Customer Reviews

Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of my top ten all time favorite sci-fi novels and has been since I first read it when I was about 13 (I am more than TWICE that age now and that's all we'll say on that subject). The book has held up through many years and many re-readings and I enjoy it every time. Far from being traditional and technical science fiction, this is one part pulp western, one part space opera, one part Robin Hood type adventure and five hundred parts cool. Here Resnick has peopled a far flung corner of the Universe with more unique and colorful characters than you would normally get in ten such novels, and the dialogue is snappier than any other book of this genre, guaranteed. The book runs very fast and is fun from start to stop. I couldn't put it down almost two decades ago and I still usually read it in one or two sittings.
Santiago is the most notorious criminal in the galaxy with a price on his head like no other man past or present. He is a legend of close to mythic proportions. The only problem is no one has ever seen his face or dealt with him directly in his many years of looting and pillaging. This doesn't, of course, keep every bounty hunter on the galactic rim from trying to hunt him down. Sebastian Cain is one such bounty hunter, a disillusioned freedom fighter who decided to start killing people for profit once he realized all of his fighting to make the universe a better place was futile. The book begins with his receiving a simple tip in a small out of the way bar that puts him on the trail of the most notorious criminal in history. His adventures take him to many ports of call and he crosses paths with gamblers, assassins, a gun toting preacher, a starving artist, a sentient spaceship, alien indians and even a reporter or two. The only problem is that The Angel, the best bounty hunter in the biz, is also close to figuring out the puzzle that is Santiago. The book is a race, a chase, an adventure of the highest order and makes the point that nothing is ever really what it seems. After all, in a world where your name is a description of who and what you are (Poor Yorick, Jolly Swagman, Man-Mountain Bates), the most dangerous man in the universe is named Santiago. Look it up and see what it means.
There was a point when the paperback of this book came with a blurb saying it was soon to be made into a movie. I guess this never came to fruition, but it would certainly make the best animated sci-fi flick I can think of. I also see that Amazon is advertising for the sequel to be published soon. I cannot wait. Like I said, this is one of my favorite fun books ever and if the follow up is only half as good, it will still be an absolute blast.

Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future reads like an epic Western except the setting is space instead of the Old West. Perhaps one of the best books I've ever read, filled with mythic characters that do bear some resemblance to legendary gunslingers of the West. We see the different characters weave their way through a series of pitfalls and challenges to, in the end, face the "villain" of the story, the semi-mythical outlaw Santiago. But things are not what they seem in this very fascinating and clever novel.

When I bought SANTIAGO, I was expecting a "space opera" type of novel. That is, a melodrama typified by shallow characterization, simple plot line and lots of action. What I wasn't quite prepared for was a "space western". That's what this is, though. It reads like a cowboy story complete with bounty hunters, a lawless frontier culture, and aliens calling themselves "the sioux nation" and living in teepees.

My first reaction was to laugh. The parallels are so blatant that it seemed comical. Resnick posits a galactic "frontier" where cheap, personal inter-stellar transportation is available and goes the whole nine yards in comparing it to the western frontier of the U.S. in the second half of the nineteenth century. It's like Dodge City goes galactic.

The surprising thing here is that Resnick actually pulls this off. It may seem a little corny at first (at least, it did to me), but overall it's entertaining and fun to read. Not only does the story move along at a good pace, but it is populated with some of the oddest and most intriguing characters imaginable. They aren't deep, but each is quirky and VERY different in his/her own way. Some are likable, some are at least sympathetic, some are downright despicable, but they're not boring. This progression of wierd characters is enough to keep the book from getting dull all by itself.

SANTIAGO isn't a deep, thought-provoking tale, but it is entertaining. I enjoyed it. It's fluff, but it works. If that works for you, give it a try. I recommend it as a good, light scifi read.

"Space Western" is not a category one ordinarily thinks of when listing out the subgenres of either science fiction or Westerns, and indeed there are not many books which populate this niche. But Resnick's "Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future" is already justification for the existence of this label. In a well-paced story of bounty hunters, journalists and criminals in search of an infamous bandit chief. On the way Resnick provides a richly colored world, both by virtue of his (considerable) descriptive talent and the device of the poems of Black Orpheus, a wandering bard who (though he never appears as a character himself) has written short verses about all the people he has encountered on the open frontiers of the Outer Rim.

Western lovers will find this book exciting and full of many of the most colorful personality archetypes of traditional stories; its unusual setting should pose no obstacle to all but the most purist of fans. Science fiction readers will find this to be a lighter, fast-paced story in the style of the best of the (non-cyberpunk) mid-80's writers.

For those already familiar with Resnick's work, this will not be anything new or earth-shattering; he has used similar backdrops in many other books, and readers of "The Dark Lady" or any of the "Eros" books will find much of the texture familiar. But this book still stands out as one of his best achievements, with uniformly solid characterization and story.

Heartily recommended.

This was a fun, colorful book, the Sci-Fi style where the galaxy is well-populated and people/creatures have spaceships and zip from planet to planet the way we have automobiles and drive from town to town. Nevermind the physics and the rocket science. This is more fun!

"Santiago" is a legend of truly legendary proportions. Someone hijacked the weapons transport of the toughest navy in this part of the galaxy? Santiago did it. The well-defended space mercenary training compound is now a smoldering crater? It was Santiago! The slaves were not only liberated, but resettled... and presented with the wealth of half a planet? Why, it was Santiago and his gang. Someone overturned the police aircar outside a local post office? It was Santiago, hey that guy was just here!

Of course someone as popular/infamous/notorious as Santiago is certain to have a long trail of bounty hunters, amateur and professional, after him. And so he does, one of them Sebastian Nightingale Cain (don't use his middle name in his presence), the most feared bounty hunter of them all. There is an obnoxious freelance journalist looking for the scoop of the century. She'll interview Santiago, or at least cover his death/capture at the hands of Cain. There is a thoroughly disreputable art dealer, he wants some art pieces that Santiago is said to have acquired, and besides, the art dealer needs to leave town fast anyway. They all search for Santiago, going from planet to planet, always one or two steps behind Santiago. Many along the way claim to have seen him. There isn't a photograph or a hologram anywhere... Cain has to really work at this one. Even Santiago's men don't *really* seem to know where Santiago is at this very moment.

There is a well-liked minstrel who goes from spaceport to spaceport singing of Santiago's deeds, he was a nice touch.

Although much of the story was predictable, as were quite a few of the characters, this book was a fast-paced, exciting read. There are memorable characters and locales too, both good and bad. The character Cain is sure to stick in your mind, it's hard to not like the guy. This is the kind of book that gets read in one sitting. This is the kind of story that will make you smile when you finish, and you'll say "That was fun!"

I liked this book. It's not a book I'll likely read again, but I immensely enjoyed reading it and am glad I did.

Sebastian Nightingale Cain (the 'Songbird'), bounty hunter, chases across the galaxy to find the king of criminals himself, Santiago, with a price on his head larger than anyone else. But Cain doesn't only want the money; he wants to create a name for himself. By killing Santiago, he would be remembered.

He meets up with some strange characters along his way:
Virtue McKenzie, the 'Virgin Queen', a reporter who desperately wants an interview... with Santiago;
The Jolly Swagman, art collector, who is looking for several pieces of art currently possessed... by Santiago;
The Angel, the most famous bounty hunter, cold, deadly, and never failing, who wants money... from killing Santiago;
Moonripple, a nice girl who likes to work as a waitress, and thinks the greatest hero in the universe... is Santiago.

Clue after clue, name after name, lead after lead, Cain will follow the bread-crumbs that could lead him to Santiago. But as he nears his goal, he doesn't know if he will ever kill Santiago... but he's not sure of the reason why....

A satisfying read, that will have you brimming with excitement and even laughing at times, this is a 'must read' for anyone who likes science fiction. I prefer fantasy, myself, so even those who love fantasy may like this book.

I love a lot of Resnick's work on his 'Frontier' world. I found Santiago predictable as it is a slight variation on an old theme. I did find, however, myself totaly absorbed into it. I have read the book 4 or 5 times. The pacing is amazing. You never reach the point of wishing he would 'get on' with the story. And it is very sparse within its framework. I, myself, love minimalism in the tale. If it did not have to be in the story to get you where you were going....it probably is not there. If you love Sci-Fi the nget this book.

From a childhood lost to Fantasy and Science-Fiction, this book comes out on top. C.S. Lewis, Tolkin, Jordan, Niven, Eddings, Anthony, all good, but this single book is the quickest coolest thing you could possibly pick up. Fast and fun, there should be a way to give it more than 5 stars, maybe 20?!!!!

It is just a fantastic book, with an epic scope, intelligence, and a quest that just might snare a few fantasy readers. The adventure features maturity, intelligence, and an amazing range of moods and tones. In particular, I feel that Resnick's main character, Sebastian Nightingale Cain, is one of the most easily likable characters I have ever read about, despite his apparent disregard for human life. His quest to perform a task that means something, if only to himself, is a highly bizarre (albeit fun) one to read about. My personal favorite, though, is the Jolly Swagman, a sort of pirate who enjoys hording artwork from various alien cultures. He is larger-than-life, and a true pleasure to read about. Get this book if you want to read high-quality science-fiction with memorable characters and a few cool villains.

At first blush this book is simply a western set in space, using planets instead of one-horse towns. It is apparent after the first chapter or two, however, that the characterization is excellent, and the plot is actually pretty good. I've worn the cover off my copy of this book...