The Helmsman

I am a true fan of the original Helmsman series. My only issue with the original series was way it ended. It seemed incomplete and left me wanting more. I was truly overjoyed when I found out that the author was going to reissue the series with some modifications and complete the series with new book. I eagerly signed up for all the new issues. I was not disapointed.

This book is the start of a classic, fun, SCI-FI series that you will not regret reading. The Directors cut is worth every bit for its quality, printing and layout. The story is as fun as ever, and is one of those fun books that you can read and reread again and again. It is a lot like the stories of the late Robert Heinlein, in the lines of "The Rolling Stones" and "Starship Troopers". By the time you finish, you will find you do care what happens to Wilf Ansor Brim, will he get the Princess Margot, and what will happen in the Galactic war? The story loosely follows WW1/WW2 history, with many of the grand battles, long deployments, and special missions. It has a lot of the elements of fun and adventure, where Wilf meets up with characters from every spectrum, and beats the odds. Bill Baldwin has created a wonderfully fun series, which ages well, and is well worth the investment. Give it to your kids to read, and get them hooked on reading by having fun, and going back to the days when SCI-FI was an adventure, and not always hooked on deep technical accuracy to explain everything. In the Wilf Brim universe, starships travel faster than light because they can, and Bear like people have replaced Scotty as the ever present "fix it" engineers. Get it, and have fun!!! ...

I picked this book up a little over 20 years ago. I was working a night shift and once I started reading this story I just couldn't put it down. From the very first you can't help but Cheer Wilf Brim on. As you get drawn in to the story you find yourself wanting to fight his battles with him. As Brim flies his way to glory he builds respect and friends in his travels and the respect of the royal family who see his as the greatest weapon in their fight against a tyrant bent on controling the galaxy at any cost. Be warned once you start reading you'll be on the edge of your seat. The rest of this series will hold you captive from book to book and thankfully the next in the series is almost here and all I can say is it has been a long wait.

I first read "The Helmsman" in 1992, and saved it because I enjoyed it so thoroughly, and am now on my second reading with even more appeciation for the author's ability to paint imaginative, and exciting mental images with his detailed descriptions of other worlds in other times. I highly recommend this book for any science fiction fan. It's full of non-stop action and excitement, placing the reader right in the middle of it all!

Merl Baldwin has written a rollicking good melodrama set in space. Lots of adventure, excitement, a little sex, and lots and lots of action and intrigue in the Imperial palaces.