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Space Viking
Space Viking
The murder of his wife-to-be on their marriage day sets Lucas Trask on a quest for revenge. With the purchase of a space ship, Trask enters the world of Space Vikings, and begins raiding worlds while simultaneously searching for his beloved's killer. Realizing that raiding is a waste of resources, Trask begins to trade, begins to build a galactic empire, and begins to face the despotic power of his wife's killer.
Book Excerpt
rdshaven as typical. Some of these duchies, like Glaspyth or Didreksburg, are literal snake pits. All the major barons are at each other's throats, and they can't even keep their own knights and petty-barons in order. Why, there's a miserable little war down in Southmain Continent that's been going on for over two centuries."
"That's probably where Dunnan's going to take that army of his," a robot-manufacturing baron said. "I hope it gets wiped out, and Dunnan with it."
"You don't have to go to Southmain; just go to Glaspyth," somebody else said.
"Well, if we don't get a planetary monarchy to keep order, this planet will decivilize like anything in the Old Federation."
"Oh, come, Lucas!" Alex Gorram protested. "That's pulling it out too far."
"Yes, for one thing, we don't have the Neobarbarians," somebody said. "And if they ever came out here, we'd blow them to Em-See-Square in nothing flat. Might be a good thing if they did, too; it would stop us squabbling among o
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Just as exciting as it was over 50 years ago when I read it in Analog in high school.
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Piper has written some very good books but I found this to be a snoozer, requiring judicious skipping. I plan to stick with Fuzzies and Paratime in the future.
06/25/2015
Sometimes the underlying social and political commentary is more entertaining than the main storyline. But hang in there some dull opening chapters and you will probably enjoy this book.
01/13/2013
This was an awesome read, anyways, if you are like me, you will find it extremely similar to startrek(the next generation), and will have more fun because of it.
12/01/2008
A classic H. Beam Piper tale from his "Terran Federation" series.
The Federation has fallen, collapsing under its own weight. Raiders from the fringes of the former Federation are striking into former Federation space in search of wealth.
When a psychotic kills his fiancee at his wedding celebration, Baron Lucas Trask of Traskon on the Sword World planet Gram exchanges his barony for a starship, hires a space viking as his captain, and pursues his his fiancee's murderer back into the old Federation.
In the process, he finds himself re-establishing civilization and trade among the places he raids, and a quest for vengeance becomes something else.
Great fun, with amusing commentary on the nature and role of government in human affairs.
The Federation has fallen, collapsing under its own weight. Raiders from the fringes of the former Federation are striking into former Federation space in search of wealth.
When a psychotic kills his fiancee at his wedding celebration, Baron Lucas Trask of Traskon on the Sword World planet Gram exchanges his barony for a starship, hires a space viking as his captain, and pursues his his fiancee's murderer back into the old Federation.
In the process, he finds himself re-establishing civilization and trade among the places he raids, and a quest for vengeance becomes something else.
Great fun, with amusing commentary on the nature and role of government in human affairs.
08/18/2007
Political philosophy well masked as a rollicking adventure story. Anyone who thinks that there is something sacred about democracy will get a healthy shock from this book.
06/03/2007
This is a solid piece of golden-age science fiction. It has adventure aplenty along with the standard scifi conceits that seem rather primitive by today's standards (a robot controlled with an "infrared pencil," neutronium armor on ships, interstellar conquest). Nevertheless it's great fun.
If you fused Star Trek with Blackbeard the pirate, you'd get Space Vikings.
If you fused Star Trek with Blackbeard the pirate, you'd get Space Vikings.
05/03/2007
As thrilling as the title. Space ... Viking. The defense of feudalism as a modern form of government, that's just icing on the cake.
04/19/2007