Saturday, October 10, 2009

The Pirates of Ersatz, by Murray Leinster

"Again time passed. In one of the remoter galaxies a super-nova flamed, and on a rocky, barren world a small living thing squirmed experimentally—and to mankind the one event was just as important as the other."

Spent the last several days reading The Pirates of Ersatz, by Murray Leinster. The novel was nominated for a Hugo in 1960. This is one of the last stories of Leinster's career, and shows his maturity as a story teller. The protagonist, one Bron Hoddan, is a young but world weary soul, his talents unappreciated. And world weariness like the passage above doesn't come about until you earn it. I can see why it was nominated, and why it didn't win. It goes on just a bit too long, and the irony wears after awhile. I give it two stars, but wasn't sorry to have read it.

New on Free SF Online

The webmaster continues his major update of the site. I wrote to him a few days ago in appreciation, and to suggest a random story link, for those who want to uncover a gem. There it was, the next day! That's fan appreciation.

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