This
review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained
therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to
copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions.
Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.com by
Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Icerigger
Series: Icerigger
Author: Alan Foster
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 313
Format: Kindle digital edition
I
am attempting to reread 10+ books in 2016 that I have rated highly in
the past. I am not attempting to second guess or denigrate my younger
self in any way but am wanting to compare how my tastes have changed and
possibly matured. I am certainly much more widely read now [both in the
good and bad quality sadly] than then.
I will hopefully be going
into the reasons for any differences of opinions between then and now.
If there is no difference of opinion, then it was a hellfire'd fine
book!
Links may link to either Booklikes or Blogspot, depending on when the original review was.
Ethan
Fortune, traveling space salesman, interrupts a kidnapping and is taken
along for the ride. The little kidnapping craft crashes and the
kidnappee's suddenly out number, out bulk and out gun their lone
kidnapper. Sadly, they've crashed on Tran-Ky-Ky, the Hoth of the HumanX
commonwealth, where metal is rare, the natives furry and the group is
1000 of kilometers from the only humanx outpost on the world.
After
being rescued by a group of friendly natives, you'd think the groups'
problems were over. Nope. It appears that they have arrived just as the
locals are rising up against the Horde, a nasty group that sails around
taking tribute and causing mayhem.
Lots of adventures happen and the book ends with the
Slanderskee, an ice rigger [hence the name of the book and trilogy], skating into Brass Monkey, the humanx outpost.
If
was I reading this for the first time, I'd be hesitating between 3.5
and 4 Stars. There are several things that you could nitpick about. My
main one was where was the security detail for the Du Kanes? Heads of
businesses that are multi-bajillionaires don't wander around by
themselves.
However,
since this is my 5th or 6th time reading this, I've obviously gotten
past that. This is another book that I read multiple times in
highschool, at least once or twice in bibleschool and then again since
2000. And now. When I read this back in '06, I started looking for a
hardcover edition. I managed to buy one recently [ie, in the last couple
of years] for under $100, but before that, the price had ranged from
$150 to $450. OUCH.
This
was fun. Ethan is a good face for the group. Being a salesman he's used
to dealing with disparate groups of beings and is mentally flexible
enough that a little thing like being stranded on an ice planet doesn't
make him panic and freeze [ha, wordplay totally intended there]. Skua
September is the mature, wise, warrior elder. Ok, maybe not quite so
wise or mature but he definitely provides that "experience" vibe that
Ethan certainly doesn't have. Then the "scientist'y" teacher who fills
in all those science'y parts necessary in an SF book. Finally, there are
the Du Kanes. The sometimes senile, sometimes not, father and then
Collette, the smart as a whip, really running the business but a dutiful
and loving daughter. Who can only be described as fat.
Foster
pulls no punches whatsoever in regards to Collette. In some ways it is
rather shocking to see how she is treated so bluntly, but I never felt
like it was used as a comedic "hey lets make fun of the fat girl" kind
of thing. She is not a princess but is expected to fill a princess's
role and that conflict brings a bit of gravity to this otherwise pretty
light novel.
The
fighting was great. There were several battles and each one was great
to read about. Made me want to go outside, skate around and cut people's
heads off :-)
Once again, this was a smashing success for my Project Reread.