Critical Mass

Space Vulture

Two childhood friends who were fond of the now largely forgotten Space Hawk stories by Anthony Gilmore have written an amusing homage to the form of extreme space opera that used to be connected primarily with the magazine Planet Stories.  Gil Terry is a small time interstellar crook who has had one eye and one arm replaced by insectoid forms as punishment for welching on a debt.  He is captured by lawman Victor Corsaire, but then they are both taken prisoner by Space Vulture, an egomaniacal space pirate who doesn’t play fair at all.  From there they go on a series of really, really unlikely adventures that reminded me of the good (and the bad) sides of classic space opera.  Despite the nonsense, there’s a more serious sensibility suggested by the story, and despite the outrageously strange and implausible events that take place, the prose is obviously on a considerably more sophisticated level than were the originals.  Readers who were never exposed to the classic space operas will probably be very confused, but for those of us with long memories, this is a pleasant romp.

-- Don D'Ammassa, Critical Mass
www.dondammassa.com

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