Sassinak (Planet Pirates, Vol 1) (v. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Anne McCaffrey (Author), Elizabeth Moon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The first in the Planet Pirates series, this science fiction yarn offers a vivid universe inhabited by cardboard citizens. Sassinak, the heroine and the only developed character, steps straight from a formula: When she is 12, pirates raid her native colony, enslaving her and g murdering her family. Abe, a fellow captive, befriends her and, when they are emancipated by Fleet (the military), becomes her guardian until he is slain in a barroom brawl. Intelligent and daring, Sass joins Fleet, seeking vengeance on her enemies. She becomes the classic fictional commander: a loner whose entire life is subsumed by the military. Fortunately, Sass's exploits are so expertly recounted that their intrigue and adventure compensate for the hackneyed plot line. Cleverly drawn aliens, supporting characters here, allow the authors to explore various aspects of prejudice. Sass's appraisal of men, however, verges at times on sexist. Hugo winner McCaffrey's works include Dragonsdawn ; Moon is the author of Oath of Gold. Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Sassinak was 12 when the raiders came. That made her just the right age: old enough to be used, young enough to be broken. Or so the slavers thought. But Sassy turned out to be a little different . . . and bided her time to become the fleet captain of a pirate-chasing ship of her own. Original.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 346 pages
• Publisher: Baen (March 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067169863X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671698638
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #572,152 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #43 in

  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Moon, Elizabeth

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst, October 27, 1999

By A Customer

It's not often that you can point out one specific thing that makes or breaks a book. A book is dependent on so many different themes and characters that it's nearly impossible to pinpoint the deciding factor. Sassinak is no exception - after reading it, you know that it was a *bad* book, but you can't quite figure out why. Sassinak herself has all the gutsy trademarks that tend to sell girly hardcore sci-fi: she's cool, distant, keeps her head, uses guns and men with the same aplomb. But, in a way, you sense that Sassinak is profoundly unhappy...but instead of the author's working this concept in to intrigue you, it's more like both the reader and Sassinak have to suffer through this long, painful affair. It's structured - but it's soulless, frankly. There's no warmth, no love. Robin McKinley put it best when she described that moment when an author hits the right note with a story - it's like picking up cold stones in the dark and finding a puppy. You know it's a puppy because it moves, it wiggles, it's alive. Sassinak is cold and lifeless, without any spark of creation.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The WHOLE story, January 19, 2002

By	Rick Widmer (Kimberly ID USA) - See all my reviews

Sassinak on its own is a pretty good story, but there are a few holes in it, and it doesn't seem finished... Almost like it is just a chapter in a bigger book.

Well it is. To get the whole story you need to read: The Death Of Sleep by Anne McCaffery and Jody Lynn Nye followed by Dinosaur Planet and Dinousar Planet Survivors, both by Anne McCaffery. Then Sassinak and finaly Generation Warriors. (Also by Anne McCaffery and Elizabeth Moon.)

That way you can read the WHILE story, starting with the first time Lunzie gets shipwrecked till they all save the known universe, almost by accident. You'll have to read the books to see how they do it! The books are all tied together and you get to see some of the same scenes from different points of view.

They are well worth the time to read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Moderately Ludicrous, August 15, 2000

By A Customer

In retrospect, it's hard to say where exactly Sassinak goes awry. It has, for example, an absolute gold mine of a premise - an abducted girl grows up to the be one of the most powerful military leaders in space history. However, somewhere in the execution, the authors tripped over themselves. The book jumps from place to place with little or no transition, and Sassinak's original abduction happens so fast and is treated so trivially by the authors that it's hard to see it as a traumatic event that shaped her personality. Likewise, there is truly uninspired series of scenes with Sassinak in military school - and then, whoops! She's a cadet! And then, whoops! She's a captain. The last 50 pages are a confusing mish-mash of abrupt deus ex machinas and hastily resolved plot points. How are they resolved, you ask? I have no idea, but when I turned the page, all the characters were busy chatting about how glad they were that *that* was over, and I took it on faith that resolution occured. God knows I'm not going to read the book again to find out.