Darktraders

"Darktraders," the second book of the Hellflower trilogy by eluki bes shahar, is one of the best books I've ever read.I've already reviewed the first book through a review I did for the omnibus "Butterfly and Hellflower." And at that point, I'd given the trilogy 4 and a half stars.However, I realized a few days ago that this story has not only stayed with me (which is the hallmark of a great story), but that the ideas are original, compelling, and believable.Therefore, five star story.Butterfly, the ship captain heroine, and Valijon Starbringer, the Hellflower mercenary hero, have an interesting sort of chemistry. Because Butterfly is in love with her former ship's computer, an Artificial Intelligence (actually a very old, very proscribed Library), Paladin, she has no interest in Valijon. (And Valijon is too young for Butterfly anyway; he's only barely past puberty, whereas she's in her 30s.)Taking the love interest out makes the rest of the story stronger, oddly enough, and it becomes a story about the following things:What is the truth?Can we believe our leaders?Will absolute power always corrupt?Can people change?It's not every story that can do this. And when a story can, especially over 12 years after it was originally released (at least, the first story, "Hellflower," was released in 1991, I think), maybe it isn't too much to call this a classic series.I definitely believe that the Hellflower trilogy should be recommended reading for people new to s/f -- because it shows the potential of the genre to explore new ideas, and old ideas in a new setting, in an unusual and provocative way.Five stars. Highly recommended.And let's hope some publisher with some sense out there will ask Ms. shahar to reprint these books. Please!