McLendon's Syndrome [Paperback]

Robert A. Frezza (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1993

Ken MacKay's career in space was going nowhere. The decrepit trading ship he served on was also going nowhere: the Rustam's Slipper was grounded on Schuyler's World, a backwater planet lacking even a good bar. For diversion, Schuyler's offered bad bars, cute yet conniving aliens called Rodents, and Catarina -- a mysterious, beautiful, unsettlingly smart woman. Catarina Wanted a berth on the Slipper; the Slipper needed a crew member. She Was hired.

But Ken soon discovered that Catarina was more than a vamp with a razor-sharp wit. First was her case of McLendon's Syndrome, an obscure little contagious disease treatable only with chocolate-chip cookies. Then there were all the secrets she was hiding. So she wasn't the most trustworthy ally a guy could want as the Slipper hurried straight into murder, mayhem, intrigue, and an interspecies war -- but she was all Ken had. And unless she helped Ken whip the crew into shape and muster the misfits and malcontents of Schuyler's World, it would be the shortest war on record...

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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Ken MacKay's career in space was going nowhere. The decrepit trading ship he served on was also going nowhere: the Rustam's Slipper was grounded on Schuyler's World, a backwater planet lacking even a good bar. For diversion, Schuyler's offered bad bars, cute yet conniving aliens called Rodents, and Catarina -- a mysterious, beautiful, unsettlingly smart woman. Catarina Wanted a berth on the Slipper; the Slipper needed a crew member. She Was hired.

But Ken soon discovered that Catarina was more than a vamp with a razor-sharp wit. First was her case of McLendon's Syndrome, an obscure little contagious disease treatable only with chocolate-chip cookies. Then there were all the secrets she was hiding. So she wasn't the most trustworthy ally a guy could want as the Slipper hurried straight into murder, mayhem, intrigue, and an interspecies war -- but she was all Ken had. And unless she helped Ken whip the crew into shape and muster the misfits and malcontents of Schuyler's World, it would be the shortest war on record...

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Product Details

• Paperback: 30 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (March 22, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345375165
• ISBN-13: 978-0345375162
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vampires in Space, part one, November 20, 2006

By 

Marshall Lord (Whitehaven, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McLendon's Syndrome (Paperback)

This is the first of two brilliantly funny science fiction adventures set in a universe where incompetence has been elevated to an art form.

Ken MacKay is an ensign on a decrepit space freighter called the Rustam's Slipper. She's shorthanded, so the skipper takes on a new crewmember called Caterina Lindquist

Caterina is beautiful and smart, but suffers from a rare disease now classified as "McLendon's Syndrome" - the symptoms of which include very pale alabaster coloured skin, inability to tolerate direct sunlight, etc - yes, most of the disadvantages associated in medieval times with vampires. And some of the advantages as well.

Then a series of highly suspiscious events start occurring, including murder. Some crew members are convinced that Caterina must be behind them - but Ken is not so sure.

If you enjoyed Keith Laumer's "Reteif" comedy science fiction stories you will love "McLendon's Syndrome" and the sequel, "The VMR Theory."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of my all-time favorite books!, September 7, 2004

By 

Terry R. Reynolds "[e-mail]" (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McLendon's Syndrome (Paperback)

This book is hilarious! The first person account leaves you feeling very much in the shoes of our hero (Ken McKay), who is a sane person stuck in a universe going crazy around him. A farce similar to Asprin's work (Phule's Company, M.Y.T.H. Inc.), this book and its sequel (The VMR Theory) are superior to Asprin's excellent work. If you've read any of Frezza's A Small Colonial War / Fire in a Faraway Place / Cain's Land series, don't judge by these. That series was a very serious dark-toned tragedy. McLendon's Sydrome is the exact opposite, pure comedy with a cynical tone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but could be better, April 21, 2003

By 

Timothy Meier (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McLendon's Syndrome (Paperback)

After reading a couple of good reviews for this book, I found a used copy and plunged in. After I was done, I wasn't really satisified with the book. While some ideas were good, others were flawed or good but weren't taken to their fullest.

The general plot is ok in the beginning of the book, but about halfway through it just begins to take some strange twists and turns. And after awhile it just gets wierd. Another reviewer complained that the book is a combination of several different styles, and I have to agree.

While this isn't a bad book, it also is not a great book. This is the kind of book that you can read and get some laughs. Avid Sci-Fi readers will get some chuckles from some in-jokes or references to other book series by other authors. It's decent, but really can't hold it's own against others in the genre.