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AKW books :: -Science Fiction :: Glowgems for Profit
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Author: John Bowers
I stopped reading science fiction novels in the mid 1980s because I could no longer find books like this one. As time went on things just got worse—it seemed like all the sf authors were trying to “out-weird” each other. Truly good sf novels got harder and harder to find.
Bruce Davis has filled the gap. Glowgems for Profit represents an exciting return to true science fiction adventure. Zack Mbele is a war veteran who was captured, tortured, and staked out to die. All but one of those captured with him did die, but Zack and his buddy Rabbit survived (Rabbit was left partially paralyzed). Now the war is over and Zack has his own ship (optimistically christened the Profit); he hauls freight and passengers all over the Solar System, just trying to make enough to pay his bills.
But it’s a dangerous solar system out there. The war may be over but rebel ideology hasn’t died. Neither have the criminal cartels, and when Zack picks up a shady passenger who just has to get away from Highpoint but won’t say where he wants to go or why—and someone tries to kill the passenger before they can even close the deal…well, Zack wasn’t born in a test tube—something smells rotten.
Zack is no stranger to trouble. He’s had his share, and avoids it like an open airlock in space. But he needs money for his next loan payment on Profit and the passenger is offering to pay cash. All Zack has to do to deliver his passenger is avoid the cops, the cartels, and the assassins.
Fortunately he has some interesting friends to help him out: Rabbit is the best data slicer in the star system; his war-time buddy and current crewman Deuce is expert with explosives and weapons; and Sylvia, the Artificial Intelligence computer that operates Profit, is smarter than the average bundle of bits.
Finally, there’s that gorgeous Asian chick with a needler in one hand and a stun baton in the other, Cleopatra Lee. With a crew like that, Zack is ready to take on whatever he must to make that next starship payment. Should be a piece of cake, right?
Yeah, right.
Glowgems for Profit is the old-fashioned space adventure I thought I would never see again. Exciting characters in an exotic world, fighting for survival in more ways than one. Bruce Davis has written a page-turner here, one you won’t want to miss. Start it before dinner and you may not get any sleep at all. I can’t wait to read the sequel, if there is one. There better be!
Five stars on the story, four stars on the formatting. Overall, a great read.
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Author: Richard S. Winder
A Rolling Sci-Fi Actioner
Zack Mbele is a man a few words; a semi colon like the one you just passed would have him moving on to read something else. He's the protagonist in Bruce Davis's sci-fi action thriller titled Glowgems for Profit. Once the action in Davis's tale gets rolling, it never really stops. In command of his own private ship, the Profit, Zack traverses our solar system in a far future, where arcologies, asteroid-based colonies, and cities on Mars and the Moon are a mundane reality. Mentally and physically, Zack is haunted by the legacy of a war of rebellion that happened years ago on Mars. He offers the services of his ship to ferry high-priority cargo around the system, but he cannot forget, and his only solace would seem to be in revenge. After a botched shipping run, Zack runs afoul of a devious conspiracy involving an evil crime lord and his gang, as well as other dark forces straight from Zack's tortured and painful past. In the midst of all of this trouble appears a fable, a fantastic treasure of exotic glowgems, and the even more beautiful (and deadly) Cleopatra Lee. The lady is in distress and needs Zack's help. In a world where the careful bat of an eye may be the difference between living and dying in a lethal gunfight, what's a man to do? Zack has friends. His tough sidekick Deuce always has a plasma rifle to cover Zack's back, and never fails with an honest opinion. Their 'slicer' friend Rabbit is a paraplegic genius, with more than enough words to compensate for Zack's spare dialogue. Will Zack go for the glowgems or the girl? Will he live long enough to possess either? Will he get his revenge, and will it satisfy him if he does? You should read to find out! I really like this story (and its follow-on) very much. It certainly holds one's attention, and the writing style is convincing, brisk, and proficient. The plot, action, dialogue, and descriptions all flow well; just a few minor glitches that wouldn't bother most readers. The characters are a strong point, and all (even the bad guys) have a unique and necessary contribution to the plot. The story lets you in on a private world of adventure, where you can become the hard-boiled master of your own space-faring destiny in a time where deception and intrigue are everywhere, and there is wealth to be had- it lets you be Zack. Davis's strength is in keeping the action going, whether it's a gunfight in a crowd, or a hard-core interrogation in an isolated room. In fact, my only criticism is that the action is truly relentless, which requires Zack to brood quite a bit- this story is no play and all business. While the story describes much about the future that will require huge leaps in technical advancement, covering the details of those technologies is not really the point here. It will appeal to those who love action, whether they are fans of sci-fi, pirate and smuggler stories, westerns, spy thrillers, or war and combat stories. Davis has got your back on that, you can count on it. -RSW
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