My reactions to reading this novel in 1993. Some spoilers follow.

This is the last installment in what The Science Fiction Encyclopedia calls the Laurie Jo Hansen sequence.

I enjoyed it, particularly the climax where the hero/engineer Kevin Senecal builds a steam powered rocket (an idea which also shows up in the conclusion of Pournelle’s King David’s Spaceship) to escape captivity on an asteroid. The scientific and enginnering nuts-and-bolts details were well worked out and enjoyable.

The book’s pessimism about the future of the world (as seen from 1977) as a descent into welfare statism with ever increasing welfare costs, ever more reluctance to invest in long term engineering and scientific ventures, and eve rmore environmental degradation (latter Pournelle writings, both fact and fiction, show his pessimism lessening on this point) is certainly a product of its time though the state of American society (petty bureaucrats overseeing welfare kingdoms, coddling of criminals, a propensity to see human society as something that can be rationally ordered using tenets from the “science” of psychology) is not to far removed from current America.

There were some problems with the novel. Wiley Ralston, Senecal’s old friend, was obviously involved in the sabotage of the Wayfarer ever since the spaceport scene where he warns Senecal to take another capsule. Also, the scene where Senecal and Glenda Hansen-MacKenzie are interrupted by clever villain (who ultimately succeeds in getting away and paying his gambling debts) Henri Stoire was pretty hackneyed. (Though thematically in keeping with Senecal being humilated and set on by street gangs and petty, power mad college counselor.). I liked the secret, rule-breaking fellowship of Futurians (hardly a coincidence that there was an sf club by that name) and the bomb driven asteroid. ( )

In some ways this book has the feel of a juvenile science fiction mystery. It's a stand alone, but follows on with some events and characters explored in Pournelles 'High Justice' collection.

This was a quick read, and a pleasant break from more dense science fiction. ( )

A typical Pournelle planetary novel. ( )