From Publishers Weekly
In the six years since the publication of his celebrated satire Voyage to the Red Planet, Bisson has published only short stories?one of which, "Bears Discover Fire," won both a Nebula and a Hugo. Now Bisson has returned, with elan, to the novel to tell the adventures of Space Ranger Gunther ("Gun") Ryder, who is one mission away from the coveted "Pirate of the Universe" title (and permanent resident, with his "best girl" Donna, in a Disney-Windows "live-in theme park"). When Gun returns from an encounter with some "Peteys" (mysterious, unmanned spaceships that have revolutionized Earth's economy), he finds himself entangled in a Kafkaesque conundrum. Unable to access either his money or his e-mail, he moves vulnerably from bureaucrat to administrator, with each encounter more macabre than the last, until he realizes that he and his fugitive cousin must, literally, save the universe. In the hands of a lesser craftsman, this comic-book plotting would dominate, but Bisson's deadpan narrative and dialogue carry the day, as do his laconic and dysfunctional, but very empathetic, characters. Readers will want to root for Gun as he tries to make sense of goings-on, even as they laugh at his creator's sharply satiric observations and cheer his storytelling panache.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
In the 21st century, Ranger Gunther "Gun" hunts Peteys, huge jellyfish-like creatures. On oil-depleted, war-torn Earth, Petey skins are used for currency, and Disney-Windows owns anything of value. After Gun completes his last Petey-hunting mission, he and his high school sweetheart hope to retire to Disney's utopian park?Pirates of the Universe. Their plans are complicated by the discovery of the Peteys' relationship to other universes and the nonquantum physics that govern them. While this is a good tale, it is rather one-dimensional; the universe is a little too neatly divided between the good guys and the bad guys, and character development is minimal. Recommended for larger sf collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
