What do You think about Mercenary (2000)?
First off the whine... Again the Kindle edition needed a proof reading pass. Instead of hyphens being the issue, this time it was line breaks, where a line would break earlyand then continue on the next line. Not a big thing but jarring when you're reading it.Like the others, this is my 4th'ish reading of this book and I still enjoy it. This one grabs me because of my Army experience. Sure I kind of doubt they would have the same structure (S1, S2, etc) in the future, but it still struck a cord of familiarity with me and helped me suspend my disbelief. And the good guy wins (and not), moving from nothing, E1, to Commander, which I always enjoy... :)
—Greg
It took me several decades to track this book down and I'm glad, in hindsight, that I read it as an adult and not as an impressionable teenager. This is the second volume in Piers Anthony's "bio of a space tyrant" books, documenting the rise of Hope Hubris from penniless refugee to becoming the great tyrant of Jupiter. The style of these books is akin to the Master and Commander style nautical epics but in space. As in the previous book there are space pirates with an unquenchable lust for savagery, rape, and booty. There are corrupt naval officers with a passion for drugs, rape, and, um, more rape. And there is an entire society built upon whoring, rape, and clan loyalty.The descriptions of the technical details of space combat are fascinating. The view of the future is essentially that of the 1950s but with more relaxed sexual mores, and in space. There's a lot of rape. And a lot of weirdly justified violence, particularly against women. So much so it's hard not to read this as satire.But don't let that out you off. The core character, Hope Hubris, is essentially a decent man surrounded by powerful women who all do what has to be done to combat the scourge of piracy. It's tightly written, ridiculous, and at times utterly alarming.I can't wait to read the next one.
—Dave
