Drifter [Paperback]

William C. Dietz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1991

Smuggler Pik Lando is hired by a beautiful woman named Angel, and suddenly he finds himself involved with her and a group of hell-bent revolutionaries. . . and there is a price on his head.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ace (September 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441168132
• ISBN-13: 978-0441168132
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,762,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William C. Dietz is the best-selling author of more than thirty science fiction novels some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, spent time with the Navy and Marine Corps as a medic, graduated from the University of Washington, lived in Africa for half a year, and has traveled to six continents. Dietz has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, news writer, television producer and Director of Public Relations and Marketing for an international telephone company. He writes full-time and lives with his wife in Washington State. For more information about William C. Dietz and his work visit: williamcdietz.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An average adventure novel, May 27, 2002

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drifter (Paperback)

The novel has all the parts for a melodrama, i.e., the hero (an interplanetary smuggler), a heroine (the daughter of a family in danger of being forced off their planet), the villains (a mining company intent on [taking] the planet's resources), and the good guys (the heroine's family and their friends of The Chosen). It is the standard melodrama expanded to a galactic scale, with the local representative of the villains forcing his unwanted attentions on the heroine.

Pik Lando and his ship, the Tinker's Damn, have been drafted into service to smuggle a cargo of fertilizer concentrates onto the planet Angel. An unlikely cargo for a smuggler, but one that is vital for the farmers on the soil poor planet. Mega-Metals is using extreme means including murder to keep vital supplies from reaching the farmers.

After the first mission, Lando is recruited for a second, very secret mission that will undo the plans of the villains and give The Chosen possession of the planet. The conclusion of the novel is somewhat disappointing as Lando and the heroine go their separate ways. The final ending of the novel could have been deleted with no loss to the story as the novel digresses into a new tale. Perhaps the author was setting the stage for his next novel.

3.0 out of 5 stars Drifter, April 18, 2008

By 

Papagoose (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drifter (Paperback)

Drifter is not a hard read and moves along at a quick pace. I enjoyed reading this book and in light of the great work Dietz has done since writing Drifter its wonderful to see the birth of his style.

3.0 out of 5 stars Middling adventure, July 22, 2007

By 

David Keith "FurNTats" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drifter (Paperback)

This here's a so so space adventure novel. Not as good as Dietz' "Legion of the Damned" or "Runner". I'd suggest reading some of the author's other books which are more inventive and much more fun.