Wildcatter

by Dave Duncan

As long as there is money to be made, there will be Wildcatters.

Throughout human history wildcatters, the first great explorers and prospectors to lay claim to newly discovered lands, have marched to the beat of a different drummer—motivated by a deep yearning to be the first to walk on uncharted land and benefit from treasures yet to be discovered.

In the future, wildcatters in space will travel to exoplanets, located in The Big Nothing, to search for new chemicals which, when transformed into pharmaceuticals, will bring untold wealth and fame to the individuals and corporations that stake their claim for exclusive exploitation rights.

Such is the quest of the crew of the independent starship Golden Hind, whose mission is to travel a year and a half to “Cacafuego”, beat the larger corporations to the exoplanet's resources, and strike it rich for themselves.

But will a yellow warning flag, planted above the planet, stop them? Or will the Golden Hind’s prospector foray to the planet’s surface, possibly to never return alive?

Wildcatter is a raucous tale of mystery, greed and passion, told by master story teller Dave Duncan, once himself a for-real wildcatter! 

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy

168 pages, ebook

First published August 15, 2012

About the author

Originally from Scotland, Dave Duncan lived all his adult life in Western Canada, having enjoyed a long career as a petroleum geologist before taking up writing. Since discovering that imaginary worlds were more satisfying than the real one, he published more than 60 novels, mostly in the fantasy genre, but also young adult, science fiction, and historical.

He wrote at times under the pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin (but only for literary purposes) and Ken Hood (which is short for "D'ye Ken Whodunit?")

His most successful works were fantasy series: The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word and its sequel, A Handful of Men, and seven books about The King’s Blades. His books have been translated into 15 languages, and of late have been appearing in audiobook format as well.

He and Janet were married in 1959. He is survived by her, one son and two daughters, as well as four grandchildren.

He was both a founding and honorary lifetime member of SFCanada, and a member of the CSFFA Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short book, likeable (or at least believable) characters, up-to-date science, a weird exoplanet, hot sex on the long dull trip out.... My kind of story! I liked it a lot.

OK, the Prince Prospector in Space Armour gets to be a bit much, but that's part of the fun, and is malice aforethought by the author, a wicked clever man. Really, you don't want to know (in advance) all the clever twists and turns Duncan has cooked up. The shuttle landing at their destination planet is a real nail-biter. The tale comes to a satisfactory end, with all biters bit, and I was very sorry to see it end so soon. Most highly recommended for fans of old-fashioned planetary and space adventure stories. 5 well-earned stars.

I'd forgotten (or never knew) that Duncan was a fellow-geologist. He worked in the Canadian oil patch of Alberta from 1955 to 1986. He was laid off about the time he made his first book sale, and then became a full-time writer. So he knows quite a lot about wildcatters and prospectors first hand. More info and a bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Du...

Review lightly revised after first reread, 2020. I didn't know Duncan had passed away in 2018, at age 85. RIP ♰

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Every world is different, except that they’re all out to get you.”

Space opera about a small, marginally-funded exploration team confronting a world that may be dangerous or proscribed. Or both. Everyone has issues; often with each other. Duncan attempts hard science fiction and soft pornography.

The only cargo that can ever justify the cost of interstellar transport is information.

Space exploration tale stronger than the crew mix-and-match framing story. Novel planet tilt. Quibbles about activities in 1.6 G environment. Duncan teases some details without follow through. (Cover art unrelated to story.)

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book helped solidify a rule that until now was just kind of half-formed in my head, and that rule is:

Never read sci-fi unless the book has been specifically or deliberately recommended to you by someone whose opinion you trust.

Wildcatter showed up as a Kindle Daily Deal and the description looked interesting and without really thinking about what I was doing I bought it, and I absolutely regret it. By the time I got to the last third of the book I was definitely grudge-reading because that was the only way to get enjoyment out of it.

Problem 1: no sci in my sci-fi.

I like Iain M. Banks and his dreams about the societies of the far future. I like Peter Watts and his dense and well-researched technology of the near future. I like Ted Chiang and his all-around brilliant ideas. There's good science in all of those.

Here in this book we are subjected to passages like the following. This is when our square-jawed and unconventionally handsome explorer is traveling the surface of a new planet and approaching the shuttle of a party that landed beforehand:

The ferns were barely moving. He walked closer to the shuttle.
There was a dead fish lying outside the opening.
This time his voice definitely quavered.
"Now that fish is odd. The position looks too deliberate to be just chance. There are no other dead fish anywhere, not that I can see. Is this one meant to be bait, placed there to lure some animal closer? Or has someone left an offering to the gods who live inside? Any new planet is interesting, but this one is starting to look bizarre." Also scary, even for him.

A fish. Not like "an Earth fish that had been transported by shuttle" but like "I'm walking on the surface of an alien planet, near a body of actual water, and one of the things that lives in the water has been removed from the water and left here, and it's a fish. Just a straight-up fish."

Later in the book they eat the fish. This alien fish that is a fish.

Problem 2: terrible writing.

In case it didn't sink in while you were reading the quote above, let me reiterate: the writing is terrible. Duncan has a terrible case of Tell, Don't Show. Here, I'll give another:

Then came silence - and sheer panic as the shuttle began to tilt. He added some comments that would certainly have to be cut. If the undercarriage could not find a level footing, the engines would fire again and the landing would be aborted.
That almost happened but didn't. He started breathing again when Niagara came to rest at a Tower of Pisa slant.

That almost happened but didn't.
That almost happened but didn't.
THAT ALMOST HAPPENED BUT DIDN'T.

I just erased a paragraph of me being all snarky and sarcastic about this because I'd rather leave that exercise to you.

Problem 3: Heinlein-level ogling of women.

This is where I should get all serious and say that the sexist representation of the female members of the crew was terrible. Duncan tried to backpedal on some of this by saying, "Oh but see some of the crew are chemically-altered hermaphrodites who switch sex+gender frequently and no one really cares, they just all screw whoever ... that's progressive and edgy, right?" No. Not when the aforementioned unconventionally-handsome protagonist of the story has lecherous thoughts about every crew member which the author illustrates with clumsy descriptions. Not when the captain says to him, "I know that Disposable Crewmember X is really cold towards you and won't hook up with you like everyone else will (because this is basically Space Sex Camp) but see the thing is she likes it rough so you should pretty much just rape her. That's what she wants." Having our protagonist go, "ew no dude I don't rape" doesn't do anything to erase the ick there. After the protagonist Wins the Mission and Saves Everything then we are treated to a scene where Disposable Crewmember X says, "Well, you seem to be a good guy and we really should hook up so okay I'm DTF now." Or maybe that was another crewmember; I can't keep track of the stacks of cardboard.

POINT IS that if this were a serious literary work I would have started to take detailed notes about Duncan's bizarre attitude and sexist tropes, but because this thing is a laughable pile of space-fish wrapping I can't see the necessity in taking it apart. It's broken in so many other ways that it's just not worth the time, because removing the ogling and leering descriptions would still leave a heap of junk.

Problem 4: all the other words in the book that I didn't specifically mention here. All of them. The whole book is a problem. I am sad I spent $1.99 to find this out. I would have been sad to read it for free.

[Aldous Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR version: It's a fantastic adventure story - new worlds to discover, fame and glory and risk and death, unknown pathogens...greedy corporations, sex...

Dave Duncan has a gift for creating planets. He starts with the orbital parameters, and ends with the smell of the place: correct, plausible, yet creative.

Corporate politics, gender politics, biology and pathology - again, plausible, well-constructed. He doesn't *need* to write chapters on backstory, a few well-written sentences do the trick.

The problem with this book, in my opinion, lies in its handling of social commentary. Oh, the characters are well-done, even if a couple of them are a bit 2-dimensional, but that is *not* a writing problem - we're in Seth's head, and we see the world filtered through his eyes, and he can see the world as 2D from time to time.

So, the social commentary:

Firstly, I have to give Duncan props for his courage and his internal ethics-compass. I was not expecting this, and when I found it, it was a surprise, and a good one.

Most mainstream SciFi writers, especially straight men, will not handle some of the social issues brought up here - gender politics, fluid sexuality, cis and trans identities. It's done with some mild amounts of clumsiness, but the *message* is strong and clear. Heart's in the right place, at least.

I've seen it done better - by Bujold, McCaffrey. Mostly women writers. Because to write about it, you must sympathize, if not empathize. And sympathizing means truly *seeing* it. Many men don't, you know, especially in the Aerospace industry, STEM fields - the sexism, the requirements for conformity. I've seen colleagues sit down at lunch and just *watch* the subtle harassment of one of our own, and when confronted, the response is often "well *I* didn't see it as harassment", with the unspoken addendum of "Man up, Aldous, it wasn't a big deal, *she's* not making a fuss, why should you?"

So kudos, Mr. Duncan, for seeing it.

The problem in this case is that the sensitivity and intelligence of our MC, Seth, is at war with his testosterone-driven fight-or-fuck Wildcatter nature. Throw in a few dashes of post-adolescent young-man-fantasy-fulfillment, and you get a book with rampant contractions. Seth sympathizes, but doesn't empathize. He's fearless, but prone to falling into the same cultural tropes as any other action hero.

Then he marries a Herm, with a full-femme thrown in there to keep the balance, because Duncan sympathizes, and is creative, both socially and scientifically, but he still cannot internalize the world he writes about.

And that's quite OK, because it is leagues and leagues better than his competitors.

Oh, and the prions. +1 star for the prions.

[Jemima Pett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave Duncan has taken us to a planet that rotates on its side. I’ve been trying to get my head around how day/night/seasons work in this set-up for my own books. Eventually I decided to park it until I had time to draw diagrams. Duncan’s character gives a brilliant explanation, and I’ll probably have to park my planet forever now. I like the rest of his planet science too – very sound. I really enjoyed it up to the stage where they left the planet.

After that it seemed the author had got bored. We got told everything that happened: we lost the tension between the captain and the protagonist, who had declared his undying love for her (occasionally him), before he left for the planet. The protag was too busy with the hots for having saved the life of someone else and rescued her to appreciate his crew. Or maybe they made up… as the last page suggested.

In fact, I think the problem was that the book had the emotional range of a teaspoon, to quote from someone else. All that rampant lust left no room for any real development of the human interest.

So, good fun, great world-building, harks back to Heinlein and the others too much for me with the raunchy young spacer, perhaps. My preferred spacers are far more sophisticated. In fact, I think I should reread Poul Anderson’s The Trouble Twisters (which I’ve kept since I was at college), because I think that’s about the right age group for this one.

Are we more sophisticated these days? Or does it hit just the right note for an age group I’ve left behind?

[Sean Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

"An obstacle course in 1.6 gees with an unknown carnivorous species at the end of it was every boy’s dream."

This is a fabulous little gem of a science fiction story. Duncan's characters are often a little hard to enter, emotionally; a certain coldness pervades sometimes and this is true here. But if you read without needing too much empathy this is really superb: modern, plausible, rollicking stuff.

"You, on the other hand, are Mr. Know-it-all, the universal understudy for the entire crew. Consider yourself acting captain until further notice."

There's that great lowest-of-the-low rising high here, too, which often makes good reading. The technology is muted, but present, and the moral and ethical concerns also present but filtered through the characters so they aren't shoved down your throat.

The twist is sudden, per Duncan, but this one flat-footed me a little. I had an inkling, but it all happened so explosively that I hadn't time to digest my own thoughts before we were rushing to a conclusion. I also especially liked the biological Deus ex machina, mainly because if you know your biology it's perfectly logical, which I always admire in fantasy.

One of his best standalones, in fact my favourite I think, and the second best of the year from him so far (nothing will beet The Death of Nnanji. Yet, at least...

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd, old-fashioned Scifi story!

Dave Duncan has been around for a while -- he's 84 now, but still going strong. I've always been a fan of his writing, having read the Pandemia books when I was a kid - he's really good at worldbuilding, and he does a great job here. It's a tale of space exploration, that would not be out of place in the pulpy 50s or 60s. You've got studly guys, hot babes, and alien worlds.

But, it does feel a little, like I said, old fashioned. The writing is well executed, but I did feel a little uncomfortable at the gender politics going on here. It's not an awesome, life altering read, but it's just one of those good old ripping yarns.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it quite a bit. Leads to unusual discussion with your spouse since a fair bit of the book is about boinking your shipmates on the two year journey through space. Not to mention the interesting fiction of a new third sex "herms" who can change their gender back and forth.

[Metaphorosis · Rating 3 out of 5]

reviews.metaphorosis.com

3.5 stars

The prospector is the person who actually goes down to the newly discovered planet. Hired on by a thinly-funded company with one ship and one shot at the big time, Seth is the ship's jack-of-all-trades and low man on the totem pole. Traveling with two women, one other man, and two hermaphrodites who regularly shift sex, they find a mystery at journey's end, and it's up to Seth to work it out.

This is an unusual book, in that it feels both dated and up to date. It's fairly modern in its (extrapolated) milieu, and in smooth handling of periodic hermaphrodites (and of their pronouns). Yet there are hints of long-outmoded sexism in some of the throw-away comments and attitudes. It feels, in fact, like an older, but updated novel. It's listed as first published in 2012, but by Open Road Media, which seems to mostly focus on reprints. All in all then, my guess is that it's an old bottom drawer novel brought to light.

That's not as negative as it sounds. Duncan is generally reliable, and he does a good job here. The story's not a big one, but he does well at making it both credible and interesting. Seth, the main character, is likeable. Duncan mainly forgoes the opportunity to develop the other characters and their relationships, keeping the story to a light adventure level. It's a bit disappointing, but as light adventure, the book delivers.

There are some weak points, for the science and law nitpickers among us. This is very much at the soft SF end of things, but there were a couple of stumbling blocks that should have been edited out. For one thing, while in his Dodec duology, Duncan showed evidence of thinking about how his planet could actually function, here I just didn't follow his description of the orbital mechanics - it just wasn't consistent. Some of the legal issues just wouldn't work the way the book suggests - though perhaps there's an implied shift in in legal mechanics as well.

All in all, a fun, quick, moderately credible read.

* The copy-editing was imperfect - an occasional fault in Open Road books. They do a nice job of bringing books back to life, but more investment in quality control would be welcome.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout history, there have always been people willing to risk large amounts of money looking for something lucrative in places where no one else is looking. Wildcatters are best known in the oil drilling industry. In the future, there is a different kind of wildcatter.

Mankind is starting to explore the galaxy, but not for the usual reasons. When unmanned probes report the discovery of a suitable planet, the race is on. There are corporations that specialize in visiting alien planets and looking for chemicals that can be turned into pharmaceuticals back on Earth. The risks are huge, and the profits uncertain. But, if a corporation finds something that becomes the future equivalent of a drug like Viagra or Lipitor, the payoff can be immense.

The spaceship "Golden Hind," part of the Mighty Mite Corporation, is racing to the planet Cacafuego. Having to spend more than a year in hyperspace, in the equivalent of a 2-bedroom apartment, makes relations among the crew very important. That is why the crew consists of 2 men, 2 women and 2 hermaphrodites. When they reach their destination, Galactic, the dominant corporation in the field, has put a beacon in orbit. But, it's a "beware of this planet" beacon, instead of a "stay away, this planet is ours" beacon. The crew of the Golden Hind decides to stick around, so Seth, the prospector of the crew, comes up with a very risky plan to land on Cacafuego.

That is not as easy as it sounds, because the planet is barely tolerable for humans. The temperatures are worse than tropical, the gravity is noticeably higher than on Earth and powerful hurricanes go over the potential landing site every couple of hours. The planet is also inhabited. While on the planet, Seth finds that Galactic has broken nearly every rule in the planetary exploration "book". Does Seth find anything potentially profitable? Does he even get off the planet alive?

This is a solid, well-done piece of writing. Duncan is a veteran writer who shows, once again, that he knows what he is doing. The reader will not go wrong with this short novel.

[Michell Plested · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good science fiction should have elements of plausibility and this book has that in spades. Corporations buying rights from the government to explore newly discovered worlds, people becoming wealthy through reality entertainment and space travel that is neither instantaneous nor completely safe; these all ring true to me. There are even several elements that talk about how we, as a species, might evolve through the use of technology and cultural mores.

The story follows the crew of an exploration star ship as it approaches a new world. They have been in space a very long time and the close quarters are grating on everyone. But the excitement of being the first to see a new world makes all of the annoyances fade away. When they finally see the planet, they are in for a shock.

I won’t spoil the story by telling you what the shock is, but suffice it to say, none of them will ever be the same again. The story progresses to show how they deal with their new reality.

Mr. Duncan did a good job making this real for me. He creates living, breathing characters who have needs, desires and dark sides. The characters have real motivations, some positive, some carnal and others dark and wicked.

The plot of the novel is straight-forward, but has nuances that keep you guessing. It is a story of exploration and exploitation. The characters grow and change as time goes on.

I enjoyed this story. It does very well as a one-of, but also builds a rich universe that could spawn other work should the author chose to.

I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys the works of Heinlein and space adventure.

[SFReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the universe of Wildcatter, interstellar travel is too expensive, too slow, and too unreliable due to variable time slip (dilation) to generate much trade in things. Most exploration and exploitation are in information. The life on new worlds generates new drugs and other useful chemicals. This effort is dominated by "multinational" giants such as Galactic, but small "wildcatters" also jump in. A lot of money, and some lives, can go down the drain on an unsuccessful trip, but a successful one can make everyone involved rich. The rewards trickle down even to crew such as our hero, Prospector Seth Broderick. Most of the time, the prospector is everyone's gofer, cook and busboy. When they get to a likely world, it's his job to actually land on the planet and plant his employer's flag. If he survives this, biologists and others do their jobs. Seth's employer, J.C. Lecanard, got his money as prospector.

Wildcatter review at SFReader.com

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been on a bit of a Dave Duncan kick, apparently, with Wildcatter marking the third of his books in a row that I've read. It's very different thematically and in style from anything else I've read by him (Kings Blades, Starfolk) which has been fantasy. Wildcatter feels like some of the classic science fiction I've always loved. It feels, somehow, not dissimilar from Ursula LeGuin or William Gibson in tone, possibly because it explores sexuality and gender relations rather matter-of-factly. It's a bit raunchy (what else are 2 males, 2 females, and 2 gender-switching hermaphrodites to do for years in a tiny spacecraft?) without being descriptive, but it's a wild space adventure as the crew approached their unclaimed planet... only to find it previously visited by Galactic, the big exploration corporation set to squeeze money out of its employees.

Wildcatter has sex and gender relations, space exploration, prospecting, and a commentary on big business and shareholder corporations all in its slim 150 pages.

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my this was a lot of fun! It combines a space opera adventure with business intrigue, a bit of politics, both social and societal, first contact, and much more. By keeping to 6 characters, the story stays simple and yet dynamic - partly due to the literal dynamics of some of the characters.

The ending was clever and amusing.

You should read it.

Note that there is sexy content, R-rated and entertaining.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good quick read. Dave Duncan is an author I read only for the Endeavour Award. This is the first of his books that I actually liked. Its basically a classic planet surveyor tale - but it has some good twists and interesting enough characters. And as a short novel it just kind of works.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but not as enjoyable as Duncan's usual fare. The thing Duncan excels at above all else is inventing magic systems, so for me his fantasy work is always going to win out over the sci-fi.

But the premise of this one certainly interested me. Like Duncan before he became a writer, my grandfather has had a long career as a petroleum geologist. In fact, in the world of geology, he is quite the rockstar. (sorry, I'll get my coat...)
So I grew up in a world where a lump of rock wasn't just a lump of rock, and I would be regaled with the history of something which for others was just something to stub their toe on.
Like everyone else in my family, I have many cut and polished stone bookends dotted about the house, which my grandfather would make in his spare time, when he wasn't hopping through the deserts of the middle east, or exploring the geology of Canada and New Zealand.

My grandfather would go into raptures over the "chimneys" in this book...

I don't mind admitting that the number one reason I would consider space travel, even just to the moon, would be to bring back a piece of it for him.

Anyways... The story itself is ok. Duncan's roots as a geologist show, but don't overpower the story, so it won't confuse or bore the layman while reading. There are some interesting ideas, and plenty of moral dilemmas to consider, all packaged up in a relatively short read.

[Phillip Murrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seemed like the title had three extra letters at the end

I learned of this book on Goodreads and read it using Kindle Unlimited. I thought I had signed up for an exploration novel. What I got was "Swingers in Space." The author cared far more about telling me about cup sizes and attraction than anything about an abnormal planet. The final five pages reveal the reason the planet was important, but the first half of the book broke down a rape fantasy. The concept of Herms was interesting, but not enough to make me want to delay the exploration to discuss another of Seth's sexual conquests. Fans of erotica AND sci-fi will like this book. Fans of only one of those genres will dislike it.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is such an obsession with sex in this book that it borders on the relentless. But it manages to pull back just enough to make it a (strongly) layered part of a vibrant future world that is sketched in with light dexterity, and doesn't for one moment info-dump to a boring Nth degree. Combined with an exciting story of alien exploration and heart-pounding adrenaline, the ultimate product is a science fiction novel that is both satisfying & stimulating.

[Leather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good space adventure, a little dated perhaps, à la Jack McDevitt.
The heart of the story, the exploration of the planet Cacafuego (sic) is exciting and easily deserves 5 stars. I am all the more happy to have read it as I almost gave up the book in its first chapters, not interesting at all.
The end of the book is both fun and a bit dry.

[Dr Michael A Izard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another ripping yarn

This time Duncan takes us into a more stereotypical space scenario but still provides a galloping story with entertaining characters and situations. A little more adult in content, it is a great read.

[Jason Braida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It was a fast and entertaining read. I may check out more of Dave Duncan's books.

[Bob Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for free, but would have been worth paying a normal ebook price. Great story, interesting characters, and an intriguing ending. Definitely worth the read!

[Mikhail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmm, nope. Way too much sex without any real sexiness, if you know what I mean?

[Josie Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light space exploration opera, with the fairly reasonable premise that if humans were to go out and explore space, find planets to land on, they would do so, and grab as much of the natural resources as possible. It had such an old school vibe to it, that i thought it was written in the 80's, but apparently it's fairly recent, 2012. The world building of the alien world is really cool and filled with great techno babble that may or may not be realistic. My only real caveat is from the operatic part of the book, and this is what made me think it was an older book - some of the characters in this far future of earth people are gmo'd before birth to become hermaphroditic, but in a sort of magical take a pill and a few days later you go from androgynous to male or female kind of way. The whole thing is actually a very heteronormative take on the idea of a third gender. And the sexual politics of the crew is very heteronormative. That said it was a pretty short book, and would have needed a lot more story to really delve into anything non heteronormative. The sexual politics are more window dressing and it's still a worthy breezy space opera. Like a lot of reviewers i see on goodreads, i would welcome a bigger, deeper investigation of the universe provided, maybe with more room to make the cliched gender roles a bit more parallel to current ideals of gender fluidity that aren't so steeped in the normative.

[Lauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ilgelt hea, Duncani äraproovitud kvaliteedis. Sisu iseenesest sarnanes hetke kuuma raamatu "Marslasega", ehk siis ihuüksi võõral vaenuliku kliimaga planeedil viibimist aga Wildcatteris oli ka palju muud. Või no mis palju, 150 lk. on romaani kohta ikka häbiväärselt vähe, eriti kui sündmustikku oleks teistel meestel jagunud vähemalt paari telliskivi jaoks. Mis veel hämmastas olid pidevad seksstseenid, herr Duncan on ikkagi vähemalt 80-aastane kui mitte rohkem. Üldiselt pandi ühele kosmoselaevale kokku 2 meest, 2 nais ja 2 "hermi" ehk siis sellist kes olid kord mees ja kord naine, ja kogu see kamp veetis siis aasta-poolteist kuhugi lennates. Üldiselt ma väga ei kipu uskuma et range subordinatsiooni olukorras kamp vabal ajal eriti vabat ja hipilikku seksi harrastab, sellestsamast subordinatsioonist ei jää varsti suurt miskit järgi, esiteks, ja teiseks, missiooni hakkavad kohe varjutama igasugu suhtedraamad ja armukadedusestseenid. See selleks, Duncanil kõik lihtsalt põrutasid üksteist ja kui parajasti ei põrutanud siis olid ranges ülemus-alluvus käsuvahekorras.
Meeldivaks üllatuseks olid pidevad süzeepöörded ja suht õnnelik lõpp jättis hea mulje. Päris korralik ajaviide, ütleme törts tõsisemapoolsem kui keskmine "loe aga ära mõtle" tüüpi ajaviitekirjandus. Duncanil oli ikka tõsisemaid noote ka sees. Julgen soojalt soovitada.

[Paper Droids · Rating 4 out of 5]

How does flying off into the Big Nothing to plunder exoplanets for heaps of money sound? What if it meant risking your life to do it? Would you still go?

Seth Broderick would, in a heartbeat. And he’s not the only one. In Dave Duncan’s short novel, Wildcatter, prospectors and the companies that employ them ply light speed to seek out undiscovered worlds, in the hopes of striking it filthy rich. Prospectors and their crews never know where they’ll find the next big thing to bring back to Earth: new exotic flora for body adornment, perhaps, or cell tissues or bacteria to manipulate for pharmaceuticals.

Complete Review: http://www.paperdroids.com/2012/12/05...

[Steve Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This easy reading space opera by veteran Canadian author Dave Duncan takes the reader on a prospecting journey to an unexplored world in search of alien pharmaceuticals and vast riches. The slim novel features strong planetary science and a believable scenario based on FTL travel via hyperspace jumps. Many dangers face this brave crew of wildcatters on their search for untold wealth, and the ostensible plot is overshadowed somewhat by the sexual activities of the crew on their long journey, two male, two female and two hermaphrodite humans. Even during moments of crisis or illness, the narrator Seth Broderick seems preoccupied with adolescent sexuality, but all subplots in the story culminate with a satisfying climax.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! It was a good, quick read about space travel and exploring unknown planets. Dave Duncan has a very witty manner in his writing and had me giggling more often than not. The shipside culture was interesting in that promiscuity was encouraged and things were made even more interesting with the introduction of the third hermaphroditic gender to the story. And, of course, the addition of the corporate influence to the story and what that means for the characters. All in all a very satisfying tale.

[Kris R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, as far as one-off sci fi adventure stories go.
I just wish, I really wish, because I love his writing otherwise... that Duncan could write a story where characters had traits that were the result of their individual personalities, and not because of their gender. And that the all lady characters were not slotted into: doing the hero/secretly wanting to do the hero/frigid bitch who won't do the hero/too old to do the hero.

I've kinda given up expecting it to ever happen though.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast read and a fun adventure, wildcatting on a newly discovered planet with horrendous weather. Well-drawn characters and world-building. The plot had some nice twists and turns and a satisfying ending.