Rogue Star

. . . to the outstanding "Firestar". I've just a few comments to make and don't wish to include plot "spoilers". I'm also presuming that readers of this review have previously read "Firestar". * Character development continues in "Rogue Star" highlighting some interesting people. Roberta Carson (Styx) actually has to come to terms with reality. The bizarre computer genius, Jimmy Poole, is greatly developed from hints we see toward the end of "Firestar". Marisa is forced to deal with herself -- and makes some unique choices. Some interesting new characters are introduced. * The plot is considerably tighter than in "Firestar" -- and that is neither a criticism of the first book, nor praise for the second. I'm merely stating my impressions. * The focus of Marisa's fears is developed far more thoroughly and in unique ways. * The action and intrigue are as strong as ever. Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to the next two books.

Michael Flynn continues developing his multiple storylines and characters while substantially advancing the plot. Billionaire industrialist Mariesa van Huyten continues to develop her plan to return talented people to space while simultaneously trying to stimulate public awareness. Her consortium is in the middle of construction of a permanent private space station while rubuffing the American president's intentions to make the station an illegal weapons platform. She continues to battle and manipulate other opportunistic business people, short-sighted liberals, environmentalists, and in the process unintentionally makes an enemy of one of her former "proteges". Privately-trained astronaut Forrest Calhoun and his team take man's first steps toward the asteroid belt to intercept a near-Earth object that shows signs that it's had other visitors. Meanwhile Mariesa, an amateur astronomer, has discovered that several near-Earth asteroids have subtly changed course and may present a dire threat to the planet, reinforcing her obsession to develop her plan to protect Earth. Like most sequels, this book is largely dependant upon the plot lines and characters that began development in "Firestar", the previous novel. This one moves at a somewhat more hurried pace though, and consequently is more engrossing than its predecessor.

As many writers that have been compared to Robert Heinlein only to fall short of The Master's works, Michael Flynn is the ONLY one to actually have the credentials to claim this exalted place in Sci-Fi, having received the FIRST Heinlein Award for writings in hard Sci-Fi, voted this new honor by a panel of judges including some of the greatest authorial names in modern Sci-Fi Literature!(See at www.heinleinsociety.org)I recall having seen Rogue Star(along with the other tomes in the quadrilogy) on the bookstore shelves for years, and am at a loss that I waited until learning of Flynn' Award to finally try his work. As Heinlein did, and all too few have done since, Michael Flynn has written about the near future as if he had his own Time Machine and is returning with reports of what he has seen himself!To quote Poul Anderson, legendary giant of Sci-Fi and Fantasy genre, "Firestar was a mighty hard act to follow, but Michael Flynn has done so, and brilliantly! Rogue Star continues the story, with the same imaginative realism, suspenseful narration, and vivid humanness, plus all sorts of new ideas and insights."If you are contemplating reading this excellent quadrilogy, buy them ALL, so you don't have to wait for delivery between volumes, and be prepared to set aside any other tomes until you finish the series!

I really enjoy Flynn's near-future series, with its rich characters, intricate plots, and imaginative cultural-political landscape. I especially liked the asteroid trip, the ongoing Mareisa-Roberta interaction, and the intense action at the climax. Mareisa is more interesting because she "screwed up", and thus is more human. Some of the space-station construction details became a bit tedious, but it was done carefully. I don't read a lot of non-SF books, but I am pretty sure that Flynn's development of his characters is unusually good for SF writing, and is on a par with much current mainstream fiction. He even does the sex scenes rather well, including enough, but not too much, erotic detail. The interplay of the skilled workers was a nice contrast to the scenes featuring politicians, movers-shakers, scientists and astronauts. He creates a vivid, believable world and tells a great, complex tale. In my opinion Rogue Star is the best of the first three of this series, although it has been a while since I read Firestar. When I finished this book I went right out and bought Lodestar. I am pleased to see that a fourth book is now available. Flynn is probably a much better writer than good old Bob Heinlein, but of course middle-aged guys like me read Heinlein when we were young and new to SF, so he will always have a special place in our hearts and minds. Bravo, Michael Flynn!

Sequel to FIRESTAR, Flynn has pulled of one the most difficult tasks a science fiction writer can take on , the writing of a plausible near future novel. This novel furthers the story of heiress Mariessa Van Huyten and her quest to make sure the Earth is safe from asteroid strikes. Throughout most of these first two novels we see her do almost anything and use almost anybody to further this goal. Towards the end of this book however we see her come to the realization that maybe she has paid too high a price for her goals . Most of the plot revolves around the attempt to discredit her by making her place a weapons platform on her company's spacestation . Other plot threads include the discovery of possibly a past alien presence on an asteroid her company is visiting; her past student Roberta Carson coming to realize maybe Mariesa is not the monster she made her out to be,and the possibility that that someone is targeting the Earth with asteroids. I look forward to the next book in this series and fiding out what the future will be like.