Joe Clifford Faust

The final volume in the Angel's Luck trilogy is a step down from the second book but not as bad as the first one. There are several annoying points. First, like the first book, the action is dominated by a bullets-blazing raid. Yawn. Like the second book, much of the character arc is dominated by one character's internal battles with a xenophobic pilot personality. Unconvincing and repetitious. Finally, the third book adds a critical early plot point that depends on the characters as a group being idiots. Despite all that, there are enough smaller plot arcs to make this an acceptable though non-essential read.

Limited recommendation, for those who want to know how the second book plotlines wrap up.… (mehr)

The second book in the Angel's Luck trilogy is much better than the first. Though it follows directly from the first book, the first book is so bad that I recommend starting here. The critical plot points of recapped when needed. The parts not covered aren't worth the cost of reading the first book.

While still light adventure, there is some character development, an aspect completely missing before, and there are two acceptable female characters, given when the book appeared. There's an interesting and sympathetic alien culture developed. There's more action and less talk, with the stakes more clearly laid out. The main downside is that several of the main characters are whiny causes of their own problems.

Not essential reading but a readable adventure.… (mehr)

Nearly unreadable opening to the Angel's Luck trilogy. The book begins and is dominated by dialogue where the speakers go on and on, yet never listen, resulting in pages of frustrating passages where an important plot point is delayed until someone finally shuts up. This takes place in some far future, far from Earth, with spaceships plugged in for merchant trading ships, fast cars, and luxury liners, ad yakuza as villains. Details of how anything works, from the spaceships to business, is revealed only when the plot needs it, leading to an "anything can happen" destruction of all suspense. The opening suggests a comic adventure, but the characters are undeveloped, unsympathetic, and with no moral code. They end up being perfectly happy to engage in a major heist, with a major body count, including flooding an armored car with chlorine gas, with nary a trace of remorse anywhere.

Surprisingly, the next book is readable.

Strongly not recommended.… (mehr)