Space Viking
Posted on June 15th, 2007
With a title like that, you know somebody’s going to be a badass and Piper is not an author who disappoints.
Space Viking is also set in the Terro-Human future and takes place well after Four-Day Planet and Junkyard Planet, at a time when the Federation is crumbling. Lord Trask, the main character, is disappointed that the civilized Sword-Worlds are losing their best men to go raiding the less civilized worlds on the ships of the Space Vikings. However, Trask is done dirty and finds his life quickly repurposed to one goal: Payback. He therefore becomes a Space Viking himself to better stalk his quarry.
Superficially, Space Viking is about Trask seeking revenge, the depths he sinks to in that search, and eventually his redemption, release, and rebirth. The plot elements are not exactly surprising, but the tale is well told, popular with readers, and classic space opera that is worth your time. Underlying the basic plot is again Piper’s odd mix of Cold War and WWII commentary, including limited nuclear exchanges, satirical criticism of various regimes and even different forms of government, and a heavy handed take on Hitler. Piper, a fan of history, follows through on the theme of the cyclic nature of societies that he foreshadowed in Junkyard Planet.
Recommended.
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Junkyard Planet (1963)
Posted on June 11th, 2007
Highly recommended. An entertaining and fast-paced classic that holds up well today; one of H. Beam Piper’s best works. Even though the book opens with the protagonist dreading his homeplanet arrival and proceeds to describe the place as a forlorn dump, Piper infuses the tale with such a sense of optimistic capitalism that the reader just knows everything is going to turn out alright. The kind of optimistic feeling you can only get from ’60s sci-fi or a gigantic cup of coffee.
Plot: Conn Maxwell, returning to his home planet with a robotics degree, sees with fresh eyes the failing economy and crumbling society that he never noticed. Conn cobbles together a plan with his father that eventually reinvigorates the society and its economy. Along the way, there are robots, outlaws, spaceships, and an apparently mythical supercomputer. (This was also published under the title The Cosmic Computer at one point)
This feels more post-WWII than Cold War sci-fi, as reflected in the depressed economy and the discarded weaponry and military bases littering this forgotten backwater following the big war. Anyone who enjoys a bit of scrounging and scavenging now and then will be salivating at the descriptions of the abandoned industrial riches waiting to be discovered.
As might be expected, most female characters are stereotypical and display little character development. However, he does shine with some of the less-stereotypical representations: the “Rosie the Rivetter” types who can tear down a robot and fire a pistol with the best of them. The main character, Conn Maxwell, and to a lesser extent his father, Rodney Maxwell, are the few that show any growth through the story as they develop into two different types of leaders.
Views on technology stand up surprisingly well, and Piper’s understanding of robotics is well founded. In fact, the only really jarring aspect of the future technology is the fact that all programming is done via tape. Other than that quaint aspect, the technology is generally something that could have been written today.
You can read it online here. Or you can download it in a couple formats at Project Gutenberg or at Manybooks.net in more.
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Lone Star Planet (1958)
Posted on June 3rd, 2007
Piper is best known for his Terro-Human Future series and his Paratime series, but I wanted to start with a short standalone title that I thought was hysterical. Politics and the rise and fall of societies are two topics discussed in most of his work, and Piper’s satirical take on politics in Lone Star Planet (originally published as A Planet for Texans) is extreme, but extremely funny.
After authoring an ill-considered “anonymous” article in a diplomatic trade journal, low-level Solar League diplomat Stephen Silk found himself on the first ship out to the colony of New Texas as its newest ambassador. His briefing materials were terse accounts of the fate of the previous officeholders (one went native, one went insane, and the latest was murdered) and a set of holstered six-shooters. Stephen’s task was to investigate the murder, sway the planet to join the Solar League, and fend off an impending alien invasion. No easy task considering that on New Texas, the shooting of politicians is considered justifiable homicide.
Lone Star Planet develops at a quick pace and uses satire to weave together a number of different elements, including courtroom drama, shoot ‘em up, the Texas mythos, foreign relations, and alien invasion. Although written in 1958, it holds together well. If you like Robert Asprin or Keith Laumer’s Retief, you owe it to yourself to read this book.
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Welcome
Posted on June 1st, 2007
The first author we are covering will be H. Beam Piper.
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