24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Taking the Divine Wind to Traha, February 4, 2008
Runner (2005) is the first SF novel in this series. It takes place at least a million years in the future, at a time when technology is slowly failing. The Techno Society has been trying to reestablish the star gate system to replace the failing AI starships, but are finding little support for their efforts.
In this novel, Jak Rebo is an interstellar runner, riding the starships between planets to deliver messages and other items. He has just delivered a package to its addressee on Anafa and is resting between missions. Then another potential client asks him to visit that evening.
Tra Lee is a ten year old boy. The Red Hat monks believe him to be the reincarnation of Nom Maa, a famous teacher who is destined to lead a great revival of their religion. Since he was two years old, Lee has been raised in the Red Hat monastery in Seros.
Lanni Norr is a sensitive, a genetically altered variant of humanity who has psionic talents. She can see and hear spirits of the dead and can channel them to communicate with the living. However, channeling means being possessed by the spirit.
Jevan Kane is an operative of the Techno Society. He was a favorite of Milos Lysander, a deceased scientist and former head of the Techno Society. Now the society is being run by Omar Tepho, a normal human who had been born with a spinal deformity and other defects. Kane is not one of his favorite people.
Bo Hoggles is a heavy, a variant genetically modified for living in heavy-gravity. He is running from something, but keeps his secrets.
In this story, the Red Hat Monastery in Seros needs to send Lee to CaCanth on Thara to be tested as the reincarnation of Nom Maa and to possibly to become the leader of their religion. The Black Hat sect has also sent a candidate to CaCanth. Unfortunately, the Black Hat monks contend that Lee is an impostor and are willing to kill him to prevent his arrival at CaCanth.
The Red Hat monks want to hire Rebo to deliver Lee to CaCanth. Rebo meets the boy that evening and learns about the mission. Since he himself was born on Thara, Rebo is pleased that the mission would take him to his home planet. However, he has had bad experiences with delivering humans and is leery of repeating such occurrences.
After talking to Lee, explaining his rules and listening to the boy's responses, Rebo agrees to take the mission. He asks the monks provide a double for the boy to cover his departure. He also asks the monks to deliver him to the local runner headquarters in an unobtrusive way.
Norr needs money to hide herself for a while. So she risks a public demonstration of her talents, charging a small fee. Unfortunately, she is possessed by the spirit of Lysander, who introduces himself and tries to recruit people into the society. When he manifests himself, a robot in the audience notes his identity and follows Norr after the performance.
Kane leads an assault on the hostel previously entered by Norr, killing the landlord and others, but the sensitive is not there. She had a bad feeling and went elsewhere to spend the night. After learning of the killings, Norr decides to leave the planet and waits in disguise for the shuttle to land.
This story brings Rebo, Lee and Norr together on the starship. Of course, their enemies also have agents on the ship. A Black Hat monk tries to kill Lee and two robots try to abduct Norr.
After a while, Rebo and Norr become romantically inclined. The Black Hat monks are still trying to kill Lee. Kane follows the party, but is repeatedly unsuccessful in abducting Norr. Lysander eventually changes sides and begins to protect the sensitive from Kane.
The plot is a form of quest to take Lee to his destination. Rebo has been hired to accompany Lee and Norr goes along in lieu of any other goal. Hoggles also becomes one of the party on the second starship.
The tale is full of adventure and escapes. Of course, the party finally reaches CaCanth, but not without close calls. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Dietz fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of adventurous quests, religious wisdom, and on/off romance.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strong tale of Tibetan Buddhism in outer space, September 28, 2005
In the distant future humans have traveled throughout the star systems using interstellar portals, but over time the technology became lost. Antiquated ships deliver cargo and passengers between planets, but are slow and no major inter-galaxy travel exists anymore. Runner Jak Rebo delivers a package that he carried for two years to a customer's wealthy brother on planet Anafa, colonized over 10,000 years ago. Not long afterward, Brother Sua Qwa hires him to deliver a special golden child Tra Lee to the holy city of CaCanth on planet Thara where the lad will be proclaimed as the Norm Maa. Qwa warns the runner that a rival black hat sect has their own candidate and will try to assassinate the boy.
Sensitive Lanni Norr reads individual energy fields that enable her to speak with the dead. During a performance, deceased scientist Milos Lysander using a metal man as his source tries to take over Lanni's body. She manages to escape, but has to flee. Lanni and Jak meet when separate people try to harm them; they unite while people chase after them and his cargo Tra Lee.
Runner is an exciting thriller that sort of places Tibetan Buddhism in outer space at a time when civilization is imploding. The background comes alive as readers will believe they are at a time when earth is so distant a memory that the planet is considered by most as the mythos home world. Jak and Lanni are an interesting duo as they escort Tra Lee while another sect provides not only another heir contender, but attempts to kill the trio because they feel so strongly that they have the next Norma Maa. William Dietz is at his best with this strong science fiction tale.
Harriet Klausner
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's all in the setting, November 25, 2007
This is the first Dietz book i have read. I enjoyed the book very much. in reading some of the other reviews i can see the author writes another style of book that is a lot more "bang,bang,bang" style. I do not like that style.
This story featured a very unique setting and i have learned that in Sci fi "Setting" is everything. often the world the story is set in is the most interesting element of the story. For example the world and music of "blade runner" is far more interesting than the story line.
In the world of "Runner", technology has decayed to the point that man cannot even repair the ageing technology it uses ,much less invent new tech. as a result only a few planets have electricity and transportation is on foot or animal. High rise buildings are vacant except the first five floors because that is how high it is acceptable to climb stairs.
A Runner ,Jak Rebo is employed to deliver a young monk to a nearby planet to see if he is the reincarnated leader of "The Way". That is the whole premise and the rest of the book takes them on an adventure in this world of specially bred humans. of course there are bad guys trying to stop them.
Jak encounters sentient AI space ships,"heavys"(hoggles), "sensitives"(noor),star gate seeds,bad guys(Kane), ghosts(lysander)and a rude AI master computer named Logos. Funny thing is that logos is in the form of a ratty old overcoat.
Now that combination of characters and events make for an entertaining read. If you are prepared to entertianed by a brave new world and interesting characters, you will enjoy "Runner".
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