Communication Failure is a Triumph of Goofy Sci-Fi Comedy

I tend to find myself respecting efforts at humorous sci-fi more than actually laughing at them. Mechanical Failure, the first book in Joe Zieja’s Epic Failure series, was a rare exception: a good-naturedly funny parody of military science fiction studded with pointy barbs of  provocative social commentary. The sequel, Communication Failure continues along the same lines…but more so.
In the wake of the events of the first novel, Captain Rogers has reached the absolute apex in a career spent failing upward. The once disgraced sergeant, unsuccessful pirate, and janitor has achieved, in spite of his every intention, the rank of Captain. Furthermore, he’s the acting admiral of the 331st fleet of the Meridans, just as their rivals, the Thelicosans—lead by Rogers’ old frenemy Alandra Keffoule—have started making loud, threatening noises again after a period of galactic peace so long, no one much remembers how to fight.
The truce lasts up to the titular communication failure (the first of many), in which a simple order is misheard by a comically inattentive bridge officer. An invitation becomes an invasion, and the two fleets square off across the void of space, neither side knowing quite what to do. The two giant war fleets haven’t actually waged war in 200 years, as evidenced by the sorry state of the ready room onboard Rogers’ Flagship (that being the actual name); the remnants of garbage fires and roasted squirrels are everywhere.
Zieja’s primary target in the first book was Rogers himself, and of the type of military hierarchy that rewards all the wrong things (the author spent over a decade in the United States Air Force, and presumably knows of which he speaks). It worked in that sense, but was also relatable to those without any military experience—who of us can say we’ve never been involved in an organization plagued by illogical rules and seemingly insurmountable inertia? That thread continues here, but the focus shifts to a premise only teased last time around: what happens when a rusty military apparatus is expected to kick smoothly into gear? How do soldiers who’ve been running on auto-pilot respond to a genuine crisis?
Fortunately, Zieja’s interested in the comedy first, but he builds it on enough of a premise to keep things from ever feeling as silly as you might expect. Likewise, his main characters are all playing it straight: they’re caricatures, sure, but relatable ones. Rogers is out of his depth, but he never wanted to be in charge of a fleet of warships anyway (going so far as to wear a fake sling to save himself the trouble of saluting). And he’s doing the best he can. Which isn’t great, admittedly, but bless his heart, he’s trying.

There’s a particular style of comedy Zieja has mastered, deftly threading the needle that stitches together wit and absurdity, but he also does something just as impressive, and much more to find rare on the page: he writes laugh-out-loud physical comedy. Among the Thelicosan leadership, a spinning roundhouse kick to the head is a not an unheard of form of discipline; the threat and reality of said becomes a running gag that works, because it’s so incongruous with the general vibe of the math-obsessed race. An extended sequence (that goes on even longer for the crew of the Flagship) involves a 90-year-old semaphore “expert” whose skills are such that the emergency communication measures between the two ships takes many, many hours and involves many misunderstandings over a small handful of words. A crew member called “The Valkyrie” pummels Rogers for his incompetence, and remains on hand to pummel him each time he regains consciousness. It’s ridiculous, but these are solid laughs at the expense of deeply entrenched systems.
The TV show The Orville is very roughly comparable in tone, but Zieja’s more consistently funny. There’s a sense he will try just about anything for a laugh, which in lesser hands would result in an uneven book, but more of the jokes land than don’t. If you liked the first book (which we very much did), the vibe in the sequel is much the same, but a slight refining of style delivers a book that advances the story of Captain Rogers while upping the LOL quotient. It’s a wildly impressive achievement in goofy sci-fi comedy, bettering an already impressive original.
Communication Failure is available now.