Runner

by William C. Dietz

Ace, 424 pp, $24.99

Runner is a stand-alone, but could be the first of a series of Runner stories.

In the distant future, humans have immigrated to the stars, using portals [star gates] to travel between systems. But Earth is now a myth, technology crumbled and few even know where the remaining portals may exist. Interplanetary travel depends on a few AI ships who are unreliable; vanishing without warning as systems fail. Only the foolhardy and the runners of the Interstellar Couriers Guild travel, delivering valuable assets and messages from place to place.

Jak Rebo is a courier delivering a small boy to take a test to determine the next religious leader. But two different temples wish to control the faith and one sends assassins in droves to pursue and kill the red temple’s candidate, Twa Lee, before he can contest the leadership with their candidate. Add to this: a beautiful “sensitive” a medium who channels the spirit of the man who built the star portal system, and who wants to start humans back on the road to technology without his mistakes. The technos want his knowledge for power. He will only manifest through Norr. They want to capture him and kill the others. The runner is, indeed, running for their lives as he delivers those who will change the future.

Full of fast paced action with great world building, characters, and plotting. I couldn’t put it down. Time to charge to the book store for a great hard sci-fi action adventure. - Pam Allan