As they approached the counter Hal pointed out a display of oil cans. 'You could use one of those.'

'What for? I'm a sealed unit.'

'I was thinking about the ship,' said Hal. 'You could give my chair a squirt for a start.'

'Is that so,' said Clunk flatly.

'Yeah, it's got a squeak. And the cargo hold door's a little stiff.'

'I'll tell you what else we can do with an oilcan,' said Clunk, reaching for the biggest model. 'If you'll just —'

A mysterious sealed crate, a pair of shady mercenaries with more guns than brain cells, and the amnesiac robot which may or may not be on a secret mission... Only interstellar ignoramus Hal Spacejock and the unflappable Clunk could turn a straightforward cargo delivery into space opera with clowns.

Three simmering planets, two cocky spacemen and one huge mess: Just Desserts, for your pleasure.

"An underground cult hit...just the thing to read when all you want is to forget your troubles for a while and enjoy someone else's engaging and well-crafted world." January Magazine

"How Haynes dreams up his improbable scenarios is a mystery to me, but I'm glad he does it...enjoy another fast and furious ride with the zap-happy, zany rapscallions." Specusphere

"I read it at a sitting and couldn't put it down. The relationship between Hal and Clunk has matured into a smooth, polished, very satisfying double act. My compliments to the chef." Tom Holt

A mysterious sealed crate, a pair of shady mercenaries with more guns than brain cells, and an amnesiac robot which may or may not be on a secret mission only interstellar ignoramus Hal Spacejock and the unflappable Clunk could turn a straightforward cargo delivery into space opera with clowns. With three simmering planets, two cocky spacemen, and one huge mess, Hal Spacejock: Just Desserts is a reading pleasure. Described as 'one of the most memorable figures in sci-fi, ' Hal Spacejock has blazed a smoking trail through bookstores across Australia. The Hal Spacejock series works on several levels straight humor, rousing adventure, and social satire, and appeals to fans of Red Dwarf, HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy, and works by Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt, and Robert Rankin.

Simon Haynes is the author of three Hal Spacejock novels, a number of articles on writing and publishing, and several short stories, one of which collected an Aurealis Award in 2001. He divides his time between writing fiction and computer software, with the occasional round of golf thrown in for a laugh.

Born in the UK and raised in the south of Spain, Simon emigrated to Australia with his family in 1983. He's a founding member of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and lives in Perth with his wife and two children.