Hellburner (Questar Book)

From Kirkus Reviews Direct sequel to Heavy Time (1991) and part of Cherryh's medium-future Company Wars spacefaring saga (Cyteen, etc.) about a thoroughly disunited Solar System facing invasion by genetically engineered superman. Now serving with the United Defense Command fleet, ex-Belter and former space-miner Ben Pollard is poised to grab the Earth- based job he has long coveted--when abruptly he is reassigned to the remote space station Sol Two. Seems that a former shipmate, the apparently jinxed Paul Dekker, has gone more or less insane after an ``accident'' and has named Ben as next of kin! Protesting, Ben interviews Dekker, and realizes that some sort of coverup is going on. Dekker was working on a top-secret military project rife with rivalries and backbiting. Ben, accepting his situation, investigates; helped by tough Belter ex-miners and former shipmates Sal and Meg, he exposes a furious tangle of politicking and power- struggling among Earth's top military brass, powerful family- connected politicians, and the ubiquitous Earth Company. Characters well up to par, and the backdrop as solid as ever- -but the plot, slow to develop and desperately short of propellant, quickly subsides into flabby confusion. A disappointment after sparkling work last time out. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Product Description A futuristic tale of governmental coverups, betrayal, and murder follows the belter Pollard as he tries to determine if his partner's space flight training accident was a mishap or attempted murder. 15,000 first printing. Tour. From Publishers Weekly SF veteran Cherryh's view of the future is unrelentingly cynical, and her protagonists are often ordinary people caught between corrupt corporations and self-serving politicians. In this sequel to Heavy Time , the heroes (and antiheroes) manage a few small victories, but the larger battle continues. All the major characters who survived Heavy Time are back, taking part in a top-secret test pilot program for the military. When Paul Dekker, probably the most trouble-prone character in SF, is seriously injured in a suspicious accident, his surly former partner Ben Pollard is called in as next of kin. While Ben investigates, rival military factions fight for control of the program, with the pilots caught in the middle. Cherryh, who evokes more tension and danger in one verbal confrontation than most writers can manage in a dozen space battles, maintains a fast pace throughout. Her abundant use of technoslang makes her prose style rather heavy going, but this excellent novel is well worth the effort. Author tour. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal This sequel to Heavy Time ( LJ 6/15/91) features the continuing adventures of "belters" Dekker and Pollard as the duo become involved in the complicated and deadly corporate politics of space. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/92. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
ASIN: 0446516171
VSKU: RDV.0446516171.G
Condition: Good