William Greenleaf (2) (1948–)

Starjacked focuses on a pilot and two teen-agers after the pilot and a news reporter are captured by a gang of interplanetary outlaws and renegade “Guard” officers who hijacked a Starliner. The hijackers plan to free their confederates from the prison planet holding the worst convicts in the galaxy. With the increased manpower and advanced warship berthed in the Starliner, they will rule an entire section of the galaxy. Their plan fails when a teenaged girl and her two brothers rescue the pilot and reporter. They enlist the help of one of the ship’s technicians and attempt to notify the Guard of the ship’s location.

The characters are a likable but sketchily drawn collection of savants. The young girl is more deadly with a sling than the hoodlums are with guns, one of the older brothers has a detailed knowledge of the massive star liner’s mechanical systems, and the pilot turns out to be an effective tactician. While implausible, that is not a fatal shortcoming in science-fiction. What’s critical is that the scenario created by the author captivates readers and induces them to suspend their critical judgment and enjoy the fun. “Starjacked” does just that.

I am amused by one anomaly: the advertising blurbs on the front and back covers focus on the reporter's efforts, who reportedly will find himself “leading a full-scale guerrilla rebellion” to seize control of the ship. Nonsense. The reporter is a tertiary character of minor importance. It appears the person who wrote the advertising material did not read the book.

The bottom line, however, is that the plot of Starjacked maintained my interest and the story moved along at a snappy pace.… (meer)