SOLVED. SF Series set on a former mining planet [s]

[Norm017]

Many years ago I read a two book (?) series I'd like to track down again.

The setting was a former mining planet with a marginal climate (Atmosphere was breathable without special equipment). When the resource (Which was either a narcotic, or the precursor to a narcotic.) ran out. The company bean counters worked out that it was only economic to ship out the upper management, so the company hires a team to create a society for the remaining personell, imposes this and leaves.

The first novel was about a revolt that overthrows the company imposed society.

The second novel saw one of the characters from the previous novel going to the planets (disused) spaceport, there he discovers a group of men led by a woman (Who I think is in charge.) trying to get the port operational. Later he learns that all but one of the men are in fact robot duplicates of (still living) originals created by aliens that want to take over the planet.

The main character and the real human journey to the alien spacecraft where he discovers that he is also a robot duplicate and under the control of the spacecrafts computer. He is freed when the real human jumps in front of the computer just as the main character fires a laser gun, the shot kills the human, but also destroys the computer and kills the aliens who were totally dependent on the computer.

In the aftermath the robots decide to use the alien spacecraft to find somewhere else to exist. One thing that stuck with me from the second book is that after the destruction of the control computer the one female robot expresses distress that while the male robots were all based on 'real' people, and have those personalities to fall back on, she was created from the fantasies of others and so has nothing to fall back on.

Any information as to author/titles would be greatfully appreciated.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

How long is "many years ago" - 10 years? 20? 40?

[Norm017]

Probably around 10 - 20 years.

[Michele]

This sounds a bit like Lois McMaster Bujold's Falling Free but I haven't read the other books, and it's been a while so my memory is fuzzy. Still it's somewhere to start.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Just a stab: The Killer Thing?

[Norm017]

No, the author was male from memory.

[Norm017]

A quick bump, I've been hunting the second hand books shops over the past year just in case, but with the rise in 'remaindered books' the older material (70s/80s/90s) is becoming harder and harder to find.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Bump.

[Kris]

A long shot - Storms of Victory by Jerry Pournelle?

[Norm017]

Thanks for the suggestion Kris, but the book was by a British author from memory.

[Ayshe]

Dying of Paradise maybe? The Ice Belt is the sequel.

[Norm017]

Thank you. Those are the books I was looking for. As soon as I saw the blurbs I knew I had the right ones.