The Price of the Stars: Book One of Mageworlds [Mass Market Paperback]

Three decades later, Perada is a member of the Grand Council of the Republic and her consort, Jos Metada, is Commanding General of the Republic's Space Force. Ari Rosselin-Metada is a Lieutenant in the RSF Medical Corps at Namport on Nammerin, Owen Rosselin-Metada is an apprentice in the Adept Guild, and Beka Rosselin-Metada is copilot on the armed freighter Claw Hard.

With the help of her brother Owen, Beka had ran away from home to become a commercial star pilot. She is determined that she will never be the Domina of Lost Entibor, but an assassination plot against her mother contravenes her ambitions. At Waycross on Innish-Kyl, she accepts ownership of the Warhammer from her father in order to track down the instigator of the plot. At Embrig Spaceport on Mandeyn, she is saved from an assassination attempt by the Professor, the current persona of Arekhon, who is still protecting the Rosselin family despite his formal dismissal as Armsmaster.

Ari and his friend Nyls Jessan, a fellow medic from Khesat, bring in a farmer who has Rogan's disease, normally a dry world ailment and rather unexpected on the very wet Nammerin. As usual, supply is snafued and cannot provide the required medication, tholovine, in a reasonable time, so Ari and Llannat Hyfid, an Adept and medic, set out to get some through the local Quincunx -- i.e., criminal syndicate -- representative. Unfortunately, this simple task eventually results in a fire, an armed chase, and a deadly duel with a Mage.

Owen has been working for Errec Ransome as a special operative, investigating Mage operations within the Republic, for the last 10 years. His tasks lead him to Pleyver Flatlands, where he crosses paths with Beka and the Professor. They part company and then Beka and the Professor meet Nyls Jessan while being followed and shot at by an estimated 200 armed thugs. The shootouts continue from there on.

This novel initiated the Mageworlds series. It started as a short story that insisted on becoming longer. Now it incorporates 7 novels and still has room for more.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys interstellar action and intrigue on a large scale.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and very interesting. I especially liked Beka, with her multiple personas and how we begin to understand her feelings about her estranged family. I also liked the mysterious "Professor" who's identity was an enigma until the very end, and Beka's brother Ari, with his unusual background. In fact, all of the characters were likeable, with their own distinct personalities and quirks. I loved how they were thrown together by unusual twists of fate, yet managed to become an effective team.

The action was great. The plot was interesting and original. There was a surprising amount of humor and witty dialogue. And technology didn't overwhelm the storyline (definitely a plus for me). There were a few spots where it slowed down a bit, but then it picked right back up again, and I couldn't stop turning the pages. I will certainly be looking for the next book in the series, Starpilot's Grave, to see what happens next for this unusual group of friends.