Lacey and His Friends

by David Drake

Tells the stories of Jed Lacey, a twenty-first century policeman, Carl, a young man who joins the crew of an airship, and Vickers, a hunting guide who leads time travellers in search of dinosaurs

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Collections, Science Fiction Fantasy

299 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of five stories, three of which feature Jed Lacey, a tough-as-nails future cop. The other two are Travellers and Time Safari, featuring Vickers, who later got his own volume of dinosaur-hunting adventures. They're all good adventure stories, featuring thoughtful problems as Drake is wont to present them.

[Mark Isaak · Rating 3 out of 5]

As action-adventure, the stories in this collection of short fiction are very good -- engaging, imaginative, and with interesting leading characters. The first three are set in a society in which security cameras are omnipresent; people are not always watching you, but your every move (and "every" is not hyperbole) can be reviewed if need be. The stories show how such a system can be used, but only one speaks of misuse, and that is local and transitory. All three of those stories have plots which deal with ways around the system (political power, invisible action, and going underground), and all three have themes of personal vs. societal justice. I did not find the plots wholly plausible, though they held together enough that I could enjoy the stories.

The other two stories stand alone. "Travellers" is a travelogue crossing 19th-century United States in a dirigible whose captain is apparently from the future. "Time Safari" is an adventure story about hunting dinosaurs, complicated on this trip by a churlish coward. Both are enjoyable reads, but not terribly deep.

[Garick Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Drake was probably incapable of assembling a lousy collection, and this is another solid example of his craft. The character of Jed Lacey reminds me of Tom Kelly, the protagonist of Skyripper and Fortress. There are only three Lacey stories, totaling 144 pages, and the remaining half or so is filled out by the two "bonus" stories: "Travellers" and "Time Safari." The latter story is the only one I would rate five stars, though it puzzles me why it was included here, since "Time Safari" had its own fix-up novel years earlier.

Overall, this collection is probably essential for Drake fans, and a quick, entertaining read for casual SF readers.

[Bob Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read if you've read other things by the author and want to know more about his work OR you want to understand PTSD because the author was for sure suffering from and working his was out from under it when he wrote these. I might like to see one more Lacey story where Jim can unlax

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gathers all the Lacey stories into one volume. Lacey is a future cop who has all the cop problems of today, but in a world reminiscent of 1984.