelf that prioritizes character resilience over realistic space travel mechanics.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

This title appeals to readers who enjoy character-driven narratives featuring underdogs defying authority, particularly those interested in the intersection of Cold War tensions and DIY culture. It captures a specific moment where desperation overrides regulation, showing how far ordinary people will go for their neighbors despite lacking formal education or sobriety. The book suits those seeking gritty determination and local solidarity against institutional failure rather than polished protagonists or hard science fiction. It offers a unique lens on resilience, highlighting the courage of unqualified locals who violate laws to achieve a humanitarian goal, making it ideal for fans of dark fantasy and psychological horror that emphasize human ingenuity over scientific accuracy.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

⭐ HorrorReads editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

This tale is crafted for readers who relish gritty underdog stories where flawed, unqualified heroes defy oppressive authority through sheer stubbornness and makeshift ingenuity. If you crave hard scientific accuracy or polished protagonists in your science fiction, this chaotic, character-driven…

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 7 reviews

Hannah A.

August 23, 2026

A modern classic

Finally got around to ordering this. The setting is practically a character, and a hostile one. A few scenes I will not forget, whether I want to or not. My only regret is not ordering it sooner.

Ivy J.

June 23, 2026

Almost perfect

Bought this for my brother and ended up reading it first. It leans on old gothic bones and makes them creak convincingly. Good introduction if you have not read this author before. A couple of the side characters are thinly drawn. Good, with the caveats above.

Mark K.

March 9, 2026

A modern classic

Not my usual subgenre but wanted to branch out. The ending is bleak and honest, not a twist for the sake of one. The binding held up to being carried around for a week.

Amanda H.

August 1, 2025

Decent

Bought this for my brother and ended up reading it first. The dread is in the pacing, not in gore, which is exactly how I like it. There's real craft in how much is left unsaid. The font runs small in this edition. Recommended with reservations.

Owen H.

April 16, 2025

A new favorite

Not my usual subgenre but wanted to branch out. Slow burn, but the burn is the point. Highly recommend.

Susan P.

March 31, 2025

This has been on my wishlist for months. Genuinely unsettling in places, and it earns it without cheap tricks. The font runs small in this edition. Still worth having on the shelf.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Not at all. Hendrix prioritizes character-driven drama and gritty determination over scientific accuracy. The plot relies on salvaged materials and illegal maneuvers, so expect chaos and humor rather than technical precision or hard sci-fi logic.

Residents of a bankrupt town attempt to build their own rocket to rescue an astronaut after funding disappears. Their primary struggle involves outsmarting the FBI and navigating international treaties while lacking any formal training or sobriety.

📖 Who should read this

📜 Historical context

Grady Hendrix situates this narrative within the tense atmosphere of Cold War rivalries, yet subverts traditional space opera tropes by focusing on economic decay and localized desperation. Drawing from his signature blend of historical settings and horror-adjacent tension, he explores the DIY punk ethos as a response to governmental abandonment. The work reflects a cultural moment where community resilience clashes with bureaucratic indifference, echoing the era's paranoia while celebrating the chaotic bravery of ordinary citizens.