The Ocean Binman is a surprisingly deep and well developed novella, although I suppose it shouldn’t be that surprising coming from the author of The Flying Kite. The story takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth and revolves around Blue, an ocean binman (or trash collector for my fellow Americans) with an acerbic wit who just wants to be left alone to do her job, have a few beers, and smoke her pipe in peace. Instead she finds herself in the midst of a string of mishaps, while slowly opening herself up in ways she wasn’t expecting.

The cast of characters are wonderfully varied, between the residents of the Down Below and the denizens of the Up Above. The story is inventive and well-paced, never dragging or straying too far, while giving us insight into this new world through Blue’s eyes. My only complaint, if it can even be called one, is that I wanted more, but I’m hopeful that this is the start of a series that will lead us further into this dystopian Earth. Jasmin Joachims really demonstrates her chops across genres here, and she has fast become a must read author for me.

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.