Torchship Pilot

Torchship #2

by Karl K. Gallagher

WAR IS BAD FOR BUSINESS

The crew of the freighter Fives Full want to enjoy the profits of their dangerous voyage, but when war breaks out they're pressed into service for missions a warship can't do. Winning the war demands pilot Michigan Long act ruthlessly . . . and may cost her her conscience and her marriage.

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Space Opera

346 pages, ebook

First published August 30, 2016

About the author

Karl K. Gallagher is a systems engineer, currently performing data analysis for a major aerospace company. In the past he calculated trajectories for a commercial launch rocket start-up, operated satellites as a US Air Force officer, and selected orbits for government and commercial satellites. Karl lives in Minnesota with his family.

Reviews

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a beta reader for this, and got a free copy of the final version, too. And there will be spoilers ahead for Torchship.

For instance, that ever since that Fusion ship dropped an atom bomb on a Disconnect world, there have not been good relations between Fusion and the Disconnected Worlds. The crew of Full Fives have to soldier on as best they can. Which involves a high-stakes ambassadorial mission with a ball, the return of a character from the ship last book, a renaming, meeting the parents after the wedding, espionage and a three-sided war, and more.

Also more history of the Betrayal. I particularly recommend this to computer programmers, who will like the history revealed here.

[Noodle The Naughty Night Owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10: Fantastic, left me wanting more.

Mission before morals, that’s her. And mission before marriage.

I liked where this was going. The conflict between Guo and Mitchie, being married but facing such odds, added a nice layer of emotion to the story.

Michigan is a complicated character, but I loved that Guo loved her despite her failings.

He needed to decide what he wanted. A nice, safe life in the Disconnect? Or to stay married? Heaven help me, I love her.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good space sci-fi with some interesting plot twists. Unfortunately any more detailed review would be spoiler heavy, but I’d recommend the book. Like the first book, well executed, but while this one had a little more genuinely new content, it still wasn’t quite as unprecedented as I’d want for a 5 star book.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

War has come to the Disconnected Worlds/Fusion/Hostile AI universe.

So this second book is definitely grittier.

Fusion ships are attacking Disconnected Worlds because the Fusion is full of control freaks. Hostile AI ships are attacking everyone.

Still a solid space opera tale.

Recommended for all military sf / space opera fans (but be sure to read Torchship first)!

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed it but not quite as much as the first book in the series. I felt that too much time was spent talking about things that didn't develop or add to the plot.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[William Eckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Torchship, but I think it would work well as a stand-alone story. While the first book read like a series of individual episodes, "Torchship Pilot" flows seamlessly from beginning to end.

I enjoyed following the story of the main characters, delving into the differences between the human nations, and getting a few hints about AI motivations. I plan to read the sequel, Torchship Captain.

The author gave me a copy of Torchship Pilot after reading mentions of Torchship on my blog.

[Mervi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Mr. Gallagher is a fellow member of the emailing list for fans of Lois McMaster Bujold.

This book continues the stories of Michigan “Mitchie” Long and the crew of cargo space ship Fives Full.

The war between the Fusion worlds and the Disconnected worlds is heating up. The crew is now part of the Disconnected Worlds’ Defense Force and go where the admirals direct them. This time, they are sent to one of the Fusion worlds so that they can scan for enemy ships before a battle. This duty is quite dangerous because the enemy warships could destroy them at a moment’s notice. Fives Full isn’t a battle ship but it’s required for different kinds of operations. All very dangerous. Also, Mitchie has to deal with her in-laws…

The book is set in a future where Old Earth and the planets near it have been overrun by Artificial Intelligences and are therefore off limits to humans. The AIs are trying to destroy humanity. Meanwhile, humans have divided into two distinctive cultures: the wealthy Fusion worlds, where the government controls people tightly in order to continue the war against AIs, and the Disconnected worlds, which are less wealthy but the people live how they want to (as long as they can afford it). In fact, in this book we see some of the different cultures which make up the Disconnect.

Mitchie and her new husband are very cute together. He supports and trusts her. There are no sex scenes, though. However, Mitchie is an intelligence officer, in essence a spy. She puts duty above everything and her husband is starting to realize that.

Unlike in many other SF books or shows, the crew of Fives Full changes somewhat when needed. I was at first shocked and then delighted with it. The changes give the stories authenticity. Also, we’re introduced to a lot of new characters but not all at the same time. The new crew members are professionals in their own areas but lack expertize in others, so Mitchie gets to try teaching. The secondary characters have their own quirks and personalities, too.

Fives Full doesn’t have any weapons so action scenes don’t revolve around ships bombarding each other. In fact, time lag is a very substantial element in space battles, and in communication for that matter. No instant hits in this book, unless your ship is really close. Yet, I found the action scenes intense. Part of it could be that I haven’t read many books with such technology.

Like the first book, Torchship Pilot hasn’t got one plot line but a string of interconnected missions. It even answers some of the questions I had about the setting. The plot isn’t fast-paced, though.

This was a great sequel and I recommend reading Torchship first. If you like it, you’ll probably like this book, too.

[Horhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread the entire series recently. This book suffers a bit from sequelitis but the wider geopolitical conflict and the better look at the world really enhance the experience and mask the essential weaknesses of the middle book. I thought that the "omegaphobia" plot was very interesting and a rare instance where evolutionary psychology is used properly. The author is generally quite politically incorrect, but I found it interesting that he did not pursue the omega idea to its logical (and scientifically valid according to current knowledge) conclusion - that, if social mobility exists, then the Fusion underclasses were not just stipend kids, but actually inferior on average through self-selection. However, we do not know much about the demigraphics aside from the total populations. Do Fusion citizens have children? Do the stipend kids have more or fewer?

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. This book is more in a similar vein from the first - by which I mean it is another series of linked stories involving the spaceship "Fives Full" and her crew. Most of the stories take place in space, some in deep space. There is action, intrigue, romance, secrets, enough technical explanation to not seem very "hand waving", but not so much as to be boring. I like the characters and want to know more about them.

I see that Karl has a third book in the series in progress. I look forward to it.

[Clyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Torchship Pilot takes up right where Torchship ends. The two books make up one continuous story. And a good story it is.
Recommended for those who like space opera centered around a rag-tag crew and featuring high-stakes adventure.

[Jim Rodriguez]

Great follow-up to the first book.