Review: Space Brooms!
- Tom Odlin
- Jun 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 5
A chaotic, heartfelt space adventure with janitors, laser cows, and plumbing problems.
If you’ve ever wished that Hitchhiker’s Guide had more janitors and slightly more laser cows, Space Brooms! might be your new favourite thing.
A.G. Rodriguez’s debut is an unapologetically chaotic, deeply silly, and sneakily heartfelt sci-fi adventure about a space cleaner called Johnny Gomez who wants to make rent, avoid being fired, and maybe fix his broken mop.
Instead, he finds himself on the run from corporate bounty hunters, alien overlords, and one very persistent roommate. There’s a spaceship called the Lizzo.
There’s a mysterious woman named Lisette who may or may not be guiding Johnny toward something larger. There’s a space station with plumbing issues.
It’s all very stupid in the best possible way.
🚀 The Setup
Johnny isn’t special. He’s not The One. He doesn’t have a chosen destiny. He’s just a guy with a badge that says “Spills Division.” But that’s what makes him work.
He’s a classic reluctant hero who spends most of the story being confused, hungry, and slightly behind on everything (including the plot).
And yet, he stumbles into meaning. Not because he wants it but because someone has to show up, and everyone else is on break.
It’s this blend of comic timing, anti-hero energy, and genuine warmth that carries the book through its more absurd moments.
✨ What’s Good
It’s properly funny. Not just wacky. Not just “sci-fi but quirky.” It boasts genuine comedic craft, featuring misdirection, effective pacing, solid one-liners, and running jokes that pay off.
The worldbuilding is fast, light, and vivid. You’re never lost, but you’re also never bogged down in lore. Space feels big and weird and bureaucratic like someone installed a vending machine on the Death Star, and now no one knows how to remove it.
The characters click. You meet them fast. You get their deal, and even the ones who start annoying (looking at you, Gavin) gradually win you over.
There’s heart underneath it. Johnny’s journey has stakes. There’s real emotion in a mess. Especially in the second half, where the booklets things slow just enough to land a few hits.
⚠️ What’s Slightly Less Good
Sometimes, the tone shifts a bit suddenly. One moment, you’re laughing, and the next, there’s a surprising burst of violence or sincerity that catches you off guard. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s worth flagging.
Johnny’s passivity can occasionally frustrate. He’s written to be clueless, but there are moments where you wish he’d step up just a touch sooner.
A couple of side characters feel like sketches more than people. It’s fun but faintly two-dimensional.
🧹 Final Thoughts
Space Brooms! is a delightfully unhinged space caper that doesn’t try to reinvent the genre. It has fun with it. You can tell A. G. Rodriguez loves sci-fi, not in a precious, gatekeepery way, but in a “what if the ship had mood lighting and the AI kept recommending breakup songs?” way.
There are nods to everything from Firefly to Cowboy Bebop to Futurama, but it never feels derivative. It feels like someone having the time of their life writing a story they’ve carried around for years.
It’s not polished to a gleam, but that’s part of the charm. You’re not here for gleam. You’re here for the mop. And the very confused man wielding it.
Recommended if you like:
Screaming “what is happening!??” while having fun