Starship: Mercenary

Starship #3

by Mike Resnick

The date is 1968 of the Galactic Era, almost three thousand years from now. The Republic, created by the human race but not yet dominated by it, is in the midst of an all-out war with the Teroni Federation. Captain Wilson Cole, a man with a reputation for exceeding orders but getting results, found himself the victim of a media feeding frenzy, a political scapegoat despite years of dedicated military service. Faced with a court martial, he was rescued by the loyal crew of his ship, the Theodore Roosevelt. Branded mutineers, the Teddy R. has quit the Republic, never to return. Seeking to find a new life, Wilson Cole first remade the Teddy R. as a pirate ship plying the spaceways of the lawless Inner Frontier. But military discipline and honor were a poor match for a life of pillaging and plundering, and Cole's principles naturally limited his targets. Taking on a new role, the Teddy R. becomes a mercenary ship, hiring out to the highest bidder. Whether it's evacuating a hospital before war can reach it, freeing a client from an alien prison, or stopping a criminal cartel from extorting money from a terrified planet, the crew of the Teddy R. proves equal to the task. Along the way they form a partnership with the once human Platinum Duke, team up with a former enemy, and make the unique Singapore Station their headquarters. But the life of a mercenary is not always predictable, and eventually circumstance pits Cole and the Teddy R. against his right-hand woman, the former Pirate Queen known as the Valkyrie. Soon the fragile trust that has grown between these two legends is put to the test as they find themselves on opposite sides of a job.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Military Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Military Fiction, Space

323 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 2007

About the author

Michael "Mike" Diamond Resnick, better known by his published name Mike Resnick, was a popular and prolific American science fiction author. He is, according to Locus, the all-time leading award winner, living or dead, for short science fiction. He was the winner of five Hugos, a Nebula, and other major awards in the United States, France, Spain, Japan, Croatia and Poland. and has been short-listed for major awards in England, Italy and Australia. He was the author of 68 novels, over 250 stories, and 2 screenplays, and was the editor of 41 anthologies. His work has been translated into 25 languages. He was the Guest of Honor at the 2012 Worldcon and can be found online as @ResnickMike on Twitter or at www.mikeresnick.com.

Reviews

[Xabi1990 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leído en 2012, 9/10

Oye, que al primero de la saga le califiqué de "para jóvenes" pero esta saga parece que me fué calando, porque a esta tercera entrega le cayó ese 9/10..

Lo dicho, Space Opera militarista muy entretenida.

[Efka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes. All the pros and all the cons are the same. Though I've started to feel a bit annoyed by some repetitive jokes and thoughs. Yes, statements like "you sound perfectly sane and simple, no wonder navy didn't like you" are at least a bit funny, but not while you're reading a version of that statement for the fourth time, and thats not including previous books.

Still, I liked it. Fun, quick and easy read.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 to 5.0 stsrs. This series keeps getting better and better. Peopled with great, interesting characters and lead by Wilson Cole, this is superb military space opera. Highly recommended!!.

[Sushi (寿司) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questa saga mi piace. Peccato mi manchino i volumi 1, 4 e 5.
Comunque oggi abbiamo stabilito il record di tre Urania di seguito belli.

[Tor Gar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro sencillo que cumple con muchísimos tópicos de la space opera con un ritmo alto, lenguaje sencillo y bastante dinámico. Diría que es de sota, caballo rey (pero sin rey que no llega tan alto).

Muy ligero y entretenido que sirve para soltarse un poco después de lecturas más pesadas.

[Perry Reed · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm going to write one review for this entire series...

The Starship series premise had me interested. Set well into the future when mankind is at war with the Teroni Federation, one naval officer finds reason to mutiny (hence, the first book, "Starship: Mutiny". Over time he becomes a pirate (book two: "Starship: Pirate"), a mercenary (book three: "Starship: Mercenary"), then rebels formally against the human government (book four: "Starship: Rebel") and finally takes on the humans directly (book five: "Starship: Flagship").

Sadly, the execution was nowhere near as good as the premise. The conceits are many: most of the books are made up almost entirely of the main character explaining (lecturing, really) to all of the rest of the characters why is doing, or did, whatever it is he's doing, or has done. None of the character possess remotely enough intelligence to compete with the blowhard main character who was so over-the-top arrogant and annoying I kept hoping he'd get killed off. Often, the characters are repeating almost word-for-word things they've said previously or in the prior books (particularly about the fighting prowess of one character). Then, there's the references to humans as "Man" (complete with the capital-M). I thought that kind of sexism was over when Star Trek switched from "where no man has gone before" to "no one".

The final struggle against the human government suffers from an unbelievable, and stupid, deus ex machina, required for the main characters to triumph, but not without first some more lecturing to the other characters, always too dumb to understand his big plans. The bad guys are no better, always doing EXACTLY what the main character predicts they will.

Don't waste your time with this series.

[ElGoblinVolador · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuamos con la última novela traducida de esta saga al español (gracias Timun Mas por la gran labor de dejar sagas a medio terminar)

Siguiendo las anteriores novelas, estamos ante otra novela de rápida lectura ampliando el universo donde se desarrolla toda la historia y dando pinceladas que solo dejan al lector con ganas de conocer más a fondo este universo

El Capitan Cole y toda su tripulación de la Teddy R. En esta ocasión se pasan a ser mercenarios pero con un código de conducta bastante mas “honorable” de lo que te puedes encontrar en la Frontera Interior ganándose poco a poco un hueco de notoriedad entre la población que vive al margen de la ley.

En este libro nos muestran un nuevo protagonista. La Estación Singapur 🇸🇬 que acogerá a nuestros protagonistas siendo lo más cercano a un hogar que han visto en años.

Varias misiones llevaran a cabo desde el rescate de un prisionero en una cárcel alienígena, al traslado y defensa de enfermos hospitalizados hasta finalizar en el cara a cara contra uno de los señores de la guerra más peligrosos del sector

3,75/5

[BobA707 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: military SF that would be good as a comic, but in my opinion lacks depth. In summary good fun, but probably best to switch off your brain while reading it or all the plot holes and premise inconsistencies will come howling in to ruin it.

Plotline: Stutters from episode to episode and only our hero can think of ways to out 'think' the various opponents

Premise: Just doesn't work for me, not thought through with any degree of realism.

Writing: engaging, simple. Most of the characterisations are OTT, but that's OK.

Ending: Predictable but still quite fun.

Pace: Never a dull moment

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

VOTO ALL'INTERO CICLO: 3,4
Il ciclo Starship di Mike Resnick è una space-opera militare che fa il verso ad opere certamente più autorevoli e qualitativamente migliori: non è affatto eccelsa, ma dalla sua ha una lettura estremamente semplice ( forse fin troppo!) e il "dono" della sintesi.
Insomma, è un qualcosa da leggere nel pieno della rilassatezza, senza pretendere troppo.
I 3 libri centrali senza sono senza dubbio i più divertenti, mentre il primo volume è fin troppo arronzato, per i miei gusti, mentre il capitolo conclusivo ha un epilogo da top-paraculata.
Insomma, consigliato a chi ama la space- opera militare e non ha niente di meglio da leggere sottomano.

[Juan Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

La tercer novela de Starship mantiene el nivel de entretenimiento, acción y el distinguido humor molario. Space Opera disfrutable sin presunciones. Los personajes aunque puedan ser similares a los ya descritos en muchas novelas del género son muy consistentes.

[Emili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pelín más flojo que los dos anteriores aunque consigue mantener la atención.

[Hedoga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space Opera ... DEL BUENO !!!

Como a mí me gusta, con acción, cachondeo, aventuras ... en fin, de todo un poco.

Leí los 5 del tirón y acabé leyendo los 2 últimos en Inglés, no digo más ...

[Tim Deforest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third of a very entertaining 5-book series.

In the first book, Wilson Cole was a decorated war hero, commanding a starship in a war against an alien race. When he's court-martialed for mutiny (disobeying orders to prevent the unnecessary deaths of five million innocent people), his crew bust him out of jail.

So in the second book, Cole and his crew become pirates on the galactic frontier. But Cole's moral standards prevent this from being very profitable and, in this volume, he tries out being a mercenary.

The book follows Cole and the crew of the "Theodore Roosevelt" through several adventures, which lead to the acquisition of several more ships and more crew. Cole continues to be a fun protagonist--using innovative tactics to accomplish seemingly impossible jobs. Resnick keeps the pace fast and ties the various adventures together thematically. The events of the novel remind us of Cole's moral standards and the loyalty he inspires in his crew, counterpointed by Cole's feelings that he is just marking time without accomplishing anything lasting. As one of Cole's officers says: "But when we were in the Navy, we at least had the illusion that we were doing something meaningful."

Cole's character arc combines with the first-rate sci-fi action sequences to make this another winner in the series.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

After not finding satisfaction as pirates with principles; Wilson Cole and the crew of the 'Teddy R' decide to ply their trade as mercenaries. Of course Cole won't work for just anybody. He will only take contracts that he feels are just and moral.

Fortunately for the crew of the 'Teddy R' Cole is able to outsmart his foes more often then he has to outfight them. The adventure (and the fun) continues.

[Jim Mcclanahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three of th series finds the captain and his crew leading a ragged fleet of ship and hiring themselves out to planets an entities who need some muscle to settle their grievances. A couple more interesting characters join the fray, including a stange little alien who fancies himself to be the Dickens character, David Copperfield. But even this incarnation becomes unwieldy and must transmogrify into the next phase which is described in volume four.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takie proste rozwiązanie a nasz genialny kapitan na to nie wpadł.
Wiele osób widzę, marudzi na tą serię jednak mnie ona po prostu niesamowicie wciąga i bawi choć wiem, że nie jest jakimś genialnym tworem.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilson Cole - guy who does the right thing and it always goes to hell. Loved the story. I once again listened to the audiobook and the narrator does a fabulous job.

[Ryan Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Wilson Cole romp.

[Anatoly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeps getting better

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μια χαρά σειρούλα με την εγγύηση ποιότητας του Mike Resnick, 3 μέρος από τα 5. Αν έχετε φτάσει μέχρι εδώ, δε θα σταματήσετε.

[Alexandre Jorge · Rating 2 out of 5]

lost my interest.

[Becky Beaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable and entertaining... an adventure in space, heavily dependent on wormhole travel. Fun.

[Ángela Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Con este es el segundo libro de ciencia ficción militar y cada vez le cojo más cariño a este subgénero, si tuviera que describir este libro, en definitiva diría que fue como leer guardianes de la galaxia, un space opera lleno de acción, personajes diversos y aventura, tal vez la experiencia hubiera sido mejor si hubiera leído los anteriores libros en orden para poder empatizar más con los protagonistas

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Staship: Mercenary is the third book in Mike Resnick's Starship series, preceded by Starship: Mutiny and Starship: Pirate. It picks things up where they were left in Pirate, with Wilson Cole and the crew of the Teddy R giving up on the piracy game and deciding to go into the mercenary business. Again, Resnick manages to mix things up and delivers another solid story that keeps much of the same that made the first two books so successful, but adds more to the story to keep the reader more than satisfied. Read on for more...

With David Copperfiled now living on board the Teddy R due to the events in Pirate, and also acting as their job finder, their is a new dynamic to the ship. Copperfield brings some light comedy to the novel, a welcome addition, and his interactions with Cole are great, sometimes even the highlight of the novel. His cowardice is a particularly amusing aspect, and his character seems at odds with the military mentality on board the Teddy R. He thinks only of the end results - cold, hard profit - and the story that comes from this helps flesh out Cole's personality and morals even more than in the previous books. He thinks nothing of putting the ship up against odds others would scoff at, but with his contacts throughout the Inner Frontier he is almost second to none in acquiring jobs for Cole and the crew.

It is through Copperfield that we meet the Platinum Duke, owner and ruler of Singapore Station, a vast space station free of any law but his and home to thousands of humans and aliens. The Platinum Duke is a human with many modifications and augmentations, his appearance giving him his name. He's a fresh new character that brings a new dimension to the series, giving a deeper glimpse into life on the Inner Frontier. He helps Cole get new jobs and with his knowledge he is able to advise what they may be up against, an invaluable resource for the Teddy R.

We've still got the main characters - Cole, Sharon, Forrice and Val - and now some of the other crew members of the Teddy R are starting to come into their own. I feel so comfortable in reading their exploits and can often see where things are going, but never quite imagining just how Cole will deal with the situations they are in.

It's an excellent story because of the characters, but I was slowly starting to feel that there are no surprises in store. Cole always manages to think his way out of any given situation and the tensions starts to suffer because of this. However, Resnick, to his credit, has written a military space opera that reads well and has plenty of fast action sequences, but it's not a full military SF series. This is good, mainly because the pace is never slowed by over thought space battles or missions and doesn't get bogged down in unnecessary detail. The ending also throws up some surprises and it left me grinning from ear to ear the way a good novel should.

At the midpoint of the series I just can't wait to see how the final two novels pan out and I'm putting Mike Resnick right up there with authors that I will read without hesitation. Pick them up!!

[Donkic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normalmente non comincio mai una serie se non dal primo libro e in genere non la mollo prima dell'ultimo, anche se la qualità non è all'altezza delle aspettative. Pertanto, quando ho scoperto che questo libro non è altro che il terzo di una serie di cinque, ho dovuto lottare ferocemente con me stesso per comprarlo e leggerlo. Purtroppo ho un punto debole: se metti insieme le parole "mercenari" o "pirati" e "astronavi" perdo il controllo del portafoglio e della vescica, non necessariamente in quest'ordine. Quindi alla fine l'ho comprato e l'ho letto. E mi sono divertito.

Quando poi in una delle Appendici di questo libro (grazie a Urania per averle inserite) ho scoperto che la serie dell'astronave Teddy Roosevelt non è altro un tassello dell'immenso universo creato da Resnick (che in Italia è abbastanza sconosciuto, e qui grazie per la seconda volta a Urania per il sempre eccellente lavoro che fa nello sdoganamento della fantascienza sul suolo italico) che include ormai un grande numero di libri, da un lato sono rimasto deluso, dall'altro molto preoccupato...perché ora so per certo che dovrò leggere altri libri di questo autore.

Chiariamoci, questo "Astronave mercenaria" non è un gioiello. I personaggi (tranne un paio di eccezioni) sono troppo approssimativi. L'azione a bordo dei vascelli è scarsa e le battaglie tra astronavi sono appena accennate, quando non del tutto assenti. Si fa un piano di battaglia, c'è un ostacolo che va superato con il coraggio e l'astuzia, e poi voilà, anche questa è fatta. Eppure l'ho trovato una lettura divertente, ottima per passare qualche ora con la testa tra le stelle.
Tra le note veramente dolenti ho notato una quasi totale assenza di sfida. I nostri sono un po' troppo efficienti e i loro piani funzionano sempre troppo bene. Potrebbe trattarsi soltanto di una parentesi felice in una serie altrimenti travagliata, ma in certi punti ho sentito la mancanza di un livello di sfida superiore o magari di una vittoria che lasci un po' di amaro in bocca. E invece no, tutto è bene quel che finisce bene. A tratti gli ostacoli sembrano anche insuperabili, ma alla fine si rivelano soltanto essere una brusca curva in un percorso di montagne russe: per un attimo ti manca il fiato, ma sai che in fondo nessuno rischia veramente di rimetterci il collo.
Un altro aspetto che mi ha indispettito è l'insistenza con cui Resnick utilizzi nomi di paesi o personaggi della storia terrestre in un Universo in cui la Terra non è altro che un minuscolo puntolino. Personaggi che prendono il nome di Giovanna D'Arco e David Copperfield, la stazione Singapore, il sistema solare New Calcutta...insomma, sono passati millenni, esistono decine di specie aliene diverse e tutti utilizzano nomi della nostra storia recente?! Poco credibile.

Tutto sommato il libro è scritto bene e si lascia leggere volentieri, ma gli manca quel qualcosa che lo rende indimenticabile.

[Michele (Mikecas) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Da:

http://www.webalice.it/michele.castel...

Terzo capitolo di questa saga di fantascienza militare che continua a piacermi poco. Dopo Gli Ammutinati dell'Astronave, pieno di banalità, stereotipi e continui colpi di genio senza spiegazioni razionali da parte dell'eroe di turno, ne I Pirati e l'Astronave mi sembrava di cogliere una piccola evoluzione positiva del personaggio principale, che non era più l'uomo dalle intuizioni sempre vincenti e anzi prendeva anche decisioni sbagliate, diventando più umano. In questo terzo romanzo torna ad essere infallibile nelle sue intuizioni, risolvendo in modo banale situazioni apparentemente disperate. È vero che è ormai circondato da superuomini (e superdonne) sempre superiori ai vari avversari che inizialmente sembrano degli squali invincibili, ma in ogni situazione è la sua visione strategica che risolve il problema irrisolvibile. In questo romanzo inizia poi l'escalation che al momento non so dove finirà, anche se posso immaginarlo senza troppe difficoltà, e la sua flotta, inizialmente consistente in una vecchia unità militare, diventa rapidamente molto più consistente, lasciando presagire... vabbè, lo sappiamo tutti.
Indubbiamente se uno lascia perdere queste incongruenze, queste esagerazioni, e si lascia andare nella lettura disimpegnata, i romanzetti si leggono piacevolmente, ed un paio d'ore di evasione li valgono anche.
Ma non più di questo.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#3 in the Starship series. A delightful, action-filled romp in the space opera adventures of Captain Wilson Cole. Finding piracy was not to his liking, Cole and the crew of the Teddy R. have decided to try their hand at being mercenaries. A SF series that doesn't take itself too seriously and features a protagonist who depends more on cunning and strategy than on bloodshed to achieve his goals. A throwback to the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

Starship series - The date is 1968 of the Galactic Era, almost three thousand years from now. The Republic is in the midst of an all-out war with the Teroni Federation. Captain Wilson Cole found himself a political scapegoat despite years of dedicated military service. Faced with a court martial, he was rescued by the loyal crew of his ship, the Theodore Roosevelt. Branded mutineers, the Teddy R. has quit the Republic, never to return. The Teddy R. becomes a mercenary ship, hiring out to the highest bidder. Whether it's evacuating a hospital before war can reach it, freeing a client from an alien prison, or stopping a criminal cartel from extorting money from a terrified planet, the crew of the Teddy R. proves equal to the task.

[Xavi Reixach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tercera entrega de la saga Starship, una saga que hasta el momento me había hecho disfrutar sin ser nada fuera de lo común, una space ópera militar con mucha acción, personajes estereotipados y poco profundos, pero muy entretenida. Y digo hasta el momento porque esta tercera entrega ha sido decepcionante, muy decepcionante. La acción y la intriga se desarrollan y se mantienen como en las otras entregas, pero los desenlaces de las diversas tramas que se proponen en forma de misiones, son absolutamente pobres. Ha sido recurrente en este tercer libro el planteamiento de diferentes misiones, que crean un ambiente y una tensión suficientemente interesantes como para llegar a un desenlace final en el que el enfrentamiento esperado no se produce, o el autor se lo ventila con una simple triquiñuela y da carpetazo a toda la trama para pasar a una nueva misión. Una lástima, me ha dejado un mal sabor de boca teniendo en cuanta que con las dos entregas anteriores me lo había pasado genial.

[Ryan Abe. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever i find myself in a situation where i am in command of a powerful warship, in the middle of nowhere pirate/outlaw/renegade space, with a loyal crew, and a cunning sense of self...i will look to this book as a pamphlet for my survival; being that it outlines how to defeat fleets of fighting starships without firing a single shot.

This book is just awesomely fun to read. the length isn't bad at all. a pleasant afternoon stroll really. the covers and titles for each individual book just ecapsulates just how much fun it is to be an outlaw starship captain when your crew is the most dangerous bunch of persons in the galaxy and your headquarters is a place called Singapore Station...ooo yeah. Whorehouses, Casinos, Grey Markets(nothings illegal so its not black) and 5 star Resturaunts and dive bars.

Read this. Its good scifi fun.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Starship series features Wilson Cole (not to be confused with the pulp hero Cole Wilson, the Robin Hood-esque companion of The Avenger, though one has to wonder if the similarity of names isn't a sort of homage), who takes control of the Starship Theodore Roosevelt and leads its crew on a series of amazing, astounding, thrilling, and fantastic space opera adventures. They're very fast-paced and clever books, with witty dialog and fascinating characters. Set in Resnick's Birthright Universe, they're fun to read and it's interesting to note the changes from one volume to the next. Each book has a series of enjoyable appendixes offering more details of his works and how they fit together.