Outlaw

Edward W. Robertson

Sep 2014 · Rebel Stars Book 1 · Edward W. Robertson

About this ebook

In the year 2010, an alien virus nearly wiped out the human race. A thousand years later, mankind has recovered and ventured into space. There has been no sign of the aliens since. Humanity remains confined to the Solar System.

All that is about to change.

Mazzy Webber is a lowly janitor on a third-rate cargo ship. Deeply in debt, when his captain decides to turn pirate, he leaps at the chance.

A modern Robin Hood—minus the part where he gives back to the poor—Webber lays down a few ground rules. No attacking manned ships, and no stealing from anyone who can't afford it. Within months, he and the crew are out of debt. Their next target will make them rich.

But the attack goes all wrong. The target's cargo could be the death of them—or it could be the key to reaching the stars.

~

From the author of the bestselling BREAKERS novels, OUTLAW is the first book in a new series of piracy, conspiracy, and space's deadliest janitor. 

Ratings and reviews

I felt like the book was sort of dragging along when a third of the way through the book two characters make a 2-3 day trip from Earth to Mars while the planets are in opposition. With conventional rocket technology it should take something like 3-4 years yet there is no mention of technical innovation, not even anything as lame as "the aliens left us this propulsion system we don't really understand." This isn't so much science fiction as a mystery translated from planet-bound geography to space by a change of place names. I gave up.

Overall a great book that quickly got my attention and kept it through most of it. I especially liked the few twists that developed in the story line (I won't say more about it for fear of spoilers).

You would think I didn't like this book but I did. Even though the first half was so confusing with the strange names for things and the terminology regarding space, that had no explanation. I had to laugh when he was described as a maroon instead of a moron. The last half started to come together at long last. Sometimes descriptions pf places were a little muddled.