Chess With a Dragon

 

By David Gerrold

The galaxy is full of intelligent, space faring species. And now humans are one of those species. Being mammals, humans are looked down on by most of the other beings as insectoids and reptilians make up the majority of the intelligent creatures of the galaxy. 

New to the game, the humans start using the InterChange, which is a vast library filled with the combined knowledge of thousands of civilizations, downloading as much as they can, as quickly as they can. But they are brought up short when it is made clear to them that all that information is not free. In fact, humans have run up such a huge debt that it will be impossible to pay. For now the only way the debt can be paid is give all humankind into indentured servitude. Which, it turns out, is SOP among the civilizations of the galaxy. All the newbies are given access to the InterChange but are not informed, until it is too late, that it is not a free service. It is a pyramid of slavery, with the youngest races at the bottom and the oldest races at the top. 

But mammals haven't managed to survive in a galaxy filled with insectoids and reptilians without learning a few things. The humans turn to the Rh/attes, another mammalian species, for help because the Rh/attes work for the guys at the top, the Dragons. The Rh/attes have been part of this galaxy-wide game for a very long time. So with a few hints from the Rh/attes and their own ingenuity, the humans hope to beat the galaxy at its own game. 

This was quite the fun and crazy read. Less than 170 pages long, it was also a fast and easy read, although I was a bit lost in the first few chapters. Really enjoyable though. 

Here is a review by Publishers Weekly.

Leaping to the Stars

By David Gerrold

After Jumping Off the Planet and Bouncing Off the Moon, Charles and his two brothers Stinky and Doug are now Leaping to the Stars with their fugitive computer HARLIE that is disguised as a toy monkey. And once again they are on the run as various factions are determined to gain possession of HARLIE and the power that it can deliver. So they are pretty much forced to leave the moon and decide on Outbeyond, a struggling settlement on a planet in a different star system. Problem is, due to the state of crisis on Earth, it will be a one-way trip with no chance of return. And no guarantee of survival once they get there. Plus the only reason the Outbeyond colonists are willing to take the fugitives is that they also want the HARLIE unit, which could be the key to the colony's survival on a hostile and dangerous and isolated alien world.

Currently this series is referred to as a trilogy, which leads the reader to the assumption that Charles and the rest will reach their destination and have all sorts of adventures in their brave new world. At least that's what I thought. So I was disappointed that this book is solely concerned with the journey and not the arrival. Once the author gets his players off the moon and resuming their journey, that's all the further they get. The rest of the story is situated on the colony ship headed to Outbeyond. So that was a let down.
This story mainly focuses on Charles' growing pains as he learns to negotiate life on the ship. His older brother and younger brother are merely bit players in this story as are his mom (the dad got left behind on the moon), popping up occasionally to offer bits of advice and wisdom. Even the HARLIE unit makes only brief appearances and has a few boring philosophical discussions with Charles. Speaking of philosophical discussions, the book is loaded with them, a real bonus if you like that sort of thing. I don't and found them tedious and sometimes preachy.
Anyway, the main thrust of the book becomes the conflict between Charles and a large group of passengers who are a bunch of religious zealots. They feel that the HARLIE unit is a tool of the devil and that Charles is its pawn. At first they try to convert Charles and when that doesn't work, they organize a mutiny.
I tried to like this book, but what I really wanted to read was a book about settlers on a new world, not about dissension between a bunch of people stuck on a spaceship. Still parts of it were pretty interesting and engaging even if the story ends before they ever arrive at Outbeyond.