Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future (Santiago, #1) by Mike Resnick

Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future (Santiago, #1) Reviews

• 
  Mike (the Paladin)

  I didn't know what I was getting into here... Let me go out on a limb. While I don't intend to give a spoiler (I like this book so I wouldn't ruin it for you) I suspect many if not most people who have read quite a lot will see where the book is going and it's surprise won't really be a surprise. That said even if you do spot it, it's worth the ride.
  
  You will I suspect be right at home here if you've read much science fiction. This is another western/science fiction novel where all the facets of the "old American west" are present in the future's wide spread human worlds. The "farthest worlds" are the "frontier". There are lawmen, gunmen, wanted posters and of course...bounty hunters. Our story here is told from the point of view of multiple bounty hunters, a writer/reporter, some pure and simple scum-wads etc.
  
  We are involved in the hunt for Santiago, the most wanted outlaw on the said frontier.
  
  No more synopsis wise here lest I tip a plot card, but I can recommend this one, I like and plan to get the one follow up (this is apparently a duology). So recommended, enjoy.
• 
  Dirk Grobbelaar

  They say his father was a comet and his mother a cosmic wind, that he juggles planets as if they were feathers and wrestles with black holes just to work up an appetite. They say he never sleeps, and that his eyes burn brighter than a nova, and that his shout can level mountains.
  They call him Santiago.
  
  A Space Western with a remarkable emphasis on storytelling and legend weaving, this novel is a study in larger-than-life characters. In many ways it reminded me of a Sergio Leone film. It certainly has a lot of the makings: solitary bounty hunters competing for the prize (occasionally entering into dubious partnerships where the one is as likely to stab the other in the back as anything else), some really shifty folk, cantinas in frontier towns, lots of desert scenery, et al.
  
  ”We’re growing a strange crop of killers this season.”
  
  In the universe envisioned by Resnick here there is a clear divide between the Frontier Worlds and the "Democracy". Again, in terms of the American frontier, you could think of it as the (Wild) West as opposed to the East. Decent folk from the Democracy venture into the Frontier Worlds at their own peril, as this is the domain of outlaws, bounty hunters and fortune seekers. All this, of course, takes place over a great number of star systems.
  
  The Santiago of the title is a legendary bandit / outlaw who has been harrying Democratic expanse (by, for example, robbing them of their gold) and there is a significant price on his head (that has been growing, with his legend, over decades).
  
  This book follows a number of bounty hunters and other stakeholders (each of which more colourful than the next) as they pick up his trail and follow it to where the infamous outlaw is hiding out, but they may be getting more than they bargained for as the novel explores the differences between myth and reality.
  
  Now, interestingly, given the theme(s) of the book, there isn’t a whole lot of action. The focus is squarely on the characters and how they are perceived by those around them, and in relation to a famous song that was written about the better-known individuals of the Frontier. Some try to play their reputations down, while others try to capitalize on theirs, with varying results. It’s a rather unique story in some respects, and simply labeling it a Space Western (as I have done) can be construed as somewhat misleading (there are some layers here that transcend “genre”, if you will). There are a number of twists and while the ending was not completely unexpected, the journey really is the reward here.
  
  The novel is sectioned into six parts (listed below), corresponding to six different characters. However, there are some important characters who don’t have their own “book” (typically those featuring in many of the other “books”, and notably a death dealing preacher called Father William).
  
  The Songbird’s Book,
  The Virgin Queen’s Book,
  The Jolly Swagman’s Book,
  The Angel’s Book,
  Moonripple’s Book,
  Santiago’s Book.
  
  Recommended. Even if it isn’t your cup of tea, it is still unconventional enough to earn some points.
• 
  Stephen

  4.5 to 5.0 stars. Mike Resnick's books are always a ton of fun and this one is among my favorites. Bigger than life characters chasing around the "Outer Frontier" of Resnick's remarkable universe (in which all of his books take place within) in search of the mythical "Santiago." I basically read it straight through and really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.
  
  Nominee: Locus Award Best SF Novel (10th)
• 
  Иван Величков

  Покрай една малка дискусия тук се присетих отново за Майк Резник. Потърсих един цитат от „Сантяго” и сам не разбрах как отново прочетох книгата.
  Действието се развива в отдавна познатата вселена на „Демокрацията”, като герои са отново движещите се на ръба на закона ловци на глави от Границата. Основният фокус е Сантяго – единственият човек, който все още се противопоставя на галактическата хегемония. Престъпник или герой, бунтар или контрабандист – всичко зависи от гледната точка, но едно е ясно – това е човекът най-дълго измъквал се от лапите на Демокрацията и с най-голямата награда за главата си.
  Когато най-известният ловец на глави – Ангела, се приближава до откриването му, цялата Граница се активира. Никой не иска да изпусне наградата. Сонгбърд е твърдо решен да не остави легендата да му измъкне парите. Той се впуска в пътешествие между десетки слънчеви системи и се среща с много колоритни образи, събирайки парче по парче пъзела, който е Сантяго. Не е подготвен за едно нещо обаче – Сантяго не може да умре.
  Оформлението на романа е ¾ само диалози, което не го прави тежък за четене или повърхностен. Резник е цар на диалога и чрез него успява да пресъздаде цяла вселена, както и образи и мотивации на героите си. И то без да има излишно струпване на информация под формата на монолози, както правят доста други писатели.
  Книгата си заслужава, както и всички преведени на български от автора. Повдига доста въпроси, дава правилните оговори и, най-важното, забавлява през цялото време.
  А ето го и въпросния цитат:
  
  „— Ти си доста странен революционер.
  — Защото ръководя много особена революция.
  — Защо?
  — Защо е странна ли?
  — Не, защо изобщо я водиш?
  — Някой трябва да го прави.
  — Няма особен смисъл.
  — Напротив, има голям смисъл. Целта на една власт е да се увековечи, а на всеки честен човек, да й се противопостави.
  — Чувал съм тази песен и друг път.
  — Но си я чувал от хора, които се борят единствено за власт и искат да заемат местата на тези, които са свалили.
  — А ти не искаш това?
  — Не, но дори и да го исках, то е невъзможно. Казах ти, че съм реалист, Себастиан. Аз не се боря срещу диктатора на една планета, а срещу цялата Демокрация, която има повече бойни кораби, отколкото от моите войници. Това е сила, която ще продължи да се разраства и дълго време след като ние с теб отдавна ще бъдем мъртви.
  — Тогава защо продължаваш да се съпротивляваш?
  Сантяго се замисли за момент.
  — Знаеш ли, Себастиан, имам чувството, че ти щеше да си по-доволен, ако бях един белокос старец, наричах те „синко“ и ти обяснявах, че зад ъгъла ни очаква утопията. Но това не е така. Продължавам да се боря, защото виждам, че нещата, които върши Демокрацията, са неправилни и защото другата алтернатива е да се предам. Ако искаш философско обяснение на делата ми, ще трябва да прочетеш библиотеката ми. Но ако искаш по-просто тълкуване, то е, ако някой ме блъсне, аз му отвръщам със същото.
  — Не звучи зле, но…
  — Какво?
  — Омръзнало ми е да губя.”
• 
  Michael

  A friend recommended this to me, saying that "Santiago" reminded him of "Firefly." Being the Joss Whedon obsessed fan that I am, I was immediately intrigued so I picked up a copy of this and the sequel novel, "The Return of Santiago."
  
  And now that I've read half of the saga (which, thankfully "Santiago" is a self contained book), I'm not sure I'm in any kind of hurry to pick up the next installment. It's not that "Santiago" is necessarily a bad book--it's not. It's just not necessarily a great book.
  
  In the far future, a man known as Santiago is rumored to exist. But the character of Santiago himself isn't necessarily the point of the story, so much as the stories that exist around Santiago and the search to find him. He's the most wanted man in the future universe, existing outside the law as some kind of bounty hunter/do-gooder with a heart of gold. The story quickly makes it clear that it's not so much the fact that Santiago exists but the idea that he could exist that really matters. And while it's an interesting concept to explore the dichotomy of the man vs the myth, the book spends far too long on the quest to find Santiago and not enough time with the actual man himself. In fact, we don't find Santiago until three-quarters of the way through the book, long after Resnick has trotted out a variety of characters who are all either looking for the man or have looked for him.
  
  It's a book filled with larger than life characters and maybe that's why I didn't care for it as much as I did. Going back to the recommendation and comparison to "Firefly," it's almost like we're hearing the story of Mal and company from outside and following a group of people determined to bring them down and bring them to justice. It's interesting, but at some point I think it would have been more interesting to find out more on how the myth and the man compared. But again, the point is that it's not the person, it's the idea of who they are that matters.
  
  In the end, I was left with an experience that wasn't as satisfying or as complete as I'd hoped it would be. I've read a lot worse books in my time, but I've read a lot better.
• 
  George K.

  Ένα απολαυστικό, διασκεδαστικό και περιπετειώδες space opera μυθιστόρημα, το οποίο διαδραματίζεται... παντού. Το σύμπαν είναι αχανές, γεμάτο με πολλά πλανητικά συστήματα, με χιλιάδες πλανήτες, μικρούς και μεγάλους, με μικρές και χαώδεις αποστάσεις μεταξύ τους, και με διάφορα είδη εξωγήινων.
  
  ��ι γίνεται στην ιστορία; Ένας χαμός! Σε γενικές γραμμές, έχουμε διάφορους τύπους, όπως κυνηγούς κεφαλών, δολοφόνους, δημοσιογράφους, ληστές, συλλέκτες έργων τέχνης και ένα κάρο άλλους, που στήνουν συμφωνίες μεταξύ τους, προδίδουν ο ένας τον άλλο, τα γνωστά, και κυνηγάνε ή αναζητάνε τον μυθικό Σαντιάγκο. Τι είναι ο Σαντιάγκο; Θα το μάθετε προς το τέλος του βιβλίου, τις τελευταίες δυο-τρεις σελίδες...
  
  Πρόκειται για ένα περιπετειώδες παλπ μυθιστόρημα μεγάλης αξίας και ποιότητας για το είδος του, γεμάτο χιούμορ, ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες, απλή και γραμμική πλοκή αλλά πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα, και με πολύ καλή γραφή που κυλάει σαν γάργαρο νερό και διαβάζεις μέχρι να πας για ύπνο. Για παράδειγμα, και 1.000 σελίδες να ήταν, ��εν θα είχα κανένα πρόβλημα, αντιθέτως...
  
  Δυστυχώς το βιβλίο είναι λίγο-πολύ άγνωστο, τόσο στο εξωτερικό, όσο και στην Ελλάδα (αυτό έλειπε!). Του αξίζει μεγαλύτερη προβολή. Μπορεί να μην είναι κάποιο βιβλίο με βαθιές έννοιες και φιλοσοφικά ερωτήματα, με πλοκή που σπάει κόκαλα και με τρομερά twists και turns, που λένε και οι Εγγλέζοι, αλλά πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο που προσφέρει διασκέδαση, απόλαυση και ξεκούραση στο μυαλό (σε καμία περίπτωση δεν είναι χαζό ή παιδικό).
  
  Και λίγα λόγια για την ελληνική έκδοση. Η μετάφραση μου φάνηκε μια χαρά, μην πω πολύ καλή, αλλά του βιβλίου του έλειπε η επιμέλεια. Κανένα στοιχείο του συγγραφέα πέραν του ονόματός του, και αρκετά λάθη, έλειπαν κάποιες λέξεις, κάποια γράμματα σε λέξεις και λοιπά. Η ελληνική έκδοση πρέπει να είναι λίγο σπάνια, το βιβλίο το βρήκα με 8 ευρώ σε ένα παλαιοβιβλιοπωλείο στο Μοναστηράκι. Αλλά απ'όσο βλέπω, και οι αγγλικές εκδόσεις είναι σπάνιες!
• 
  Craig

  This is another of my favorites, and in my opinion is Resnick's best story and contains his best writing by far. The book is filled with larger-than-life characters crafted to be similar to Paul Bunyan or Johnnie Appleseed, and the whole thing blends and builds to a wonderful mythic climax.
• 
  Veronika Sebechlebská

  Nie celkom to, čo som chcela a už vôbec nie to, čo som očakávala, ale každopádne niečo, čo som zúfalo potrebovala, T.j kopec mŕtvol, ostré hlášky a muži s koltami proklatě nízko.
• 
  Даниел Иванов

  Много, ама много ми хареса!
• 
  Mathew Walls

  A cast of unlikeable characters and a central premise that defies believability. The "twist" at the end is incredibly obvious and the only thing that makes you even suspect that it might not turn out that way is that the characters all seem to be stupid enough to not think of it.
  
  Basically, the book is about bounty hunters going after a legendary criminal known as Santiago. But no one knows what he looks or sounds like, what his real name is, where he's from or even what crimes he's actually linked to. Yet we're somehow supposed to believe that there's a possibility that it might actually be one man and that the bounty hunter who gets him will actually be able to prove that.
  
  Add to that some weird inconsistencies like the fact that it takes only days to travel between star systems, but mail seems to take longer, and yet rumours always travel faster. The universe is clearly based on the wild west, with things lifted straight from history, but with no explanation for how they can possibly work in this scenario.
  
  Take gold, for example. Apparently it's still highly valuable, even though it shouldn't be when even a mid-tier journalist can afford to fly around to whichever planets she pleases any time she likes and presumably mining companies could pretty much get all the gold they wanted any time they wanted.
  
  And the main protagonist, Cain, uses ordinary gunpowder and bullet guns, obviously because he's a wild west gunslinger. The in-universe explanation though is that they're apparently more accurate and precise than lasers. It's like the author doesn't actually know what a laser is.
  
  All this could be forgiveable if the characters were interesting, but they aren't. The author uses a legendary poet as a substitute for actually writing good characters. We're told that Black Orpheus thinks these people are interesting and are expected to just agree with him in the absence of any evidence.
  
  The book wasn't bad enough to stop reading, but I certainly could never recommend it. It's bland and entirely forgettable.
• 
  Ron

  “My cause was lost before I ever joined it.”
  
  Good book, Fresh--if obvious--plot twist. Not so much SF or fantasy as a horse opera set in space, but that worked for George Lucas.
  
  “I’ll do what I promised.” “But you won’t be happy about it.” “I’m never happy about killing things.”
  
  Verses of doggerel open each chapter, introducing cast and propelling the plot. (Especially cute that most were admitted to be erroneous.)
  
  Shielding themselves from the planet’s ever-present rain.
  
  Resnick follows the Star Wars/Trek convention of treating each planet as a single climate zone. Not so applicable to the original sample.
  
  “It’s easy to decide to remake a world. It’s more difficult to choose between evils.”
  
• 
  Roger

  You gotta love a book with character names such as: "Sebastian Nightingale Cain" aka "The Songbird", "The Angel", "Poor Yorick", "Jolly Swagman", "Man-Mountain Bates", "Virtue McKenzie" aka the "Virgin Queen", and "Moonripple". And all of these colorful characters want to know where the uber criminal/terrorist "Santiago" currently resides. Some want to kill him, others want to kiss him, many want to capture him, one wants to steal from him and another wants to interview him. Resnick broke the mold when he made this little gem of a space opera. Too bad the sequel "Return of Santiago" lacked the punch of the first book...
• 
  Sublimacia

  Stále jedno z mojich obľúbených sci-fi. V podstate western v planetárnych kulisách. Postavy ktoré sa dajú obľúbiť a ktorých motivácia je uveriteľná. Výborne prostredie a zaujímavá, originálna zápletka. Tak ako ma to bavilo prvý krát, som si to užil aj teraz asi 6ty.
  
  Btw. Resnick má ťažkosti tak ak by ste mali evríčko navyše, tak na gofundme mu môžete malinko pomôcť.
  
  Btw2. Ak by ste od neho niekedy videli nejakú knihu na predaj, tak mi pls. dajte vedieť, snažím sa skompletizovať jeho zbierku (v CZ-SK).
• 
  Shawn Deal

  I really enjoyed this one. I have loved every story I’ve read in the birthright universe. This certainly didn’t disappoint. Told from several different perspectives by people trying to hunt down Santiago for one reason or another. I found that really fun. With an I should have seen that ending coming and still missed. I really whipped through this novel. A couldn’t put it down sort of read.
• 
  Xavi

  5'5
  Un poco decepcionante comparado con otras obras que he leído de Resnick. Da demasiadas vueltas innecesarias por la galaxia y me ha parecido muy redundante. Hubiese sido una buena novela corta, pero como novela es fallida.
  
  https://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/20...
• 
  David

  I’m not sure when my desire to be a writer first sparked, but I can tell you when it roared into full flame; it was the day Mike Resnick spoke at my high school. I was a junior, and I’d been a voracious reader for years. I’d even written a short story for my English class, taught by one of my favorite teachers, Mrs. Henry. It might have been Mrs. Henry who arranged Resnick’s visit.
  
  To be perfectly honest, the thing that sealed the deal for me was Mike talking about how he slept as late as he wanted, stayed up as late as he wanted, and pretty much did whatever else he wanted. It sounded to my adolescent ears as the Good Life, and I wanted in. Coming out of that high school auditorium, I was resolved of two things: to become a writer when I grew up, and to read everything Mike Resnick ever wrote.
  
  The first was harder than it seemed. The second was even more difficult; Mike Resnick has written a helluva lot of books.
  
  My favorite of his books is Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future. I loved it as a teen, but I hadn’t read it since, so I decided to continue my space opera binge by revisiting an old friend.
  
  Santiago is about several people all trying to find (and, in most cases, kill) the infamous titular space pirate. Santiago has plagued the frontier worlds of the Democracy for years, and the price on his head is in the millions. Every bounty hunter wants to bring him down, but no one knows where to find him.
  
  The story is made up of several “books,” each one focusing on a different character. On top of that, the entire novel is framed by an epic ballad written by Black Orpheus, the bard of the frontier who immortalizes the most interesting people he meets by giving them a colorful name and writing them into his song. To have a stanza in Black Orpheus’s ballad is a badge of honor (well, in most cases) and an assurance that you will be recognized on just about every frontier planet. There’s the Songbird, the Angel, the Virgin Queen, the Jolly Swagman, Moonripple, ManMountain Bates, and more.
  
  While I didn’t love the book as much as my teen self, Santiago is still a lot of fun. I know Resnick has had on-again, off-again offers to make it into a movie, but I can’t imagine how that would work. This myth is meant to be read, and the big screen isn’t big enough for it. There are too many asides and too many fun little treasures that would get lost in translation. (Oddly enough, I can easily see this working as a Borderlands-esque video game.)
  
  If you’re looking for a fun science fiction romp, pick up a copy of Santiago. I think you’ll enjoy it.
• 
  Ben. Newland

  Dear Kenny,
  
  Thanks for your last letter. Glad I could remind you of a favorite novel from long ago, and I’m glad to have joined the club of “People that read the *%^#ing classics” as you so eloquently put it.
  
  Got another one for you, not quite as old, and not quite as famous, but so much fun. Have you heard of Mike Resnick? He’s written quite a few books, none of which I had read before I picked up Santiago. This is another recommendation from Card’s interview with GoodReads. In the interview he talks about how science fiction settings are generally used to replicate historical settings on earth, but in a future/forward looking story. That’s a deep vein of material right there, but I’ll leave it for now.
  
  I only mention it because Santiago is a rollicking wild west story with only the thinnest veneer of science fiction painted on: bounty hunters, lawmen, and outlaws running around a space frontier having showdowns in taverns. Don’t get me wrong, it works. I really, really liked this story. I’m disappointed that I can’t find a hardcover copy for my library at home; the copy I read was an old, faded paperback that I left at the hotel in Belize once I’d finished it.
  
  Pick it up, if you haven’t; it’s so much fun. I’d be surprised if this novel wasn’t the hidden inspiration for the short-lived and much-loved Firefly.
  
  Later,
  
  Ben.
  
• 
  James

  Caught somewhere between Firefly and a bio pic, I couldn't help but think what a wonderful mini series this would make. But then shortly thereafter it occurs to me that the complete and utter joy of this book isn't so much in the adventure, it's in the flamboyant, delightful characters you encounter with each chapter and that this would likely make for a rather dull and uneventful mini series.
  
  Fortunately it is however a more than thoroughly enjoyable read! My only complaint would be that Resnick is rather repetitive his patters of description and he tends to recycle the same phrasing quite a lot. "He said caustically" comes up more than a few times and it tends the lead the reader to wonder if there any any other ways that characters can say thing 'other' than caustically.
  
  The presentation is quite visual, so this with a mind for cinema or TV should have little trouble getting into this work.
  
  Shortcomings aside, this was a highly enjoyable read that I would recommend to any any fans of Firefly or sci-fi westerns in general.
• 
  Edgar Cotes Argelich

  Davant d’altres obres de Resnick que m’havien fascinat, aquesta m’ha semblat més descafeïnada, sobretot en les parts de recerca de Santiago, que acaben sent el típic thriller d’anar trobant personatges que et donen una pista per anar a la següent localització, pràcticament com un videojoc. M’ha faltat sentit de la meravella i localitzacions més complexes. L’última part, però, la cosa millora i planteja unes idees molt interessants.
• 
  Jim Reddy

  This is a science fiction Wild West tale about legends, life on the frontier, and revolution. In some ways it reminded me a little of the television series Firefly.
  
  Cain, a former revolutionary now bounty hunter, visits frontier planets searching for the legendary outlaw Santiago.
  
  “They say his father was a comet and his mother a cosmic wind, that he juggles planets as if they were feathers and wrestles with black holes just to work up an appetite.”
  
  Along the way we meet a wide cast of colorful characters. Vicki McKenzie the tough reporter, Swagman the unscrupulous art collector, Father William the preaching bounty hunter, Schussler the cyborg, and many more.
  
  Each chapter begins with a verse written by the wandering balladeer Black Orpheus, introducing one of the characters. Throughout the book we also learn about Black Orpheus and his travels throughout the Inner and Outer Frontier worlds.
  
  There are a lot of characters to keep track of and there’s a lot of time spent on developing back stories. It could have used a little more action. On the other hand the characters were interesting, the dialogue was sharp and witty, and everything came together in the end.
  
  What started out as a simple space western turned into a commentary on revolution and the reality of fighting something like the Empire, or in this case “The Democracy.”
• 
  Alex

  I can't understand what all the fuss is about with this book. Fantasy Review said:
  
  “Santiago is a first-class space opera, maybe the best ever written.”
  
  Other people kept referring to "larger than life characters", still others said it was the best book they'd ever read and that the plot twist was magnificent.
  
  Well, all that seems like a good endorsement. I started reading, 30% into the book I found it boring and not first-class at all. I kept waiting for the "larger than life characters" to appear but they never did. I checked the reviews again to see if it was worth continuing with the book, most reviews gave it five stars insisting it was great so I plodded on.
  
  The plot twist is quite predictable really and though the book has one poignant moment (the only one I can think of is the one with Schussler) overall I found it boring and not much to write home about. I really kept waiting for the characters to develop and come into their own, a couple of them (Moonripple for example) had great potential that was never realised, they all remained as two-dimensional caricatures.
  
  I am seriously flabbergasted by all the good reviews and excitement about this book, I find pretty much anything from Asimov or Bradbury to be much better than this and as Space Operas go would much rather read Dan Simmons' Hyperion Trilogy (the original three, the other two I didn't much care for) for the third time than this book.
• 
  Adrián

  Siempre han existido dos maneras de vivir, una libre y otra sometido al orden…
  Este libro nos cuenta la historia de ese Universo futuro donde coexisten de manera más o menos pacifica esos dos estilos de vida… La Democracia impone su orden a los mundos humanos y domina a los alienígenas, pero en la Frontera aún se vive de manera libre como en el antiguo oeste americano… Forajidos, cazarecompensas, colonos, timadores, jugadores, predicadores, proscritos…; mundos y mundos que viven al margen y que se guían por las leyendas y los mitos… En esa Frontera 1 trovador, o escritor, llamado Orfeo canta las aventuras de sus héroes y villanos y todo aquel que es alguien se ve reflejado en sus versos… y sin duda el REY es Santiago el cual no puede morir y que nadie conoce pero que todos buscan.
  El libro nos cuenta la historia de 1 periodista (Virtud) y varios cazarecompensas (Sebastián, el Angel, el Padre Guillermo….) que buscan a Santiago por diferentes motivos (casi todos económicos) y que recorren la Frontera de planeta en planeta solucionando a tiros y con engaños y tratos todas las dificultades que le acarrean la búsqueda de ese mito llamado Santiago que para unos es un héroe y para otros un villano.
  Un libro que presenta un futuro plausible en el que quizás los planetas exteriores serían como ese lejano oeste de los western… pero que nos deja claro que Santiago es más que un hombre y que NO puede morir.
  
• 
  Diane

  From Amazon, August 27, 2006: If I could give this a 6-star rating, I would.
  
  I tend to prefer fantasy, with medieval-type settings, with some magic or things of similar nature. This book doesn't even come close, and yet it is one of my favorite books; one of only a handful that I enjoy re-reading.
  
  It starts out as a corny space opera/wild-west style story. You might groan, thinking you have picked up one of the silliest stereotyped stories ever written. (I did, the first time I read it). And yet, at the same time, it's so much fun I couldn't help but continue reading it. Soon it's obvious that there is a lot more to this book than first appears. Fascinating characters and unexpected plot twists make it hard to put the book down.
  
  By the end of the book I was in awe with how skillfully Mr. Resnick manipulates the story from corny to something truly meaningful with the reader hardly even aware of it.
  
  When you finish the book you realize it wasn't anything like what you expected when you started reading it, and that is what makes it such a great book.
  
  Even if you had been looking forward to reading a space opera/space western, you won't be disappointed in the book.
  
• 
  Jeffrey

  All fluff and no substance. Lauded for "larger than life" characters, I found most of them to be boorish cardboard cutouts of characters. The scenes are hardly described and bland, the best ideas and people are left to languish. There's a major character whose death is supposed to be a big turning point, a show of just how honorable the Songbird is, but alas the ships death is wasted because I didn't care about him, or his whining.
  
  Lauded for being fun, I imagine means easy to read. Which is true, with no depth of story or character, with no meat to chew on this simplistic tale is little more than candy. And as such I found it unfulfilling.
  
  The half-dozen clever quips in conversation are far outweighed by page upon page of expository dialogue and lines lifted right out of a children's book about the old west.
  
  The sci-fi is laughable. It's unimportant to any part of the story.
  
  The ultimate antagonist, turns out to be a throw away character. The bigger storyline is lifted from the pages of anti-big government conspiracy websites. I could go on, but this book is really not worth it.
• 
  Ignacio Senao f

  Sin duda tiene un buen final.
  El señor autor tiene una gran personalidad literaria, sus novelas están marcadas por muchos diálogos, nada de descripciones, no bajar el ritmo y personajes degradados que acaban siendo héroes.
  Todo gira entorno a un tal Santiago, que no se sabe si existe, pero es muy famoso, las leyendas hablan de él tanto bien como mal. Un grupo de caza recompensas irán en su búsqueda individual para llevarse lo que ofrecen por su cabeza. Ángel es malvado y peligroso e ira a su bolo y Ruiseñor es malvado y peligroso pero con corazón.
  De planeta en planeta preguntarán por la leyenda, de rebote a rebote a un lado y a otro se desplazarán, hasta llegar a un gran final.
  
• 
  Avani

  This would also have been a 4.5 star review if I could, but I rounded up because the book was just so much fun. I don't like most comedies, even under the guise of science fiction, but this book manages to be light-hearted (there are a lot of deaths) and funny while still maintaining a serious undercurrent and not overusing puns and popular culture references. I also liked the ending. Overall, the book is warm, fuzzy, simple, and fun. Highly recommended.
• 
  Arlene Allen

  Way before Firefly - this is an awesome combination of myth, spaghetti western, and space opera.