SF Signal: REVIEW: Starship: Pirate by Mike Resnick

REVIEW: Starship: Pirate by Mike Resnick

REVIEW SUMMARY: Continuing the story and characters started in Starship: Mutiny, Mike Resnick turns in a quality effort.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Facing life in exile from his beloved Navy, Captain Wilson Cole decides to try life as a pirate.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Great action sequences, fun plot, quick read
CONS: Feels like it suffers a bit from being the middle book of a trilogy. Not as strong as the first book.
BOTTOM LINE: If you enjoyed the first book, you're likely to enjoy this one.

Overall, this was a quick, fun read. It wasn't as good or interesting as the first though, perhaps because the characters aren't as new as they were, but I also believe it is because the story often seemed very simple.

It also suffers from what I've heard described as 'the curse of the second act'. This describes the fact that in a 3 act play, the 2nd act usually isn't viewed as good - the first introduces the characters and sets the stage, while the 3rd contains the big climax and ending. The 2nd is then just a middle - it's climax can't be as big as the finale, nor can it introduce characters, so you end up with just character building or the establishment of background. The book isn't that bad, but definitely feels like a middle effort.

And unfortunately, while the first book ended strong, this book ends weak - clearly setting up for the final book.

I don't want to make it sound terrible - it isn't. But unless you're a Resnick fan or a fan of the first book, there are plenty of other books out there you might want to spend time with.

Note: A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher.