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Loderunner
Ever since he decided to quit being a P.I. and to try his hand at running cargo instead, things had just blown up in Timaset Skooch’s face one day at a time. (Grezakian Flamebirds tended to do that occasionally.) Between the labor disputes and accidental deaths among the crew, (who believed in settling disputes internally) he was beginning to get a headache worse than the ones he got from getting kicked in the head. Things had just gone pear shaped again and now he found himself in the middle of a kind of cat and mouse game with some cloaks and daggers thrown in for good measure.
Returning from an evening spent visiting relatives in Mars City he didn’t know he had, he arrived at the local space terminal to find his new acquisition stolen. A few minutes later, the crew of his slightly run down loderunner “Celeste“, returned from the nearby pub, blind drunk, puzzled and now technically unemployed as well.
He was sure it had something to do with the ten thousand credits he was offered to transport two passengers to an asteroid in the rings of, um – Jupiter (as soon as possible, no questions asked), by a middle-man with no neck and a tendency to smile a lot.
And to crown everything, his girlfriend was mad at him too (just a little). He was beginning to regret ever winning that card game…
Returning from an evening spent visiting relatives in Mars City he didn’t know he had, he arrived at the local space terminal to find his new acquisition stolen. A few minutes later, the crew of his slightly run down loderunner “Celeste“, returned from the nearby pub, blind drunk, puzzled and now technically unemployed as well.
He was sure it had something to do with the ten thousand credits he was offered to transport two passengers to an asteroid in the rings of, um – Jupiter (as soon as possible, no questions asked), by a middle-man with no neck and a tendency to smile a lot.
And to crown everything, his girlfriend was mad at him too (just a little). He was beginning to regret ever winning that card game…
- GenresScience FictionLGBTQueer
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About the author
Christina Engela
117 books44 followers"Christina Engela is a South African editor and author of horror, fantasy and science fiction novels. Her books are never short of suspense, adventure and humor, while her colorful characters and thought-provoking settings take readers into another world, making her one of the most gifted and creative storytellers. A firm supporter of the LGBT community, Christina believes that Sexual and Gender Minority characters aren’t reflected enough by authors due to a number of reasons. As such, Christina's writing isn’t stereotypical, and her characters aren’t stereotypes, regardless of their sexuality or gender." - Booksradar.com, June 21, 2021. You can find out more on ChristinaEngela.co.za
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 4, 2019
A fun tale about the perils of voyaging through space to earn an honest buck with a meaningful important message...
In the already established 'Quantum' universe comes a tale of the unexpected and it might be the best of the series so far. Although initially set on the planet of Deanna we are introduced to P.I Timasket Skooch who happens to win the deeds of a 'Loderunner' ship during a card game.
From the early stages of this story Christina Engela makes great efforts to not only tell a story with wide appeal but also includes a powerful inclusive message about the subject of transphobia and embracing who you really are on the inside. In this book particular its a subject that runs as one of the main themes; our main character 'Tim' shares a relationship with 'Dory' - a woman for all we know but in pre-transition. This subject as a whole doesn't particularly matter for 'Tim' who see's 'Dory' as much more.
Leaving his significant other behind 'Tim' sets out into the depths of space with an assembled multi character crew on his newly acquired ship in search of earning a buck or two. I particularly enjoyed the depth of character quality in the crew and it made for another crucial element of this book. They agree to take a pair of passengers who appear to be more than what they appear and again the powerful gender message follows while being intertwined with mystery and deception (saying any more would involve spoilers).
What ensues is a story with a powerful meaning along with the usual fun moments Engela is known for, space stories really are her speciality and the setting makes the writing feel very much at home.
"Does age define the ability to suffer?" A question which best describes the theme in the book and it's done in a way that doesn't feel preachy or even like a protest but more so with deeper meaning. By the end of this book I found myself rooting for the characters who deserved the resolve they got. Overall a fun meaningful read.
In the already established 'Quantum' universe comes a tale of the unexpected and it might be the best of the series so far. Although initially set on the planet of Deanna we are introduced to P.I Timasket Skooch who happens to win the deeds of a 'Loderunner' ship during a card game.
From the early stages of this story Christina Engela makes great efforts to not only tell a story with wide appeal but also includes a powerful inclusive message about the subject of transphobia and embracing who you really are on the inside. In this book particular its a subject that runs as one of the main themes; our main character 'Tim' shares a relationship with 'Dory' - a woman for all we know but in pre-transition. This subject as a whole doesn't particularly matter for 'Tim' who see's 'Dory' as much more.
Leaving his significant other behind 'Tim' sets out into the depths of space with an assembled multi character crew on his newly acquired ship in search of earning a buck or two. I particularly enjoyed the depth of character quality in the crew and it made for another crucial element of this book. They agree to take a pair of passengers who appear to be more than what they appear and again the powerful gender message follows while being intertwined with mystery and deception (saying any more would involve spoilers).
What ensues is a story with a powerful meaning along with the usual fun moments Engela is known for, space stories really are her speciality and the setting makes the writing feel very much at home.
"Does age define the ability to suffer?" A question which best describes the theme in the book and it's done in a way that doesn't feel preachy or even like a protest but more so with deeper meaning. By the end of this book I found myself rooting for the characters who deserved the resolve they got. Overall a fun meaningful read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review