Sunday, February 8, 2009

Farstep Station by Lazette Gifford

Space Opera is on top of my Mixed Book Bag today.

Are you old enough to remember the old Ace double Science Fiction books? They provided two stories for the price of one. Yard Dog Press has a series that does the same. Called Double Dog each book has two novella size stories. Just like the Ace doubles you hold the book one way to get the first story then turn it over and around and you read the next.

Farstep Station by Lazette Gifford is one of the stories in Double Dog #3. Yard Dog Press published the book in 2006. The cover art and the story are true to the old Ace books. Farstep Station is on the edge of human space. Never completed because of a war between different factions the station carries a minimum crew and a lot of secrets. Desmond Montaigne is the new commander. Upon arrival at the station he finds things are not as he was told. There are “ghosts” on station, a civilian section that is suppose to be empty but is not, military trying to hide information, and Desmond’s father making unauthorized visits. All this is a set up for a good space opera tale.

One note that I have to mention. This side of the book looks like it was not edited or proofed before it went to press. I have read several Yard Dog Press books and this is first time I have seen sloppy proofing and editing. I have to wonder if the uncorrected copy got sent to press instead of the corrected copy. The errors are distracting but I enjoyed the story enough to recommend it for reading.

The other side of the book is Home is the Hunter. There are none of the editing or proofing errors in that story. It is also a good read.

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