The Outpost

Birthright #26

by Mike Resnick

Award-winning writer Mike Resnick takes us back to his wild and wooly Inner Frontier in this tall-tale of an adventure novel.

On the planet Henry II, orbiting the twin suns of Plantagenet and Tudor, at the very edge of the great black hole at the center of the Milky Way, there is a tavern called The Outpost. Through the doors of The Outpost have come the greatest heroes, villains, and adventurers of the galaxy - to drink, to brag, and to swap tales.

The Outpost is neutral territory where fighting is forbidden and blood enemies can have a drink together and tell stories of battles past. After all bounty hunters, con men, itinerant preachers, thieves, and assassins have more in common with each other than they do with the rest of the mundane galaxy.

But their pleasant life of recalling murder and mayhem is interrupted by an alien invasion, and to save their way of life these rugged individualists must try to work together for a change.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Ebooks, Pulp

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2001

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

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what it's like when somebody is really "in the zone"?

Think of the Beatles' song "Hey Jude". At the time, it was unheard of for a single to be over 7 min long. But the band was just in the groove, and it was such a joy - listeners just didn't want that song to end! It was great to hear them having so much fun - it was obvious that the musicians were operating on a creatively higher realm, one in which inspiration comes by instinct (and works so well that it almost seems effortless and brings on a trancelike state of euphoria).

So here is Mike Resnick completely in the groove. So deeply in the zone that he's just coasting along, doing his humorous Resnick best, and it just doesn't end. And I loved it. I didn't want it to end. More and more and more and more... page after page of pure entertainment, drawing the reader deeper and deeper into a dronelike delight.

It's like Resnick weighed the balance of Style vs Substance, and decided that if he could somehow achieve the perfect "Style", then he would write an entire book that focused 100% on "Style", leaving "Substance" for other works.

Resnick succeeds! This is an amazing example of a master stylist working his wiles at the highest level possible!

So don't worry about the plot. It's so simple I can summarize it in 5 words ("aliens attacking; heroes exaggerate exploits"). And it doesn't even begin until the book is nearly over. But I don't care. I loved the seemingly endless series of tall tales that went on and on. There was no sense of being rushed - it was timeless but seemed far too short.

Finally, of course, the alien invasion does interfere with the set of tall tales the heroes are spinning, and they go off to deal with the aliens... only to come back and tell more tall tales about these new exploits!

Sheer genius!

Oh... and the characters - simply great. Some may argue that there were too many, but I loved them. They were all over the top, larger than life, and not necessarily likeable. But they were all unique and the perfect creations for the tableau Resnick prepared in this book.

I don't feel this is Resnick's best (nor his funniest). If you want his best, try Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia. If you want his funniest, try the Lucifer Jones series (Adventures, Exploits, Encounters, and Hazards).

But if you want to see Resnick take a style of writing and serve up a masterclass of how to make that style come alive -- look no further.

5 stars!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Fun, interesting escapism. Nothing real deep here, but the stories are fun and the setting is interesting.

[Myridian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows a large group of characters ("heroes"). The conceit is that they have all gathered at a bar at the end of the galaxy where they exchange stories, get caught up in a war, and then exchange stories re the battle. I was a bit disappointed in the book. I have come to expect great things from Resnick and didn't feel this quite did the trick. It was interesting to read the actual deeds of the characters and then laugh at how they "improved" the stories at the later retelling. But each section felt too long and there were far too many characters. So much so that I never felt particularly attached to any of them. A few die during the alien invasion and I couldn't even really be bothered to feel bad. Another, perhaps more worthy criticism is that the stories approach women, even the women supposedly telling their own stories, as sexual objects and little more. All the women are either busty beauties or they once were, and the majority of the stories told by the women revolve around their sexuality. Of course, at times it's a powerful sexuality, but it felt two-dimensional nonetheless. All in all, there were a few funny moments, but I would go with the Santiago or Oracle series any day.

[Noah Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Mike Resnick's books is a chore, for some reason. When I'm able to, though, I love them: they tend to be rollicking good fun, with larger-than-life characters and stories. The Outpost is a perfect example of his style. A bar on the Inner Frontier attracts the wildest of adventurers, bounty hunters, and con men. They tell the stories of their deeds while the war keeps coming closer. When the war finally arrives, they go out to do their part--and the reader gets to see who actually had what it takes to back up their tall tales. Then, those that survive return to the bar, and tell their stories. Some are close to the truth... and some aren't. It's a fun read from start to finish.

[Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because of the font on the cover, then took it home from the library because a quick skim of the first page promised some campy space-age fun.

It did indeed contain campy space-age fun, but it was also a rough read. The storytelling is very repetitive. All the characters are the same - they may have different "traits", but the personalities are identical. There's a lot of tedious 70s hypersexualization, and it's mixed with tedious 00s edginess (and thus there were a number of jarring rape "jokes" - you have now been warned).

I did generally enjoy the formatting of the stories, and though it was repetitive the pacing was fast enough that it wasn't too much of a chore to get through.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly light and fluffy book that mostly consists of tall tales told in a bar setting. The characters are one-dimensional archetypes.

[Gabe Botero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unapologetically pulp science fiction swapping over the top fishing tall tales. Nevertheless, history is written by the winners.

[Roy DeRousse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel by Mike Resnick. It is set in a bar at the edge of the known universe. Various larger than life "legends" sit around, telling - greatly exaggerated - stories about themselves. Stories similar to stuff like Paul Bunyon and Babe the blue ox.

At first, that put me off. Why do I want to read a story about fictional characters telling largely fictionalized stories about themselves? The trouble was - the stories were fun. The setting of the book does change at some point, with the characters involved in real-time action. Then they return to the bar and tell stories about what they just did.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book concerns two questions: 1) What is truth? 2) What is history? One of the characters is a historian, writing down all of the stories as "facts" for future generations know. He has a unique perspective on the subject. ;-)

It's not a great book, but it is a fun read... one that leaves the reader with a little something to think about and which is relevant today.

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of rogues and heroes meet at an out of the way bar - really out of the way - on a planet at the fringes of human occupied space. It seems to be the only thing there. They share tall tales of their exploits and learn of an approaching war and that the alien invaders have just destroyed the Human Space Navy fleet sent to stop them. So after finishing a last round of drinks they go to do what heroes do. When they return, well, most of them anyway, they relate their tales for posterity.

This isn’t serious science fiction, nor is it intended to be. It is however an enjoyable romp, which is a bit Gulliver’s Travels and a bit Spider Robinson with maybe a hint of Douglas Adams. It is a fun read.

[Jeff Yoak · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Spider Robinson is asked where Callahan's really is, he often resorts to the reply, "Where you're standing now." We already know that The Place is known to move about. Apparently, some eight thousand years into the Galactic Era, it'll be at a place called The Outpost.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great and fun read from the pen of the late and great Mike Resnick :(.

A bar on the edge of the galaxy caters to 'heroes'. Great doers of great deads, as they will tell you. Each tells his or her story with an alien invasion in the background. Great fun. Sad that there will be no more stories from Resnick. I spent my young life reading his words.

[Frederick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book
science fiction
a bunch of funny/wierd stories by an assortment of characters from the future
who are in a bar trying to sit our a war but eventually join and help out the humans who are trying to defeat the aliens in a space battle

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Del Rey books signed a two book deal with Mike to acquire the Kyrinaga stories. This is the next book he wrote, and Del Rey rejected it. In the end Mike wrote the Amulet of Power to finish the contract.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The author used a unique way of telling a plot through the 'stories' of the characters. In this way, even though it was written in first person, the reader could see what many of the other characters were like.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Outpost is Resnick's version of Callahan's Place, or Gavagan's Bar, or The White Hart... the far-future, far-far-away version. Bigger than life heroes with exaggerated exploits, Resnick's mythic characters kick back, swap tales, and stop an alien invasion in their down time. Loads of fun!

[Mex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bawdy stories from a bar at the edge of a black hole where the galaxy's most famous heroes and villains gather to swap tall tales. Funny and furious Space Opera.

[John Teehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a blast. A good read for lovers of stories. You can read my original review at http://www.strangehorizons.com/2001/2...

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good science fiction story.

[Charl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tall Tale, Shaggy Dog Story, whatever you call em, this novel-length collection of them is joyous romp from cover to cover.

[Stephen Heverin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a while to get through this one. I liked the concept, unfortunately I think the style in which this story(stories) were conveyed just wasn't for me.

[Stephen Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. I was not aware it was part of a series now I need to go back and catch the early story.