Into the Fire

by Alastair Mayer

This short story is the first adventure of Jason Curtis and his ship, the Starfire. In a not-too-distant future where small starships are as common as private jets, a skilled but impulsive pilot discovers it is often easier to get himself into trouble than to get out of it, and sometimes the only way out of the frying pan is . . . into the fire.

ebook

First published September 6, 2010

Reviews

[Lyle Blosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good introduction to the character and his first adventure on his own starship. Great descriptive prose and tension abounds throughout.

[Robert Williscroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one works for me

I'm a hard SF guy. Without being cute about it, the author convinced me that his warp drive was a realistic projection of current physics. Perhaps it was his use of the Alcubierre-Broeck equation that describes a fascinating FTL drive possibility.... I loved the story and its surprise ending. This author is worth watching, and his T-space novels well worth reading.

[William Franks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very reminiscent - in a good way - of Larry Niven's early Beowulf Schaeffer stories (like "Neutron Star"). A lone starship pilot with a bit of an attitude gets himself into a situation he has to think his way out of - with a surprise ending.

I gave it 4 stars because I couldn't give it 4.5, and it's not quite up to the 5 I'd give "Neutron Star" - which won a Hugo. A fun read all the same.