Action! Adventure! Space opera!
Mykl d'Angelo, skipper and owner of the loderunner Pegasus, had fallen on hard times - and he'd just had the worst day of his life in that field. Due a minor misunderstanding, his crew had stolen the "Short Shit" - the ship's only shuttle, leaving him and two others behind to crew the ailing (and now understaffed) loderunner on their own. As if that weren't bad enough, just a few hours later, the rickety old ship literally lost its stardrive in the middle of the middle of nowhere. To add insult to injury, Mykl's two remaining crewmen were killed in the explosion. Marooned alone in deep space, Mykl d'Angelo counted his blessings, offered prayers to any gods who specialized in miracles, and prepared to await (A) seemingly unlikely rescue, or (B) a lingering death.
In the meantime, as though in answer to d'Angelo's pleas, a starship of the Imperial Space Fleet had been dispatched to investigate the mysterious silence of a remote starbase nearby. Rescue takes place, but at a price - taking into consideration Mykl d'Angelo's past service in the Fleet - and his not insignificant knowledge and experience of Corsairs, he quickly finds himself re-activated in an advisory capacity. Proceeding at full alert, the Antares prepared for the worst - that is, the probability that the lost starbase had been attacked and destroyed by Corsairs... space pirates who dominate the space lanes and whose bloody choke-hold on interstellar trade overshadowed the last 100 years of Human history.
Seemingly by sheer coincidence, their paths cross with a legendary and fearsome Corsair - a man whose name sent shivers running down the spines of lesser men. Blachart... Blachart the Bloody.
"Blachart" is book 1 in the Galaxii Series by Christina Engela.
"At times tense, at other times funny, Christina manages to maintain a healthy balance between humour and excitement - producing a first novel that is as easy to read as it is a joy to experience. Truly this is one of the very best sci-fi novels that I have read all year!" - Mark Woods, author of "Time of Tides" and "Fear of the Dark".
