The Dog from Hell

I hesitantly got into the Star Risk, Lrd. books. To my delight, however, this series is both interesting and funny. The Dog From Hell, however, is really the cream of the crop, primarily because of its storyline. I liek how the members of Star Risk are able to get the upper hand from Cerebus (primarily from making them assume they were all dead), and then coming back and getting excellent revenge on their enemies. Excellent book, and am eagerly awaiting the new book in July.

The Dog From Hell is another one of Chris Bunch's wild and crazy space operas featuring the crew of Star Risk, Ltd. The structure of this novel is different, feeling almost like three loosely connected novellas rather than a single, integrated novel - and that's not a criticism, just an observation. The novel starts with Star Risk, Ltd. taking a very different job for them, babysitting the troublesome daughters of some very rich people. After that matter is settled, the novel moves to a mid-section in which the evil directors of Cerebus, Inc. decide to take Star Risk, Ltd. to the cleaners. The final section is about the Star Risk, Ltd. crew engaging in some serious and painful payback. The ending suggests that the entertaining rogues of Star Risk, Ltd. have many more adventures ahead of them. Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen, because the author, Chris Bunch passed away in mid-2005. For those of us who enjoyed the rousing adventures arising from Bunch's fertile imagination, it is a sad good-bye. RIP, Chris Bunch. You were one heck of a storyteller.

After enjoying the first couple of Star Risk novels immensely, I was disappointed with the 3rd volume in the series. It seemed to plod on interminably without much in the way of interest. The fourth volume is back up to the previous standard. The real antagonist, as always, is not the any of the political entities going around hiring mercenaries. They get fleeced as usual but the real adversary is Cerberus, Inc., the largest private contractor in the galaxy. Hundreds of employees vs. the 5 of Star Risk: the big guys better watch out. The Star Risk crew don't have a direct employer in this one. Cerberus has forced them out of business and then tried to kill each of them in their "retirement". Now the crew is out for revenge and blood. They set up to sabotage a Cerberus operation that stands to be very profitable. As part of the price of doing business, they wind up helping some gypsy types that have moved into the system. The characters are almost, but not completely, amoral. They want profit, fun and revenge. They try not to hurt innocent bystanders but nobody is going to get in the way of wiping out the real adversary.

This is the fourth book in this series. It follows the others well, and I would recommend reading the previous novels first. This doesnt mean this novel can't stand on its own, but it helps give the characters depth to have the history behind them. As usual, once I picked it up I read it until hit the end.