The Icarus Hunt: A Novel by Timothy Zahn
From Timothy Zahn, Hugo Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of two landmark Star Wars series, comes an original new tale featuring a renegade space pilot, his unusual alien partner, and an unknown cargo that can change the course of galactic history. Jordan McKell has a problem with authority. Unfortunately for him, the iron-fisted authority of the powerful Patthaaunutth controls virtually every aspect of galactic shipping. In order to survive, Jordan ekes out a living dabbling in interstellar smuggling for outlaw concerns that represent the last vestiges of free trade in the galaxy. So when Jordan and his partner, Ixil-an alien with two ferret-like outhunters linked to his neural system-are hired by a mysterious gentleman to fly a ship and its special cargo to Earth, they jump at the job. Caution has never been one of Jordan's strong suits. But this time he may have taken on more than even he can handle. The ship, Icarus, turns out to be a ramshackle hulk, the ragtag crew literally picked up off the street, and the cargo so secret, it's sealed in a special container that takes up most of the cramped and ill-designed ship. As if that weren't bad enough, it looks like the authorities already suspect something is afoot, there's a saboteur aboard, and the Icarus appears to be shaking apart at the seams. It doesn't seem as if things could get any worse. That is, until a beautiful crew member helps McKell uncover the true nature of the cargo he's carrying. With his enemies closing in on the lumbering Icarus, the unknown saboteur still aboard, and authorities on Earth pressured to turn them in, McKell and Ixil become fugitives. Their only chance is to stay one step ahead of their pursuers as they try to make it home. A bold and epic novel filled with unrelenting action and a good dose of humor, The Icarus Hunt is a wild hyperspace romp through the galaxy. Editorial Reviews Independent space shipper (i.e., smuggler) Jordan McKell accepts a contract to deliver a sealed cargo to Earth aboard a ship of unknown origin and dubious quality. After the suspicious death of a crew member and several attempts to acquire his cargo, McKell realizes that he has become the center of a conspiracy that pits him against a powerful race of aliens who control galactic trade and aspire to even more. The latest sf adventure by the author of the Star WarsTM Thrawn trilogy features fast-paced action; a tight, no-frills plot; and a quick-thinking, resourceful hero. A good choice for most sf collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/99.] Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information. - Library Journal I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end, and was reluctant to see the wayward spaceship finally reach the end of its mission. -Science Fiction Chronicle - Don D'Ammassa Science fiction thriller from the author of Spinneret (1985), etc., and numerous Star Wars yarns. The alien Patth, sole possessors of an advanced star drive, dominate galactic trade. Pilot Jordan McKell and his alien partner Ixil scrape together a living by working for interstellar gangster Brother John and his sinister organization, to which they're heavily indebted. On planet Meima, industrialist Arno Cameron hires the two to take a ship, the bizarrely designed Icarus, along with a mysterious but vitally important cargo, to Earth. Cameron may have made a significant archaeological discovery nearby. But then the site explodes and Cameron, accused of murder, vanishes. Jordan, lifting off with a motley crew, suddenly finds that every planet wants to capture him and the ship. He also has a saboteur and murderer aboard. The Patth, it emerges, are after Icarus, as is Brother John's organization. Jordan, meanwhile, contacts the mysterious Uncle Arthur to request information, discovering that Icarus's computer operator is actually Cameron's daughter. The cargo, it appears, is an alien star drive much faster than the Patth model. As various enemies close in, Jordan decides to fire up the star drive, only to find that it's actually a star gate•and that Cameron's inside it! There'll be many more frantic escapades before we discover who gets the star gate and what's really been going on. Picture a science-fiction Robert Ludlum, with puzzles, twists, and cliffhangers galore•and no great subtlety or wit. - Kirkus Reviews
Publication Details
Title:
Author(s):
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Binding: Paperback
Published by: Random House Worlds: , 2000
Edition:
ISBN: 9780553573916 | 0553573918
464 pages.
Book Condition: Good
Cover worn.
Pickup currently unavailable at Book Express Warehouse
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