Book reviews by: R. S. Leergaard

For those who like hard science in their science fiction, this book is not for you. Oh, there are faster-than-light spaceships (including one that used to be a human*), laser and sonic pistols, alien races, and a galaxy-wide civilization, but this story is all about the characters; the science takes a back seat here.

The story is told in six parts (Books) from the point of view of six of the many characters that populate this tale, all of whom have a compelling reason for wanting to find the most wanted man in the galaxy: 

Santiago

“Bandit, murderer, known to all, seen by none...has he killed a thousand men? Has he saved a dozen worlds? His legend is as large as the Rim itself, his trail as elusive as a wisp of starlight in the empty realms of space. The reward for him is the largest in history.

Santiago

Do you dare chase him?

So reads the back-cover of this charming and compelling tale.

Every chapter but one starts with a verse from an epic saga written by Black Orpheus, the Bard of the Inner Frontier, and every verse is about one of the many legendary characters the Bard met in his travels. Of course, one didn't become legendary until one was written up by Black Orpheus and tagged with a sobriquet.

There are: *Schussler the Cyborg, an unhappy melding of man and machine; Simple Simon, killer for hire whose specialty was hidden laser traps (anything but simple); Halfpenny Terwilliger, gambler extraordinaire; and a plethora of bounty hunters, (Giles Sans Pitié, Peacemaker McDougal, Johnny One-Note to name a few), all connected to or searching for the bandit king, Santiago. Only to be expected when the Democracy is offering twenty million credits for the head of said bandit king, whether or not it is still connected to the body.

But the real stars are the six main characters, and the larger-than-life stories behind them. And larger-than-life they are, bordering on tall tale proportions a-la Paul Bunyon, Pecos Bill and Alfred Bulltop Stormalong.

No, there's no hard science here, but there is a fun read full of non-stop action and adventure that could easily be set in the Wild, Wild West.

I loved this one.

R S L