Since I read the first book in the series, My Buddy Gave Me A Starship,
just over a year ago, I have been eagerly awaiting a continuation of the
adventures of Mitch aboard the starship Starfire. Well, I'm not
disappointed with the second installment of this saga in any way. She Stole
My Buddy's Starship continues the fun as Mitch gets way more than he
bargained for in both good and bad ways.
Once again, Myles has written another book that is exciting, intense, and
just plain fun to read. The characters have a wit a light year long, and the
tale is full of twists and turns couched in non-stop action and hilarity. As
with the first book, I loved the dialog.
Science Fiction fans who enjoy the lighter side of the genre should
appreciate this series, and once one gets to know the characters in the first
book, can expect satisfaction with the reading of the second book in the
series.
In the first installment of the story, Mitch, a man down on his luck, loses
his job and meets his long-time friend, Gabe, in a diner as Mitch tries to
drown his sorrows in a large bowl of ice cream. Gabe invites Mitch to his place
for a visit where Gabe has a starship hidden in his barn. It isn't long before
another starship lands on Gabe's property and uniform-clad soldiers attempt to
take the ship away. They kill Gabe, and Mitch gets away thanks to the help of
an artificially intelligent copy of Gabe's deceased wife, Tera.
Tera takes Gabe to a place where a beautiful alien female named Vrynn awaits a delivery. She joins Mitch, Tera, an android copy of Gabe, and a
bear-sized animal that behaves like a puppy.
Later, they run into a ruthless alien named Gralik who very much wants the
Starfire for himself.
In this book; as the Starfire sits in a hangar on an out of the way
world, Vrynn tricks Mitch into giving her access to all ship operations. They
seem to have fallen for each other, at least a little. While Mitch is sleeping,
Vrynn apparently betrays Mitch's trust and takes the Starfire to
continue her quest on her own. Mitch takes a clunky, old shuttle and goes
seeking Vrynn.
After that, well, Mitch finds himself in a desperate battle for the freedom
of an entire planet!
And at the bottom of the whole thing is Gralik, who still obsesses over the Starfire,
and will stop at nothing to possess it.
In this continuation of the story, Mitch proves himself to be quite
resourceful and a good commander of the Starfire. A lot of that is
because of the personalities he surrounds himself with. Vrynn is thoughtful,
but she is also a brave fighter for freedom. Even though Tera and Gabe are
computers, they support Mitch and Vrynn well and behave more as humans. What
the biologicals are trying to accomplish would not even be possible without
their intelligence. As the story moves forward, we meet a number of other
characters, all of them endearing in one way or another. That is, except for
Gralik. The more we learn about him, the more villainous he is. All are
excellently written, and Myles has written brilliant dialog for them to give
them depth of character and bring them to life.
I have to be careful with my favorite plot point. Yes, Vrynn steals the Starfire,
but sometimes people do the right thing for the wrong reason. My takeaway from
this tale is that appearances can be deceiving. I'm being cryptic here to avoid
spoilers. To discover what I'm talking about, you're just going to have to read
the book.
The theme that stands out most for me is to show how perseverance and
intelligence plays a large part in the success or failure of the achievement of
a goal. Everyone in the book has their own agenda. Some of those are compatible
with others, but teamwork will give one an edge toward success. Another theme
shows how obsession can also lead one to stumble and lose what they have gained
as their focus shifts.
She Stole My Buddy's Starship is an excellent sequel to My Buddy
Gave Me A Starship. The tone of the story is on the lighter side, making it
another fun read. The characters are excellent; the dialog is top-notch, and
the story flows, making it another page-turner. Once one picks it up, one will
not want to put it down. I recommend this story to space opera fans and those
who might enjoy watching a budding romance continue to grow.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
His mild-mannered alter ego is a product development engineer, university
professor, and game inventor. He lives in Utah with his wife and children.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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