Drifter

Drifter #1

by William C. Dietz

The first rule of smuggling: Speed is a smuggler's best friend.

Tricks of the trade. Lando learned them from his dad and granddad, the best in the business.

The second rule of smuggling: Go for the small deals. You will make more and live longer.

A ladies' man, a con artist, a total professional That was Lando.

Forget the rules.

Then he was hired by a beautiful woman to do a job on a world called Angel. Now he's involved with her - and a dangerious group of hell-bent revolutionaries...

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

New York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid space opera. Pik Lando is a smuggler who sometimes values people over money. He's a bit of a rogue, pretty clearly modeled after Han Solo, but he's not a slavish imitation. He's got his own character. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Lando hooks up with a woman named Wendy, whose religious group has purchased half of a planet and are now being harassed by Mega-Metals, which owns the other half and wants the whole planet to themselves. Pik helps Wendy out on one job and is recruited for an even bigger caper that might turn the tide against Mega-Metals. Pik falls for Wendy, and she for him, but they are from very different belief systems. Wendy's religion is pacifist, but Mega-Metals is prepared to use violence to get what they want. There's a fair amount of action in the latter half of the book and some interesting settings and descriptions. This is the first of a three volume series, followed by Drifter's Run, and Drifter's War.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 1st book in the Drifter series by William C. Dietz. In this one a smuggler named Pik Lando takes a job for a religious group living on a planet that is half owned by them and half owned by a mining company. The mining company it trying to drive the religious colonists off the planet so they hire Pik to smuggle an engineered bio weapon that will eat all the minerals that the mining company mines for a great profit. It is hoped they will then lose interest in the planet and leave the colonists alone. Pik is an experienced smuggler and can't help himself when it comes to helping the underdog. After all, what could go wrong? A good read in the Space Opera genre.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pik Lando (no, not Lando Calrissian) is a smuggler whose ship, The Tinker's Damn, looks ratty and neglected but is actually in excellent shape. Lando is a master of deception and good at the smuggling business, but he has an honest side to him too.

Lando is hired to help a pacifist doctor named Wendy Wendeen, whose community The Chosen are at war with powerful corporation Mega-Metals for control of the planet Angel (which has a "halo" -- check the cover art). The Chosen want only a place to live, farm and raise their families, while Mega-Metals wants to mine the planet for metals. Lando isn't too keen on going against Mega-Metals until a brutal event makes it a personal thing for him.

Lando and Wendy develop a physical relationship, but their differing personalities make a lasting relationship impossible, something that hurts Lando more than he ever expected it to. However, he sticks to his guns and adheres to the agreement made, even though he is risking his life unnecessarily in doing so.

Deitz has a decent writing style, though a bit inconsistent, which can be distracting at times. He also jumps relentlessly from one character's mind to another within the same chapter, which works for character development but works against storytelling. Also, the final few chapters of the book are more like a mini-story that feel like a set-up for a sequel (and it has two sequels) and make a somewhat clumsy if action-packed ending for the book.

So, it's okay. Not great, but okay.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dietz has interesting characters which pushes his books up out of the military SF swamp. Welcome to the dark Imperium of evil corporations, smugglers and bounty hunters. An enjoyable read.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old school space opera. Think Han Solo.

[Diogenes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unassuming sci-fi with a smuggler for a hero, this was readable but far from exceptional.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to know what rating to give this book. The plot was good and exciting with enjoyable characters but it was poorly digitized or if the errors were part of the original book then the book badly needed better editing. There were missing words (which I generally was able to figure out), misspelled words (once knew was used in place of new) and in one instance a major character's name was changed suddenly but only once. I was very confused as to who the person was until I figured out what had happened. Also there were many instances when the story line transitioned to another time or place with nothing to indicate there was a transition. No break but just in the midst of a paragraph you were in another time or place with different characters.
On the whole I enjoyed the book but would have liked it even better with better editing.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like watching a solid episode of Firefly. Pik is the likable scoundrel. The mission has its setbacks and windfalls, and all the elements create a pleasant jagged rising action to a satisfying finale. It is just a well-written space opera without anything else. I think that is enough.

Or maybe it isn't. Allow me to complain a bit, Pik needed to be stuffed with more intrigue. He needed more backstory and more motivation. He was likable, but he wasn't wholly interesting. I don't have a strong desire to read any more of the Drifter series, and that is a bummer. Also, the last 20 pages of the book, I don't know what to do with that. It was a whole lot of unnecessary and not belonging.

Nitpicks aside, it is a good space opera. If you want to chill with some space action and fight against the mega-corps, then you can't go wrong with smuggler extraordinaire Pik Lando.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in a trilogy, sort of like Han solo from star wars with more science added. Smuggling is an ugly business.

[Mike Sorenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright science fiction adventure novel. Nothing too special. About a smuggler who takes a job for some non violent religious extremists to deliver some fertilizer to their half of a colony planet. The other half is owned by a mining corporation. The corporation wants the planet to strip it for minerals while the religionists want a home. The religionists hatch a plot to neutralize the mineral resources so the mining corporation won’t have any interest in the planet. The protagonist gets caught in the middle.
The story is quick with little detailed science involved, although it isn’t necessarily space opera. The action is good, written in a military sci-fi style. The main story finishes and then drags on a couple of more chapters in an unrelated tale involving the smuggler and his father (intro for the next novel I suppose). Odd story arc. It is the first of three books, but it is a standalone novel. Anyway, I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. Some adult situations, not for kids.

Nerd note: By eliminating the mineral content of the planet the colonists have essentially done what the mining corportation set out to do. All living organisms need minerals to live otherwise they get sick and die. Chalk one more dead planet up to extremism.

[Chris Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little book about a space smuggler who falls in with the right sort of people by taking on a job for them. These folks have renounced all violence and wont touch a firearm, but their hired smuggler (Pik Lando - great name!) has no such restrictions.

Really a boy meets girl (with a different outlook on life)boy wins girl, boy loses girl, but gets to shoot a lot of stuff in the meantime.

Very open ended ending that was more like the first couple of chapters for a new book.

May or may not follow up on what looks to be a series.....

[Scott S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Good story, but mediocre narration. Very 1960s feel.

My OCD will demand that I come back to finish these at some point, but I'm just not sure there's enough here to get invested in.

Mediocre, but acceptable narration.

[David]

to read

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall a good trilogy, however it does seem to get a little "loose" in the last book (Drifters War). Interesting story and characters

[John Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, well written, most seemed plausible, and the characters seemed to stay in character all the way through. I have the second and third books ready to read soon.

[Jennifer Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good space story, would have given it more stars but didn't feel connection between the love interest, he tried to make you think there was an emotional connection but I didn't feel it.

[Lulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid pulp sci fi.

[Peter Melancon]

Fun novel, I wouldn't say it's anything new but it's an enjoyable read.