Ragamuffin
Tobias S. Buckell
Tor, Jun 2007, $24.95
ISBN: 0765315076

The Benevolent technologically super-advanced Satrap controlled galaxy consist of forty-eight inhabited planets containing a variety of different sentient species interconnected by thousands of wormholes. The lesser races have lots of freedom and thrive under the benevolent but firm oligarchy. The only to rules are behave yourself and don’t develop technology outside of the Satrap allowance; if a species does they will suffer pandemic punishment by being cut off from wormhole use. These isolated “islands” lag behind the more cooperative orbs.

Earth is one of the isolated planets as humans tend to break rules. Thus earthlings must choose between abject poverty on their home planet, being pets to other superior races in order to be pampered or rebels with a cause. The Ragamuffin crowd chose freedom fighting; the Satrap labels it piracy by insurgents. Recently they have decided to end the Raga ragtag revolt, which means ethnic cleansing of the human race. However, they did not count on the resistance and persistence of a few Raga; especially Nashara “Nash” who may be more machine than human except for her heart and soul. Inside her she carries a weapon of mass destruction that the Satrapy fears so they send their preprogrammed Hongguo human militia to destroy her and her two cohorts.

This is an exhilarating outer space opera that never slows down especially during the latter quarter of the action-packed story line. That climax is one of the longest most exciting cat and mouse chase scenes in recent years. Nash is a superb heroine, part comic book superhero (and part futuristic humanoid. The Satrap are actually the more fascinating species with their “White Man’s Burden” syndrome that what they do to lesser species is for the other race’s good and much better than what that less significant group can do for themselves. Readers who appreciate a testosterone (even though Nash is a woman) science fiction thriller starring a super female heroine will want to join the Raga in space as “Davidette” battles Goliath.

Harriet Klausner