Star Risk Ltd. #1

This book is like the perfect airplane reading. I don't mean that in a bad way, either. It's lighthearted, not too dense -- just pure escapist sci-fi. One big annoyance, though, was the use of paragraphs in dialogue. Stuff that could've been one big chunk of text was split up into three or four paragraphs, each one or two sentences, and since each paragraph begins with quotes it was sometimes hard to tell who was speaking.

If you dont like action thrillers, you wont like this. It is more of a western type story taking place in out space than a science fiction novel. The story moves right along with lots of action and little debth. It's entertaining.

Chris Bunch has penned a good and fun military sci-fi story. It's wonderful to see a woman write in this genre (although judging by the other reviews posted here, most people seem to think Chris Bunch is male - she is not). Bunch writes refreshingly strong, smart female characters. If you liked The Last Legion, you'll enjoy this one, too.

After years spent as an Alliance Marine, M'chel Riss steps out on her own and joins forces with Friedrich Von Baldur, an ex-Colonel with the Alliance Marines and a man whose job she ultimately cost by taking on an independent snatch-and-grab assignment. Since both are down-on-their-luck mercenaries, they go into business to form Star Risk, LTD, a go-anywhere, do-anything agency. In short time, they're joined by Jasmine King--who might not be human at all but is terribly efficient with all things covert, Grok--a furred alien who specializes in intelligence work, and Chas Goodnight--an augmented human who has a penchant for women, violence, and thievery and who has to be broken out of a maximum security prison to join the team as a bribe for the team to get their first job. Star Risk, LTD's first assignment is a security operation on an asteroid mining venture for Transkootenay. The asteroid miners are plagued with hit-and-git strikes by unknown raiders that are entirely too well-informed about successful finds in the asteroids. The mercenary heroes plunge into danger, trying to make sense of the twisted clues left by the raiders, stay ahead of corporate headhunters looking for an excuse to fire them, and avoid potentially lethal confrontations with their rival, Cerberus Systems Security.Chris Bunch is an old hand at military SF as well as fantasy. With Allan Cole, he co-authored the Sten series as well as military historical novels. On his own, he's written the LAST LEGION series and the SHADOW WARRIOR series. There are also several stand-alone SF novels and fantasy novels. His military background serves him in good stead in these novels. Before turning to novels, he was a television writer for twenty years.STAR RISK, LTD. is a fun book. The action jumps off the page and keeps the pace at a brisk double-time. Enough character growth is done to keep the reader's attention and make all the major characters memorable. The dialogue between the characters and the laconic, off-hand way that Bunch throws new words/terms at the audience and gets his meaning across is great. Although Bunch follows some conventional steps in the progression of this first in the series, he does so well, with the calm, sure touch of the seasoned pro.The only real downfall of the novel is that it proceeds at too brisk a pace at time. The novel is easily engaging and easy to follow, but some passages moved too quickly, flicking back and forth with the intensity of a television episode. The visuals came across dramatically, but some of the emotional texture was lost.As a romp, STAR RISK, LTD. is a good investment for any fan of military SF. Readers who enjoy David Drake, John Ringo, Steve White, Dan Cragg and David Sherman, and David Weber will enjoy this novel and be eagerly awaiting Bunch's next entry in the Star Risk, Ltd. series.

She spent eight years of her life in the Alliance Marines but mustered out when she refused to sleep with her commanding officer. Now Major (Ret) M'Chel Riss is just trying to survive when she's approached by Friedrich Van Baldur, the owner of the fledging mercenary outfit STAR RISK, LTD. He offers her a contract, which she immediately accepts. Jasmine King, a woman who may or may not be a robot hires on with the new outfit as well as the alien Grok who invests his life savings in the company.Now all they need is a job. Somebody is trying to sabotage the Transkootenay mining company hired by the Foley System Government. Not wanting to lose the contract, the company is ready to hire outside security and Star Risk ensures they are going to obtain the job when they break out of a death row prison the brother of the manager of Transkootenay mining. Now all they have to do is figure out who the enemy is and try to stop them.The protagonists of STAR RISK, LTD are a charming bunch of rogues who obey no laws but their own. Their sense of ethics and self-preservation makes them easy to like and the audience will find their antics very entertaining. Chris Bunch known for his excellent military science fiction creates a space opera that is an exciting read.Harriet Klausner