Customer Reviews

Alien Bounty

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Definitely a story worthy of the Dietz name. Almost on par with his "Legion of the Damned" series considering it's a storyline based on civilian society rather than on military society. The action is relatively fast-paced and keeps the reader from putting the book down. However, the Il Ronn are too anthropomorhic to be believably alien and the description of their behaviour and society harkens to nothing more than humans in funny looking suits.

We open with a prison scene and a prison rescue all in chapter one, which itself could be a stand-alone short story. This form is used throughout the book. Sam McCade has a bunch of adventures he easily survives with a slightly cynical perspective, but I received little sense of the 'novel' form. The stories themselves are self contained and do move the 'retrieve the ancient alien artifact' plot along, though in some chapters the main plot isn't even mentioned. Still they way the novel is written, chapter-stories have their moments (such as the strategy game vs. the 10 year old Il-ron girl), but others aren't interesting (the adrift in space scenes, and 'gark breath'). Overall I found the book struggling to simply be a book, and I didn't like the whole. Even the final chapter has an abrupt end, but maybe the next book in the series handles the transition well?

As a final criticism, I found the aliens in the story didn't act alien. This annoyed me as the author goes out of their way to make a point regarding cyborgs in the late novel, and the point lost it's entire dramatic impact because the aliens weren't actually alien (enough).

Another great addition to the McCade Series, Action packed with an unique twist. Sam McCade, warrior priest, who would of thought!