"clever satirizing of space operas"
Fifteen hundred years into the future, mankind has not only
reached the stars, humanity has tamed them. Mercury is
mined for the precious metals needed by the rest of the
galaxy and most people live past three centuries. Marik
Space station is the hive and the Aerie house billion of
people living on many artificial worlds. Politics remain
much the same in the thirty-sixth century as it does in the
present day and there is a great need for the PSA located
in the Hive to train intelligent agents. Jak Jininaka and his friend Dujou are agents-in-training
who need to practice their skills in order to complete the
Junior Task. The opportunity arrives when Princess Shyf of
Greenworld sends him a message saying she needs his help.
Jak and Dujou race to the rescue only to find the message
was a hoax. When an operative sends a message to
Greenworld saying trouble is brewing, Jak and Dujou are
sent to investigate. They find out that Jak's greatest
enemy is trying to establish himself as ruler of that
planet. The two PSA trainees devise a plan that will foil
his scheme and hope they live to see it succeed because
after all they want to pass their Junior Task. Set in a far distant future where anything is possible, Jak
sets out on a quest to help a friend and finds himself
placed in the princess's harem which is considered raunchy,
but the
scenes are played for laughs. In fact, John Barnes does a
brilliant job satirizing space operas in general as a final
send off salute to Star Wars and the numerous clones. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted December 5, 2002
|
