(SF Adventure; Diving Universe) A badly-damaged Fleet ship of long-obsolete design appears out of foldspace. There seem to be 200 people on board, but they’re not trying to communicate. Captain Dauber has to try to rescue them, even though it may be a trap. (22,034 words; Time: 1h:13m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
I’ve read the rest of the Diving Universe stories, but I’m pretty sure this one works just fine if you read it by itself
"The Rescue of the Renegat," by Kristine Kathryn Rusch [bio] (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction issue 01-02|18, published on December 15, 2017 by Penny Publications.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The best feature of this story is that it’s an exciting rescue mission. Raul’s death at the end is a disappointment, but his reasons for defying orders and staying behind are believable.
When we ultimately find out why the Renegat was half-staffed, it makes perfect sense; we already knew it had been a crew of malcontents, so we're not surprised it was a trick by the captain to get away from the Fleet, nor are we surprised that they didn't all want to go with him.
People who did read the rest of the Diving Universe stories may wonder whether this “scrapheap” where the captain and the malcontents repaired a discarded vessel is the same as the “boneyard” where “The Boss” and her crew have been working. I suppose we'll find out.
Con: There are too many characters to try to keep straight, and none is developed well enough for us to care very much about any of them--not even Raul. (For some reason, I cared more about the poor woman who made a wrong turn than anyone else in the entire story.)
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|18)
Kristine Kathryn Rusch Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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When we ultimately find out why the Renegat was half-staffed, it makes perfect sense; we already knew it had been a crew of malcontents, so we're not surprised it was a trick by the captain to get away from the Fleet, nor are we surprised that they didn't all want to go with him.
People who did read the rest of the Diving Universe stories may wonder whether this “scrapheap” where the captain and the malcontents repaired a discarded vessel is the same as the “boneyard” where “The Boss” and her crew have been working. I suppose we'll find out.
Con: There are too many characters to try to keep straight, and none is developed well enough for us to care very much about any of them--not even Raul. (For some reason, I cared more about the poor woman who made a wrong turn than anyone else in the entire story.)
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|18)
Kristine Kathryn Rusch Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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