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Starship: Pirate (Starship #2)

3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 · rating details · 529 ratings · 28 reviews

The date is 1967 of the Galactic Era, almost three thousand years from now. The Republic, created by the human race but not yet dominated by it, is in the midst of an all-out war with the Teroni Federation. After his latest exploit saved millions of lives but embarrassed his superiors, Captain Wilson Cole, a man with a reputation for exceeding orders but getting results, f...more

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published December 5th 2006 by Pyr

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Feb 13, 2009 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: action adventure fans; fans of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat books

Shelves: library-copy, military, science-fiction, space-opera

Against my will I find myself drawn more and more into Resnick's work. The book is much like the first, and is definitely a light read for a lazy afternoon. The story is fairly linear, revolving around one primary character and his interaction with the setting. That character is what makes this all worth the time spent reading the book, and ultimately the series. Don't come to this book looking for deep philosopical topics, or deep dives into theoretical science. This book is solidly positioned...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Perry Reed rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm going to write one review for this entire series...

The Starship series premise had me interested. Set well into the future when mankind is at war with the Teroni Federation, one naval officer finds reason to mutiny (hence, the first book, "Starship: Mutiny". Over time he becomes a pirate (book two: "Starship: Pirate"), a mercenary (book three: "Starship: Mercenary"), then rebels formally against the human government (book four: "Starship: Rebel") and finally takes on the humans directly (boo...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Lianne Burwell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

Like the first book of the series, this is a fun, but rather simplistic book. Ship that mutinied in the first book decides to go pirate. First they take on another pirate (not wanting to go after innocents or military people just doing their job), then run into problems fencing the stuff that their target killed brutally for. This brings them a few new crew members, into conflict with another pirate, and a change of careers again.

The plot is very much and A then B then C then climax sort of plot...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Donna Jo Atwood rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-2013-winter-challenge, science-fiction, pirates

The captain is heroic, the young officers are properly in awe (except the one he's sleeping with), the crew are enthusiastic. What else should a proper space opera need?
I liked that Captain Wilson Cole is NOT 19 years old, is NOT outstandingly handsome or muscled, is NOT the most everything person in the universe. He can be thoughtful, principled, humorous, intelligent. Most of the other characters are very one dimensional, but we don't have time to worry about it, because we're busy looking ove...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Steve Walker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book two of the Starship series is an excellent continuation of the saga of the warship Theodore Roosevelt (affectionately referred to as the "Teddy R."). While the war between the Republic and Teroni Federation rages on. Our hero, commander Cole is rescued from court-martial by a handful of faithful crew members. So they have stolen a Republic starship and are on the run with the resources of the entire Navy on their tail. The Teroni would like nothing better than to blow him out of the water....more Book two of the Starship series is an excellent continuation of the saga of the warship Theodore Roosevelt (affectionately referred to as the "Teddy R."). While the war between the Republic and Teroni Federation rages on. Our hero, commander Cole is rescued from court-martial by a handful of faithful crew members. So they have stolen a Republic starship and are on the run with the resources of the entire Navy on their tail. The Teroni would like nothing better than to blow him out of the water. There’s a price on his head and every bounty hunter in ten galaxies wants to get their hands on him.

What do they do now? Become pirates of course! The crew heads out to the far reaches of the outer rim, a back water frontier far from the laws and dictates of the Republic. Resnick continues to develop the multi-dimensional Wilson Cole as a leader. He is an expert in every aspect of engineering, weaponry, and capabilities of the Teddy R. He is a military strategist, consummate politician, and a master of espionage among other talents. He understands his crew on a human level, gives them empowerment over their individual areas, values their opinions, and trusts hem implicitly as they trust in him. For Cole, the welfare of the crew is supreme above all else.

Resnick continues to build the depth, complexities, and back stories of many characters. We know these people, and we know what makes them work as a team, and we see how they solve the problems thrown their way at every turn. Resnick introduces some marvelous characters such as the eccentric “David Copperfield”, an inter-planetary fence for stolen goods who is also a Charles Dickens expert and rare centuries old earth books. We find that Cole is also very well educated and knows a lot about literature, among other academic disciplines. One new character I am sure we will see more of in future installments is Valkyrie, or Val as she is called amongst a slew of aliases. Wilson Cole has finally met his match with this new ally who can teach him more than he ever new existed about the pirate culture and activity on the outer rim.

This series is great fun and a real page turner!(less)

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Mar 25, 2009 Matt added it

I didn't like this book at first. It lacks most of the taut plotting and excitement that is found through the rest of Resnick's body of work. I went so far as to re-read the first two chapters of The Widowmaker just to see if I was misremembering how good Resnick is (I wasn't). Having finished the book and started on the next in the series, I now find it to be of perfectly acceptable quality. It's not as good as Resnick's best, and the main character is 100% wish fulfillment, but I'm enjoying re...more

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Jun 13, 2011 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

Once again a fun, simple read.

The crew leave the clutches of their inhospitable republic and take to a life of piracy, with fun, adventure and a pace that will leave you spinning at the end. This is not a book to miss if you enjoy space opera, or space military as it just about does everything but take you there.

The charcaters are well developed, the plot line far from boring, the action commendable and the actual story telling itself is easy and flows like a river.

I suggest that you read this...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Timothy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Better than the first book, but that's not saying much. 'Starship: Pirates' still suffers from the same issues that made 'Starship: Mutiny' somewhat of a bland reading experience. While this book is fun in some ways, overall there's really a lack of a compelling story or plot that drives this story forward. For the the most part, it's just Wilson Cole (our protagonist) thinking or talking his way out from one event to another that's strung along. It's really hard for a reader to be able to assoc...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read, 2013-read

After enjoying myself immensely with Starship: Mutiny I had to go straight on to Starship: Pirate. The ending of the first book was great and it opened a whole lot of interesting situations up to the crew of the Teddy R. Starship: Pirate was never going to be the same sort of book as Mutiny, but I jumped into it in the hope that the essence of what I enjoyed was still present. Suffice to say that I had as much fun here as I did in the first, but this time with some excellent new characters throw...more After enjoying myself immensely with Starship: Mutiny I had to go straight on to Starship: Pirate. The ending of the first book was great and it opened a whole lot of interesting situations up to the crew of the Teddy R. Starship: Pirate was never going to be the same sort of book as Mutiny, but I jumped into it in the hope that the essence of what I enjoyed was still present. Suffice to say that I had as much fun here as I did in the first, but this time with some excellent new characters thrown into the mix!

It's the aftermath of the mutiny trail, during which the crew of the Teddy R busted Wilson Cole out of jail, and now the former Navy ship finds itself on the run. The only place it can go where they will be relatively safe is the Inner Frontier, a place devoid of Republic influence and with more than its fair share of opportunities. With few choices at their disposal and the need to run a ship while paying and feeding the crew, the only real option the find themselves faced with is Piracy. With Cole having such a strong moral code the targets he's willing to let them face becomes very small indeed, but with his cunning they soon find themselves bringing in the hard cash.

I was a little sceptical about how Resnick would pull off a Navy crew converting to the life of crime as pirates on the Inner Frontier, but I shouldn't have worried. Once again he manages to write with style and flair, delivering a mighty novel in such a short page count. There are no prolonged passages where Resnick is having to explain anything, instead letting the story tell itself through the characters, all of which are great to see again, plus the new additions to the cast help spice things up a bit.

Cole is still his usual self, leading the crew of the Teddy R and making the right choices. But what we also get are great supporting characters: Forrice, Cole's best friend and 1st officer; Sharron, security chief on the Teddy R and also Cole's lover; Val, a seven foot tall pirate queen that Cole encounters on an excursion; David Copperfield, an alien fence that has taken to the works of Charles Dickens. These are all characters that bring life to the pages of Starship: Pirate and can easily deliver the action and conversation required to enjoy the book. Mike Resnick sure has an expert way with characters!

I must admit that I particularly liked the introduction of Val to the crew of the Teddy R. She's vicious and deadly, but has other qualities lurking behind those that make her the sort of character that you just enjoy being with. Her interactions are mostly with Cole, but given her background she still manages to fit in easily on a Navy ship. The friendship between Cole and Forrice is also a highlight and allows the reader to really get into the characters, letting us see more than just the day to day life on board a military ship.

I can safely say that after this book I am hooked on Mike Resnick. Roll on Starship: Mercenary!(less)

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Feb 03, 2009 Stefan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Mike Resnick – irgend etwas sagte mir der Name, als das Rezensionsexemplar eintrudelte, wenn ich auch nicht genau festmachen konnte, was. Ich habe dann auch erst nachgesehen, als ich im Buch bei den Anhängen angekommen war: Mike Resnick (geboren 1942) ist einer der produktivsten und meist ausgezeichneten SF-Autoren der Vereinigten Staaten. Leider ist der Erfinder des »Birthright«-Universums dennoch an mir weitestgehend unbemerkt vorbei gegangen, auch wenn mir zumindest der Titel »Walpurgis III«...more Mike Resnick – irgend etwas sagte mir der Name, als das Rezensionsexemplar eintrudelte, wenn ich auch nicht genau festmachen konnte, was. Ich habe dann auch erst nachgesehen, als ich im Buch bei den Anhängen angekommen war: Mike Resnick (geboren 1942) ist einer der produktivsten und meist ausgezeichneten SF-Autoren der Vereinigten Staaten. Leider ist der Erfinder des »Birthright«-Universums dennoch an mir weitestgehend unbemerkt vorbei gegangen, auch wenn mir zumindest der Titel »Walpurgis III« etwas sagte. Dumm gelaufen, nach der Lektüre von »Wilson Cole: Die Piraten« stelle ich fest, dass ich hier offenbar einiges nachzuholen habe...

Der Roman ist der zweite eines (bislang) Vierteilers der Abenteuer um das Republik-Schlachtschiff THEODORE ROOSEVELT und dessen Kommandanten Wilson Cole. Im ersten (den ich leider noch nicht gelesen habe) machen sich Cole und die restlichen Protagonisten in der 3000 Jahre in der Zukunft gelegenen Republik offenbar durch Befehlsverweigerung (durch die mehrere Millionen Lebewesen gerettet wurden) dermaßen unbeliebt, dass die ROOSEVELT jetzt das meist gesuchte Schiff der Galaxis ist. Man flüchtet in den inneren Rand, einen mehr oder weniger gesetzlosen Teil der Milchstrasse, und Cole ist klar, dass es nur einen Weg gibt, Schiff und Crew das Überleben zu sichern: Man muss zu Piraten werden.
Leider ist das nicht ganz so einfach, denn dummerweise passt das übliche Piratenleben und -Handeln nicht zu den moralischen Grundsätzen von Captain und Besatzung, so dass man sich schnell darüber im Klaren ist: Es werden nur die »Bösen« überfallen. Aber auch das geht verständlicherweise nicht ohne gewisse Probleme ab...

Beim Lesen von »Die Piraten« fühlte ich mich angesichts der Erzählform in die - für mich - gute alte SF-Zeit in den Siebzigern und Achtzigern zurückversetzt, in denen ich unter anderem Romane von Harry Harrison, Arthur Bertram Chandler oder Bob Asprin gelesen habe, die ganz ähnlich waren: Auch dort stand oftmals die kurzweilige Unterhaltung in einem SF-Setting im Vordergrund, ohne den Leser mit allzu viel Hardcore-Technik, erhobenem Zeigefinder oder überbordendem Hintergrund zu belasten. Und dies gelingt verblüffenderweise auch Mike Resnick und das obwohl »Die Piraten« in seinem massiv gut ausgebauten und Jahrtausende überspannenden »Birthright«-Universum spielt, in dem seit 1982 sagenhafte 34 Romane und unzählige Kurzgeschichten erschienen sind. Der Leser muss zur Lektüre des vorliegenden Bandes davon nichts wissen, da es hier hauptsächlich um Personen geht - mögen sie nun menschlich oder außerirdisch sein.

Mike Resnick Abgesehen von der flotten und stilsicheren Erzählweise kommt auch der Humor definitiv nicht zu kurz, denn die Dialoge zwischen den Protagonisten sind gekennzeichnet von flapsigen Sprüchen in einer Art und Weise, die anderer Military-SF so gern mal abgeht und deswegen bisweilen für Unlesbarkeit sorgt. Allerdings würde ich den Roman ohnehin nicht als typischen Vertreter dieses Genres einordnen wollen, dafür sind weder Stil noch Art der Erzählung militärisch genug.
Auch wenn diverse Ideen und Charaktere schräg sind, Resnicks Erzählung ist zwar witzig, driftet aber nie in Richtung Klamauk ab, anders als beispielsweise bei Asprins »Chaos-Kompanie« oder Harrisons »Stahlratte« (wobei ich die damit in keinster Weise abwerten möchte, ganz im Gegenteil).

Die deutsche Übersetzung scheint - ohne dass ich das Original kenne - im Großen und Ganzen okay zu sein, wenngleich sie mir an diversen Stellen ein wenig holprig erschien und ein paar Übertragungen von amerikanischen Redewendungen etwas gequält daher kamen. Das tut dem überaus großen Lesevergnügen aber keinen Abbruch.

Hier wird definitiv nicht das Genre neu erfunden, aber dafür eine höchst unterhaltsame SF-Geschichte so leicht und locker erzählt, dass ich sie in kürzester Zeit durchgelesen hatte.
SF-Fans, die Freunde humorigen, kurzweiligen Raumfahrergarns ohne Hard-Science oder tiefschürfende philosophische Hintergründe sind, dafür aber sympathische Charaktere und handfeste Abenteuer im Weltraum mögen, können hier bedenkenlos ihre Credits investieren. Und ich werde ganz sicher mal versuchen, an mehr Lesestoff von Resnick zu kommen...(less)

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Aug 04, 2011 JParsons1974 Parsons added it

336 pages. Get this book from your library. Decent summer reading but not much more. There is little character development. By the end of the book we do see the hero disaffected with being a pirate looking for the next adventure. The reader will be left with a sense that life should be something more than just survival and profit.In someways this story details how boring and dangerous being a pirate was from 1400's-1800's. Not a life that was stable or long lived. or interesting for very long.

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Mar 11, 2013 Ignacio rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sigue la saga que Resnick inició con Motín y el Capitán Wilson Cole. Más de lo mismo: acción, un capitán sabioncillo hasta la saciedad y una tripulación entregada a adorarle. No hay que buscar mucho más, Cole es una mezcla de Indiana Jones con las capacidades deducctivas de Sherlock Holmes que además se empeña en explicarnos su proceso de pensamiento para que todos veamos lo listo que es. Para pasar la tarde del domingo o un vuelo largo de avión.

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Apr 11, 2013 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Much better than the first book!
But still... Wilson, oh, Wilson Cole! So clever! So smart! Always ahead of everyone! There absolutely no way NOT to hate him. He's just too perfect! But as I said, it's better than the first book of the series and I will definitely take next one.

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May 30, 2011 Derrick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, scifi

A nice formulaic mashed potatoes and gravy of a story. And the inclusion of Dickens' references made me happy.
Nothing spectacular stands out, but I had fun reading this and enjoyed the unfolding story.

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Sep 02, 2012 Joe Osborne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks

This is the second book in a three book series. I did not read the first and I have no desire to do so now. This is mediocre at best. If you don't expect too much you won't be disappointed. You probably won't hate it but you certainly won't love it.

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Jul 09, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-ebook, space-western, science-fiction, military-science-fiction, military-space-opera

Another, what I thought good, space western book in this series. This is meant for fun and enjoyable reading where the good guys are good guys and the bad guys get dead...

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Mar 25, 2011 Geoff Sebesta rated it 1 of 5 stars

It's not even a guilty pleasure any more. Boorrrrring. Though I admire his ability to stretch one book into five, I will not be joining him.

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May 10, 2012 Peter rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, space-opera

Ok read - not as good as could have been

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Feb 17, 2012 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi

The Space Opera continues with the Wilson Cole, Forrice (Four Eyes) and the crew of the Teddy R (Theodore Roosevelt) as they pursue a life of piracy.

Read the rest of my review @ my blog

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Jun 15, 2010 Konstantin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Same as Mutiny - Book1

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May 02, 2012 William rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Listen as audio book 2012

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Sep 25, 2009 Jeff Yoak rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009, audio-collection

Having read the entire Starship series now, I found Pirate the low-point. Still, it introduced my favorite character in Val and carries the story forward to my favorite novels toward the end of the Series. And let's face it: even one of the weaker Starship novels is still pretty incredible.

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Dec 20, 2007 Ferret rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

It's a fun little space opera, not very thought-provoking except in the way that it's so damned straightforward. It's space opera without any of the fantasy- just pure, pragmatic adventures in space.

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Sep 12, 2008 Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Not bad. I liked the author's semi-analysis of how a star-pirate needs to conduct business, never trusting his fences or other contacts.

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Jun 25, 2010 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: easton-press, signed-first-or-limited-edition, audiobook, 2000-2005, good-guys, military-fiction, space-battles

4.0 to 4.5 stars. Great thinking man's space opera. Fast, easy read that keeps you entertained throughout. Wilson Cole is an excellent character.

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Apr 23, 2008 David rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ann Booher

A grand swashbuckler of a space opera. Heroes, beautfil damsels (I guess). Righting wrong.

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Nov 11, 2012 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

The first book was intriguing, but now I'm not sure I'm going to finish the series.

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May 24, 2008 Craig rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sciencefiction

Nice second entry in this space opera series.

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About Mike Resnick

Michael "Mike" Diamond Resnick (born Chicago, March 5, 1942), better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is a popular and prolific American science fiction author. He is, according to Locus, the all-time leading award winner, living or dead, for short science fiction. He is the winner of five Hugos, a Nebula, and other major awards in the United States, France, Spain, Japan, Croatia and Pola...more

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Starship: Pirate (Starship #2)

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