ajor M'chel Riss is a down-on-her-luck Alliance marine. She had a great career going until her eager-handed boss tied the likelihood of her next promotion to her willingness to give her body to him. Now she's out on the star street, taking military odd jobs and fighting crime. Lucky for her, Friedrich Van Baldur is going to save her from that hard life.
Baldur is the president of an up-and-coming mercenary outfit titled Star Risk, Ltd. That's the good news. The bad news is that the company has exactly two employees—Riss and Baldur—and absolutely no money. But along comes intelligence specialist Jasmine King, a woman who may or may not be a robot, and a Wookiee-like alien named Grok, who invests his not-inconsequential life savings in the company.
Looks like they are on the road to success. All they need to do is rescue a thief who happens to be the brother of the territorial president of the Transkootenay mining company who just happens to need a band of mercenaries to not only protect their miners, but also discover who is trying to do them harm. Sounds simple, no?
That's the plot of this lightning-quick read from Chris Bunch. Miss Riss and company subsequently hire a motley lot of space jocks, buy a ton of weaponry, and fight the no-gooders head-on. It may not be new, it may not be innovative, but it sure as heck reads well, entertains and keeps the pages turning.
Read fast, think quick, have fun
Military-science-fiction veteran Chris Bunch takes us on a wild ride in this one. The action moves more quickly than the bolt from a flashing blaster and is full of minor hurdles, major surprises and no-hold-barred fighting. Make no mistake—there is no room to get bored.
Neither is there room to question the authenticity. The equipment, tactics and jargon sound real. Bunch has a great feel for things military, and a thing for the way military feels. From the wholly believable, bionically enhanced thief, to the team's tactics, Bunch makes you feel as if she has been there, done that and has the T-shirt to prove it.
What is questionable is the character's development. Miss Riss is the only one who feels three-dimensional. The others might as well have been cut out of the back of a cereal box. It's not, however, a critical flaw. The book's pacing is fast, and the emphasis is on action, not character development. Nevertheless, it would be nice to have a deeper connection with the characters.
Shallow characters aside, Star Risk, Ltd. is a fun read. The action is fast and the characters believable, if a bit two-dimensional. And hey, at least you won't have to spend eight years in the Alliance marines to find out what a mercenary's life is like.
