I didn't know what I was getting into here... Let me go out on a limb. While I don't intend to give a spoiler (I like this book so I wouldn't ruin it for you) I suspect many if not most people who have read quite a lot will see where the book is going and it's surprise won't really be a surprise. That said even if you do spot it, it's worth the ride.You will I suspect be right at home here if you've read much science fiction. This is another western/science fiction novel where all the facets of

4.5 to 5.0 stars. Mike Resnick's books are always a ton of fun and this one is among my favorites. Bigger than life characters chasing around the "Outer Frontier" of Resnick's remarkable universe (in which all of his books take place within) in search of the mythical "Santiago." I basically read it straight through and really enjoyed it. Highly recommended. Nominee: Locus Award Best SF Novel (10th)

All fluff and no substance. Lauded for "larger than life" characters, I found most of them to be boorish cardboard cutouts of characters. The scenes are hardly described and bland, the best ideas and people are left to languish. There's (view spoiler)[ a major character whose death is supposed to be a big turning point, a show of just how honorable the Songbird is, but alas the ships death is wasted because I didn't care about him, or his whining. (hide spoiler)] Lauded for being fun, I imagine...

Caught somewhere between Firefly and a bio pic, I couldn't help but think what a wonderful mini series this would make. But then shortly thereafter it occurs to me that the complete and utter joy of this book isn't so much in the adventure, it's in the flamboyant, delightful characters you encounter with each chapter and that this would likely make for a rather dull and uneventful mini series.Fortunately it is however a more than thoroughly enjoyable read! My only complaint would be that Resnick...

Dear Kenny,Thanks for your last letter. Glad I could remind you of a favorite novel from long ago, and I’m glad to have joined the club of “People that read the *%^#ing classics” as you so eloquently put it.Got another one for you, not quite as old, and not quite as famous, but so much fun. Have you heard of Mike Resnick? He’s written quite a few books, none of which I had read before I picked up Santiago. This is another recommendation from Card’s interview with GoodReads. In the interview he t...

They say his father was a comet and his mother a cosmic wind, that he juggles planets as if they were feathers and wrestles with black holes just to work up an appetite. They say he never sleeps, and that his eyes burn brighter than a nova, and that his shout can level mountains.They call him Santiago.A Space Western with a remarkable emphasis on storytelling and legend weaving, this novel is a study in larger-than-life characters. In many ways it reminded me of a Sergio Leone film. It certainly...

A friend recommended this to me, saying that "Santiago" reminded him of "Firefly." Being the Joss Whedon obsessed fan that I am, I was immediately intrigued so I picked up a copy of this and the sequel novel, "The Return of Santiago."And now that I've read half of the saga (which, thankfully "Santiago" is a self contained book), I'm not sure I'm in any kind of hurry to pick up the next installment. It's not that "Santiago" is necessarily a bad book--it's not. It's just not necessarily a great bo...

Three StarsGood story with a different feel than most Science Fiction.On the good side, there were colourful characters, and an interesting back story. This reminded me of a the Clint Eastwood Bounty Hunter Spagetti Westerns like "A Few Dollars More" and "A Fist Full of Dollars." The setting reminded me very much of Josh Whedon's "Fifefly" Tv Series (And "Serenity" the Motion Picture follow-up). Basically this story could have been set in any story-adventure world, fantasy, modern, future. It ha...

This would also have been a 4.5 star review if I could, but I rounded up because the book was just so much fun. I don't like most comedies, even under the guise of science fiction, but this book manages to be light-hearted (there are a lot of deaths) and funny while still maintaining a serious undercurrent and not overusing puns and popular culture references. I also liked the ending. Overall, the book is warm, fuzzy, simple, and fun. Highly recommended.

This is another of my favorites, and in my opinion is Resnick's best story and contains his best writing by far. The book is filled with larger-than-life characters crafted to be similar to Paul Bunyan or Johnnie Appleseed, and the whole thing blends and builds to a wonderful mythic climax.

I read this book back in the early 90s the first time. The jumping around points of you bothered me a little bit this time would it did not end past. It is still a good book and I'm glad that I read it again. Santiago is a good introduction to Mike Resnick's Western like science fiction.

A cast of unlikeable characters and a central premise that defies believability. The "twist" at the end is incredibly obvious and the only thing that makes you even suspect that it might not turn out that way is that the characters all seem to be stupid enough to not think of it.Basically, the book is about bounty hunters going after a legendary criminal known as Santiago. But no one knows what he looks or sounds like, what his real name is, where he's from or even what crimes he's actually link...

I’m not sure when my desire to be a writer first sparked, but I can tell you when it roared into full flame; it was the day Mike Resnick spoke at my high school. I was a junior, and I’d been a voracious reader for years. I’d even written a short story for my English class, taught by one of my favorite teachers, Mrs. Henry. It might have been Mrs. Henry who arranged Resnick’s visit.To be perfectly honest, the thing that sealed the deal for me was Mike talking about how he slept as late as he want...

From Amazon, August 27, 2006: If I could give this a 6-star rating, I would. I tend to prefer fantasy, with medieval-type settings, with some magic or things of similar nature. This book doesn't even come close, and yet it is one of my favorite books; one of only a handful that I enjoy re-reading. It starts out as a corny space opera/wild-west style story. You might groan, thinking you have picked up one of the silliest stereotyped stories ever written. (I did, the first time I read it). And yet...

I really enjoyed this one. I have loved every story I’ve read in the birthright universe. This certainly didn’t disappoint. Told from several different perspectives by people trying to hunt down Santiago for one reason or another. I found that really fun. With an I should have seen that ending coming and still missed. I really whipped through this novel. A couldn’t put it down sort of read.

This is a science fiction Wild West tale about legends, life on the frontier, and revolution. In some ways it reminded me a little of the television series Firefly.Cain, a former revolutionary now bounty hunter, visits frontier planets searching for the legendary outlaw Santiago.“They say his father was a comet and his mother a cosmic wind, that he juggles planets as if they were feathers and wrestles with black holes just to work up an appetite.”Along the way we meet a wide cast of colorful cha...

You gotta love a book with character names such as: "Sebastian Nightingale Cain" aka "The Songbird", "The Angel", "Poor Yorick", "Jolly Swagman", "Man-Mountain Bates", "Virtue McKenzie" aka the "Virgin Queen", and "Moonripple". And all of these colorful characters want to know where the uber criminal/terrorist "Santiago" currently resides. Some want to kill him, others want to kiss him, many want to capture him, one wants to steal from him and another wants to interview him. Resnick broke the mo...

The most wanted man in the galaxy - Santiago. For thirty years he has been the King Of The Outlaws - sought by the most dangerous people in the galaxy - bounty hunters. Sebastian Nightingale Cain is one of them, but different in a small but significant way - he has not lost his sense of humanity and his desire to kill Santiago is not for fame but in order to feel some sense of achievement in his life which has so far been lacking. He had fought as a revolutionary but always for the wrong people

I can't understand what all the fuss is about with this book. Fantasy Review said:“Santiago is a first-class space opera, maybe the best ever written.”Other people kept referring to "larger than life characters", still others said it was the best book they'd ever read and that the plot twist was magnificent. Well, all that seems like a good endorsement. I started reading, 30% into the book I found it boring and not first-class at all. I kept waiting for the "larger than life characters" to appea...

Good book, Fresh--if obvious--plot twist. Not so much SF or fantasy as a horse opera set in space, but that worked for George Lucas.Liked using the verses of doggerel as a devise for propelling and explaining the plot. (Especially cute that almost all were admitted to be in error.)