Lulu's Walkabout

Information

Status

Completed

Year

2025

Author

EF Nordmed

• Lulu's Walkabout - a Short Story
  May 20, 2025

What readers say about Lulu's Walkabout

• “I really enjoyed this chapter! The image of a grizzled, God-loving American veteran just trying to run his farm while being harassed by Alien-tier space gators hits a perfect tone between grounded sci-fi and rugged frontier survival. The whole story has str…”

  AmerikahitoChoshaRoyal Road4.5 / 5

• “LULU'S LUCKY LOITER: A WANDERING REVIEW A fun frontier story with a dash of Sci-Fi flavour... STYLE The writing style is efficient but distinctive. Notably, the characters don’t directly engage in dialogue until the end—an artistic choice that pays off in a…”

  B.DanteRoyal Road4.5 / 5

Reviews

Community Reviews(5)

• AmerikahitoChoshaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I really enjoyed this chapter! The image of a grizzled, God-loving American veteran just trying to run his farm while being harassed by Alien-tier space gators hits a perfect tone between grounded sci-fi and rugged frontier survival.
  The whole story has strong space western vibes, and the little worldbuilding touches like vehicles stopping far off so they don't kick up dust, help the setting feel lived-in and believable. There’s a real sense of history here: the dust, the grit, the routines. And then there’s the main character—older, capable, clearly from a different era. He makes a passing reference to the Marine Corps, but never says outright that he served. That and the fact he’s unnamed throughout gives him an almost mythic, wandering-veteran presence that fits the tone beautifully. This feels like the western frontier settlers of a new era. I could be wrong with the vibe, it may not be your vision, but that's the form the setting took for me.
  The twist with Hannah and her lore at the end of the chapter was actually kind of heartbreaking. He's not some kind of space redneck, he's a withered man who's lost his wife. That's a great, amazing touch.
  Over all 4.5/5, keep up the work man!
• B.DanteRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  LULU'S LUCKY LOITER: A WANDERING REVIEW
  A fun frontier story with a dash of Sci-Fi flavour...
  STYLE
  The writing style is efficient but distinctive. Notably, the characters don’t directly engage in dialogue until the end—an artistic choice that pays off in a clever and satisfying twist. The prose leans into atmospheric storytelling, which suits the tone and setting perfectly.
  STORY
  At its core, the story is delightfully simple: an all-American frontier farmer embarks on a mission to rescue his goat, Lulu, before the planet’s predators can make a meal of her. That straightforward premise brings a wholesome strength—inviting readers to invest without needing to decode complex plot threads.
  Worldbuilding does lean a little on exposition, but given the brevity of the piece, it’s forgivable. What we do get is memorable: the desert planet Thabit, which completes a single orbit every 365 days. Through this setting, the author subtly explores themes of frontier survival, invasive species, and the quiet dangers of colonization—all delivered with a subtle, intuitive touch.
  CHARACTERS
  I don't believe the MC is given a name (if he was it was so quick I missed it), so I will refer to him as The Old Man (TOM). TOM is a gruff working man trying to survive on the inhospitable desert planet of Thabit. He is a simple man, but charming in his simplicity.
  I'd question the character of anyone who doesn't immediately root for TOM to win.
  GRAMMAR
  Almost perfect. It slips into 1st person in a single instance, and indents need to be removed from the start of paragraphs following a line break. That's it. No other notes. Nicely done.
  OVERALL
  If you're looking for a fun read over your morning coffee—that is sure to fill you with the indomitable human spirit to crush your day—Lulu's Walkabout kicks down the rickety fence and leads you down that path. Check it out.
• Lord Turtle the firstRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  All I can say is that the story was well worth the read. The premise is simple: a farmer is looking for his lost goat, Lulu. But there's more to it than that. It felt like I was reading a script for an episode of Love, Death & Robots.
  The action takes place on a colonized alien planet with a very hot climate. The protagonist gives the impression of being an old veteran who just wants to live a quiet life on a remote farm, far away from people.
  There's some action, followed by a moment of calm, and then the final scene.
  Overall, I really liked the story and hope the author writes more like it. This site is full of massive stories that never seem to end. Short stories like this one deserve more attention.
  I truly enjoyed it. Great job, author!  " />
• Rootless ExplorerRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  An interesting short that's different than your usual science fiction story. Instead of an adventure (although there is one) or a socio-technological extrapolation, we get a slice-of-life story of a colonist on another planet. While it's an unusual day, we get a lot of daily life stuff here too, giving us a glimpse into a realistic existence in a fantastic setting.
  Like with all good short stories, we get the impression of a much more fully fleshed out world than space allows. I'd like to see a longer piece set on this same colony world.
  Write more, please!
• RylesRoyal Road

  ★★★ 3.0

  Country livin', desert mesas and giant Komodo dragons evoke the sci-fi western spirit of Firefly in a way that I find deeply endearing. There's a great world somewhere in here right next to an even greater story, but these goats are fluffy, dirty and need some serious shearing so they don't fall prey to big ol' dragons so often:
  Style
  The author errs on the side of too much prose - things you don't need to be told. For example, "The chickens scattered as he plowed through them, clucking and bawking in indignation, but knew better than to get in his way." We can tell the chickens knew better than to get in his way because he plowed through them and they scattered. By this point, the protag is thoroughly established as a hard, rough 'n tumble cornfed frontiersman - there's no value in the redundancy. There's a lot of that throughout the story.
  The other major stylistic issue is the tendency to list uninteresting details. A "20-foot wide by 30-foot long room, with a 10-foot tall ceiling in the very middle", a "ten-thousand-gallon cistern for water, a five-gallon portable still, shelves for storage, and a long workbench" (what else would shelves be for, other than to store things?), and when the protag ventured outside, he "loaded up with a water canteen out of the fridge, threw a thirty-foot lariat over one shoulder cross-body, tied a sun-bleached bandana around his neck and placed a weather-beaten wide straw hat on his head." All of this serves a purpose, but it's burdensome - much faster and just as effective to say "He donned extra protection from the sun". Let our imaginations work a little.
  Story
  I appreciate tight scale in stories. The scale in this one couldn't get much tighter. Goat went missing. Guy went out to retrieve missing goat. Suddenly, GIANT KOMODO DRAGON. Battle ensues. Witty banter with the local authorities follows. It's straightforward, it's cozy, it's a great blend of familiar and alien. It's also missing some of the author's greatest strength (di