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Icerigger #2
Mission to Moulokin
Ethan Frome Fortune had been on Tran-Ky-ky long enough...too long in fact. He wanted out. He wanted to get back to business. He wanted to go home. So he and his sidekick Skua September headed their giant icerigger toward Brass Monkey, the busy off-world trading post where they were sure they could book passage home.
But when they discovered that their Tran friends were being victimized by ruthless profiteers, they decided to stick around and organize the isolated city-states into a functioning confederation...a governing body that the Commonwealth Council would have to recognize and protect.
But the Tran had enemies--deadly ones, at that--and Skua September and Ethan Fortune quickly found themselves back aboard the icerigger Slanderscree, leaving a crimson wake on the frozen seas and hurtling toward the most chilling encounters either had ever known.
But when they discovered that their Tran friends were being victimized by ruthless profiteers, they decided to stick around and organize the isolated city-states into a functioning confederation...a governing body that the Commonwealth Council would have to recognize and protect.
But the Tran had enemies--deadly ones, at that--and Skua September and Ethan Fortune quickly found themselves back aboard the icerigger Slanderscree, leaving a crimson wake on the frozen seas and hurtling toward the most chilling encounters either had ever known.
294 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
514 books1,904 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 14, 2021
Icerigger is one of my all-time favorites, and this second book in the trilogy didn't quite live up to that level, but was still a very enjoyable read. Ethan Fortune and Skua September sail across the ice of Tran-Ky-ky in the Slanderscree, heading for Brass Monkey and then home, but instead get side-tracked by organizing the city-states into a world government, and having to deal with corrupt Commonwealth officials, a power-mad Tran native, and ruthless profiteers in the process. It's a good adventure, with rich characters and a cleverly-crafted world. The trilogy is part of his Humanx Commonwealth series, but stands alone well, though one should read Icerigger prior to this one. (You'll want to put on a sweater by the end of the first chapter!)
December 20, 2015
This book wasn't as compelling as the first book in the Icerigger trilogy. It started with a bit of a damp fart, as I didn't really buy the main protagonist's reasons for deciding, literally at the last minute, to stay on the planet he'd spent the entirety of the last book trying to escape. It felt a bit forced for the sake of the sequel.
The book also takes a while to really get going. The characters seem a little aimless for the first half of the book and it doesn't really get going until after the 50% mark.
Once it does get going, though, it's pretty exciting; maybe even more so than the first book. It's just a shame it takes so long to get there.
I'm obviously still going to read the third book in the trilogy, so I'm hoping this is just a case of 'middle book slump'.
The book also takes a while to really get going. The characters seem a little aimless for the first half of the book and it doesn't really get going until after the 50% mark.
Once it does get going, though, it's pretty exciting; maybe even more so than the first book. It's just a shame it takes so long to get there.
I'm obviously still going to read the third book in the trilogy, so I'm hoping this is just a case of 'middle book slump'.
March 23, 2020
Very nice 2nd book in the trilogy. Good solid SiFi adventure story. Foster never disappoints for a good entertaining read. Recommended
May 5, 2024
Love this semi-old scifis. Perfect blend of adventure and scifi.
January 23, 2019
Last time around on "F", I think I read ADF's novelization of the movie Alien which is a pretty soulless book. (I've also read Star Trek: The Motion Picture which Wikipedia insists Gene Roddenberry wrote, not ADF—but I digress.) After reading TekWar as part of the "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" podcast, and pondering over how ghostwriting (like novelization) must be an artistically hazardous task, I thought I'd see what Foster could do left to his own devices.
And, happily, Mission to Moulokin is just what you want in a space opera type novel. It's got a group of likable and memorable heroes on a strange world trying to accomplish the improbable. It's also #2 in a trilogy. You don't have to read #1 first—history and terms are referenced but mostly explained—but it wouldn't hurt. It also feels pretty complete, so you don't need to read #3, either.
Ah...taste the competence.
The hero of the story is a salesman named Ethan who crash-landed on a frozen planet populated by giant, barbaric felinoids (he never uses that term so don't hold my neologism against him) who are being lightly exploited by humans from the Commonwealth (a galactic empire formed by humans and insectoids). The humans are managing trade, which is good, but the head guy has established a monopoly so he can skim.
Ethan and his pals set out on a journey to try to establish a confederacy that can break the monopoly and benefit the whole planet much more. It ain't easy because the felinoids are a suspicious, tribal warrior race. And superstitious.
It's a nice reminder that (unlike movie sci-fi) not every story is a "save the world in the next 15 minutes" story. And while Ethan has clearly evolved along the way, he's still not a warrior at heart, and he has a definite aversion to killing. There are battles in the book, but quite a few situations are solved with cleverness and communication.
While not strictly mandatory, I'd recommend reading this in order because I suspect the first book has most of the expository detail about the race and planet. The planet, has a constant strong wind going and the surface is ice, so people get around by sail-skating (called "chivving"). The cat-folk seem to have claws that act as skates, as well as flying-squirrel-style patagium (called a "dan") that act as their main way of getting around. This took me a while to figure out.
Since their seas are frozen, their sailboats are on runners. Foster uses this to employ some classic sailing tropes with a twist. This I picked up on right away.
There's a kind of twist at the end of the second act, though it was more-or-less what I had been thinking from the first few pages of the book. But the twist itself isn't the interesting thing so much as how the newly acquired knowledge impacts the way the story plays out.
Good, enjoyable read. I would've finished it much faster but life interferes with my reading sometimes.
And, happily, Mission to Moulokin is just what you want in a space opera type novel. It's got a group of likable and memorable heroes on a strange world trying to accomplish the improbable. It's also #2 in a trilogy. You don't have to read #1 first—history and terms are referenced but mostly explained—but it wouldn't hurt. It also feels pretty complete, so you don't need to read #3, either.
Ah...taste the competence.
The hero of the story is a salesman named Ethan who crash-landed on a frozen planet populated by giant, barbaric felinoids (he never uses that term so don't hold my neologism against him) who are being lightly exploited by humans from the Commonwealth (a galactic empire formed by humans and insectoids). The humans are managing trade, which is good, but the head guy has established a monopoly so he can skim.
Ethan and his pals set out on a journey to try to establish a confederacy that can break the monopoly and benefit the whole planet much more. It ain't easy because the felinoids are a suspicious, tribal warrior race. And superstitious.
It's a nice reminder that (unlike movie sci-fi) not every story is a "save the world in the next 15 minutes" story. And while Ethan has clearly evolved along the way, he's still not a warrior at heart, and he has a definite aversion to killing. There are battles in the book, but quite a few situations are solved with cleverness and communication.
While not strictly mandatory, I'd recommend reading this in order because I suspect the first book has most of the expository detail about the race and planet. The planet, has a constant strong wind going and the surface is ice, so people get around by sail-skating (called "chivving"). The cat-folk seem to have claws that act as skates, as well as flying-squirrel-style patagium (called a "dan") that act as their main way of getting around. This took me a while to figure out.
Since their seas are frozen, their sailboats are on runners. Foster uses this to employ some classic sailing tropes with a twist. This I picked up on right away.
There's a kind of twist at the end of the second act, though it was more-or-less what I had been thinking from the first few pages of the book. But the twist itself isn't the interesting thing so much as how the newly acquired knowledge impacts the way the story plays out.
Good, enjoyable read. I would've finished it much faster but life interferes with my reading sometimes.
December 14, 2022
I expect nothing less than excellent from this author
I have read dozens of books written by this author and he has not once ever failed to deliver. This latest book is no exception. The plot is easily followed, the characters have facets revealed by each subsequent action, and the action never really slows till the end. I highly recommend this book.
I have read dozens of books written by this author and he has not once ever failed to deliver. This latest book is no exception. The plot is easily followed, the characters have facets revealed by each subsequent action, and the action never really slows till the end. I highly recommend this book.
May 4, 2017
This is the worthy successor to Foster's excellent 1974 sci-fi novel Icerigger. It picks up pretty much right where first book left off, with our stranded spacefarers and their alien friends, the Tran, finally reaching the one humanx settlement on Tran-ky-Ky, known (to the humans) as Brass Monkey. There the humans plan to take passage off planet on the next shuttle, after 18 months on the frozen ball they have only just endured. But while waiting, they learn that their Tran friends are being victimized by corrupt human bureaucrats and their greedy Tran allies, and they decide to do something about it.
What follows is an epic, world-spanning saga crossing oceans of ice, locating a legendary ancient civilization, fighting a battle with a world's future hanging in the balance, and all the attendant personal drama, romance, and introspection. Foster strikes just the right note between shallow space opera and navel-gazing novel of self-reflection, and the whole trilogy deserves to be better known and respected in the SF canon than it is.
What follows is an epic, world-spanning saga crossing oceans of ice, locating a legendary ancient civilization, fighting a battle with a world's future hanging in the balance, and all the attendant personal drama, romance, and introspection. Foster strikes just the right note between shallow space opera and navel-gazing novel of self-reflection, and the whole trilogy deserves to be better known and respected in the SF canon than it is.
January 17, 2018
What do you do when you have a big-ass ice boat - one bigger than the world has ever seen? You go on a mission to find the Tran-ky-ky equivalent of Atlantis, of course! Fortune, September and Williams have finally made it to Brass Monkey, the only human settlement on the planet. Unfortunately, they find that the outpost has been over-run by corrupt officials trying to take money from the Tran and create a ruling class. The only way to prevent this is to unite all of the Tran and join the Commonwealth. Many adventures take place as the three humans sail the planet, trying to find allies among the various Tran cities while staying ahead of those who want to kill them to protect their shady dealings.
My verdict: not too shabby. The action moves along at a great pace, and Foster continues to flesh out the Tran AND gives more depth to Sua September. If you've read the first book in the series, definitely read this one.
My verdict: not too shabby. The action moves along at a great pace, and Foster continues to flesh out the Tran AND gives more depth to Sua September. If you've read the first book in the series, definitely read this one.
January 19, 2018
The followup story to Icerigger. More classic Science Fiction.
I liked this story a bit better than the first one. There was a bit more action and growth of the characters. Still holds some science flaws, but consistent with the first book and story publishing norms when it was written. This is independent of book #1. The plot line was independent of the first book. This book is representative of what I expect a trilogy to be. Trilogies today, tend to be just longer stories broken up into three pieces. It seems only to generate revenue for the author. I rather authors create a series that I can embrace and enjoy.
Have a GoodReads.
I liked this story a bit better than the first one. There was a bit more action and growth of the characters. Still holds some science flaws, but consistent with the first book and story publishing norms when it was written. This is independent of book #1. The plot line was independent of the first book. This book is representative of what I expect a trilogy to be. Trilogies today, tend to be just longer stories broken up into three pieces. It seems only to generate revenue for the author. I rather authors create a series that I can embrace and enjoy.
Have a GoodReads.
April 17, 2024
I'm not rally a Science Fiction fan, but man - there is something in the Icerigger world that appeals to me. Tran-ky-ky is really just a damn murderously cold medieval Europe. The Tran are easily substitutes for the folks at the local shire, the warriors and petty lords. Ethan, Sku and the teacher strike me as metaphors for altruistic time, who are there to prompt the warring factions into cohesion and improve their existence - and have some excellent adventures. At least that's how I absorbed it.
I'm not familiar with ADFs Humanx Commonwealth world - so I am giving Midworld a shot next and see if there's more to his writing that appeals to me.
I'm not familiar with ADFs Humanx Commonwealth world - so I am giving Midworld a shot next and see if there's more to his writing that appeals to me.
April 25, 2022
A worthy sequel to, if not as good as, the first book.
Only complaint is some of the characters doing things completely non-sensical a couple of times. Was tempted to remove a star because of it, butt decided otherwise in the end; this book, as well as the previous one, do deserve the full 5 of stars
Only complaint is some of the characters doing things completely non-sensical a couple of times. Was tempted to remove a star because of it, butt decided otherwise in the end; this book, as well as the previous one, do deserve the full 5 of stars
October 19, 2017
Exit to some of the original characters and new ones added. Still enjoying the series overall but this one didn't quite seem as well paced as the first. On to book 3.
October 15, 2018
Neat. I especially like the mixing of future tech into the old tech world. It was ALMOST viewed as magic, but was present enough that the locals tried to use it themselves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2019
Decent snowy planet with aliens adventure,contains unpronouncable names.
December 24, 2021
-Gregory Kerkman
Read
May 24, 2022Icerigger
June 4, 2022
I think this book is a bit better than Icerigger. The writing is stronger, and the world of Tran-Ky-Ky is more developed. Solid SF adventure.
March 17, 2023
The sequel to "Icerigger" that nobody asked for. It might have just been my perception, but there seemed to be multiple inconsistencies between this book and the first one. The story is messy, and the grammar is questionable. The map actually added to my puzzlement, as it doesn't make sense, given the course taken by the characters in the story.
I find the whole "mysterious past" thing behind September to be rather annoying (not to mention his ceaseless "young feller-me-lad"s). It comes up seldomly and only in tiny snippets between volumes. What little is revealed about him is very generic, and it doesn't inspire me to start caring about the character. Why bother with a backstory at all?
Ethan's awkward furry confusion continues...
"Skua September stood nearby, his suit hood back, enjoying the minus twenty-five degree wind blowing in his face." [That's -25° C (-13° F)...]
...
The "T" in "Tran" is now capitalized (in "Icerigger," the "t" was lowercase). Unless I'm mistaken, the author uses "parlay" once instead of "parley" (it is written "parley" the other times it's used).
Typos:
"The ice raft could preceed up canyon on a softer tack."
"... he understood why those islands... were chose by the Tran for their towns and cities."
"... eldur..." (?)
"The quiet bcame total."
"I did not mean to imply thay would not..."
"Eventually Hunnar spoke, chosing his words carefully."
"Have your forgotten, Sir Hunnar?"
"... nether Teeliam nor Elfa appeared apprehensive."
...
By some miracle, the author refrained entirely from using "here and there." I guess somewhere between 1974-1979, he saw the light. I'll give him that much.
"itself": 25+
"themselves": 7+
"rose" (not the flower): 17+
"diminutive": 6
"glow": 9+
"gleam": 7
"lee": 5
"loom": 2
"aloft": 9
"crevasse": 5
"ponderous": 5
"taut": 5
"gale": Only 4 this time. (As opposed to Icerigger's 15.)
"like so many...": 1
"luminous": 3+
Uncommon words that are used more than once:
"deleterious": 2
"invective": 2
"hirsute": 2
Some other words that the author is known to have overused but that I neglected to tally:
"billow"
"babble"
"dim"
"dull"
A character "whirls": 4
A character "shivers, though not from the cold": 2
A character says something "lamely": 1
"[insert character] wanted to know": 1
"[insert character] blurted out": 1
...
punk: soft, crumbly wood that has been attacked by fungus, used as tinder.
4/10
I find the whole "mysterious past" thing behind September to be rather annoying (not to mention his ceaseless "young feller-me-lad"s). It comes up seldomly and only in tiny snippets between volumes. What little is revealed about him is very generic, and it doesn't inspire me to start caring about the character. Why bother with a backstory at all?
Ethan's awkward furry confusion continues...
"Skua September stood nearby, his suit hood back, enjoying the minus twenty-five degree wind blowing in his face." [That's -25° C (-13° F)...]
...
The "T" in "Tran" is now capitalized (in "Icerigger," the "t" was lowercase). Unless I'm mistaken, the author uses "parlay" once instead of "parley" (it is written "parley" the other times it's used).
Typos:
"The ice raft could preceed up canyon on a softer tack."
"... he understood why those islands... were chose by the Tran for their towns and cities."
"... eldur..." (?)
"The quiet bcame total."
"I did not mean to imply thay would not..."
"Eventually Hunnar spoke, chosing his words carefully."
"Have your forgotten, Sir Hunnar?"
"... nether Teeliam nor Elfa appeared apprehensive."
...
By some miracle, the author refrained entirely from using "here and there." I guess somewhere between 1974-1979, he saw the light. I'll give him that much.
"itself": 25+
"themselves": 7+
"rose" (not the flower): 17+
"diminutive": 6
"glow": 9+
"gleam": 7
"lee": 5
"loom": 2
"aloft": 9
"crevasse": 5
"ponderous": 5
"taut": 5
"gale": Only 4 this time. (As opposed to Icerigger's 15.)
"like so many...": 1
"luminous": 3+
Uncommon words that are used more than once:
"deleterious": 2
"invective": 2
"hirsute": 2
Some other words that the author is known to have overused but that I neglected to tally:
"billow"
"babble"
"dim"
"dull"
A character "whirls": 4
A character "shivers, though not from the cold": 2
A character says something "lamely": 1
"[insert character] wanted to know": 1
"[insert character] blurted out": 1
...
punk: soft, crumbly wood that has been attacked by fungus, used as tinder.
4/10
February 7, 2022
After a recent reread of Icerigger, I decided that the current winter weather would be a fitting time to move on to the sequel. First read 40 (!) ish years ago, this has long been a sentimental favorite of mine, from the time when I was just getting into science fiction and developing a taste for certain styles. Foster's style, with its straightforward adventuring in unique future settings, holds up remarkably well after all this time.
Sure, as I said about Icerigger, not everything is believable, but it doesn't really have to be in order for this to be an enjoyable story. I'll mention a couple of quibbles this time around: I commented favorably on Icerigger that Foster had managed to avoid the obvious blunders of non-sailors writing about sailing - this time he didn't do quite as well, committing the cardinal error of mistaking sheets for sails, as well as mixing up some other terminology. I've definitely seen worse though! And then there's the big revelation about the Golden Saia and the history of Tran-ky-ky. It may have been original at the time; I'm not sure. But this time it struck me as a bit anticlimactic.
Anyway these are minor issues; and the book is worth reading for anyone who enjoys hard SF with a fairly light tone and a dash of swashbuckle. It easily retains my four star rating for nostalgic reasons if nothing else.
Sure, as I said about Icerigger, not everything is believable, but it doesn't really have to be in order for this to be an enjoyable story. I'll mention a couple of quibbles this time around: I commented favorably on Icerigger that Foster had managed to avoid the obvious blunders of non-sailors writing about sailing - this time he didn't do quite as well, committing the cardinal error of mistaking sheets for sails, as well as mixing up some other terminology. I've definitely seen worse though! And then there's the big revelation about the Golden Saia and the history of Tran-ky-ky. It may have been original at the time; I'm not sure. But this time it struck me as a bit anticlimactic.
Anyway these are minor issues; and the book is worth reading for anyone who enjoys hard SF with a fairly light tone and a dash of swashbuckle. It easily retains my four star rating for nostalgic reasons if nothing else.
September 19, 2013
Alan Dean Foster must be more of an ideas man, because although an entertaining read, the writing in Mission to Moulokin did not live up to the plot.
There are great concepts here just crying out to be expanded upon ... yes, I know there's the final book in the trilogy I still need to read; however, the characters are two-dimensional and I didn't really feel any empathy for any of them. Foster tries to inject some character development with love interests (although he kills one love triangle only to replace it with another equally cool one) and gives a small glimpse into Skua's past as a reprieve to the growingly-tedious feller-me-lads.
Like the characters, the terrain is equally 2D. A world of perfectly flat ice dotted with the occasional rock, clearly divided patches of vegetation and apparently only one ice-ridge, which the Slanderscree careens around, smashing it's way through forests, fortifications and said ice-ridge with impunity.
At least the action is good despite the tendency to curtail it with deus ex machina plot devices. Unusually, I feel this book would have been much improved by being 50% longer.
If you're a fan on great prose, don't read this book; however, if you love cult SF then this is the place ...where have you been?!
There are great concepts here just crying out to be expanded upon ... yes, I know there's the final book in the trilogy I still need to read; however, the characters are two-dimensional and I didn't really feel any empathy for any of them. Foster tries to inject some character development with love interests (although he kills one love triangle only to replace it with another equally cool one) and gives a small glimpse into Skua's past as a reprieve to the growingly-tedious feller-me-lads.
Like the characters, the terrain is equally 2D. A world of perfectly flat ice dotted with the occasional rock, clearly divided patches of vegetation and apparently only one ice-ridge, which the Slanderscree careens around, smashing it's way through forests, fortifications and said ice-ridge with impunity.
At least the action is good despite the tendency to curtail it with deus ex machina plot devices. Unusually, I feel this book would have been much improved by being 50% longer.
If you're a fan on great prose, don't read this book; however, if you love cult SF then this is the place ...where have you been?!
September 16, 2021
1979 grade B-
1994 grade B
2021 grade B
Series book I2
This is a journey novel. Travel from A to Z to achieve some goal with various impediments in the way. Foster has done several of these and this is not the best example. In this case it is the same crew and ship as in book 1, Icerigger, so there is not a lot of character development. The little development that does take place is in the villains, and they are pretty standard stereotypes. There is a lot of world building though, enough for a couple of books.
So, the story was not fully engrossing. I actually fell asleep while reading several times. I did speed read in a few places but mostly in the villains' scenes which I marked so they can be skipped or sped through in case I read it again, unlikely as that may be.
1994 grade B
2021 grade B
Series book I2
This is a journey novel. Travel from A to Z to achieve some goal with various impediments in the way. Foster has done several of these and this is not the best example. In this case it is the same crew and ship as in book 1, Icerigger, so there is not a lot of character development. The little development that does take place is in the villains, and they are pretty standard stereotypes. There is a lot of world building though, enough for a couple of books.
So, the story was not fully engrossing. I actually fell asleep while reading several times. I did speed read in a few places but mostly in the villains' scenes which I marked so they can be skipped or sped through in case I read it again, unlikely as that may be.
July 6, 2014
The first book was 100x better than this one and if not for being an UberFan of the author, I'd skip #3. Unfortunately for me, I like to read EVERYTHING a fave author has written, even the bad ones like this. Ham handed,a plot that makes zero sense, a story ark that seems shoehorned in with the locating of the warm weather Tran. This was time I'll never get back. I'll give book 3 50 pages (one hour of reading) before I decide if for the first time I'll leave a series unfinished.
Such a huge disappointing conclusion to the Commonwealth novels! Well, i guess he just had to find any means necessary to put September in another series! Sigh.
Such a huge disappointing conclusion to the Commonwealth novels! Well, i guess he just had to find any means necessary to put September in another series! Sigh.
Read
July 30, 2011I loved the book, on the other hand it's really only a book a science fiction lover would enjoy, and you need to have read the first book in the series, to follow along. But other than that a real nice story.
October 20, 2016
Another reread. Some maddening inconsistencies in characters aboard the Icerigger leaped out in this reading. However, it's still a fun adventure. I couldn't help but wonder what this story would have become in a 700 page volume-- better not perhaps.
October 18, 2016
Very good read! I just enjoyed the further adventures of the Slanderscree and her crew. Yes, the books are a little older, and there are times you notice that, of course, but that doesn't matter. Interesting wordlbuilding, great characters and fine ideas!
June 24, 2008
The first of the trilogy is always going to be my favourite, but all the books are hella boss. Oh Foster, you crazy bio-nerd and your sociological ambitions.
April 5, 2012
love it
May 10, 2012
Another Humanx book - Skua September is interesting....
October 10, 2012
Reread after 30 odd years....enjoyed it the second time around....
January 8, 2013
Not quite as good as the first, but still excellent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews