Igniting the Reaches author: David Drake rating: asin: 0441001793 binding: Paperback list price: $5.99 USD amazon price: $5.99

This book is the first in a series loosely based on the career of Sir Francis Drake.

It starts out as a story of traders seeking new trading routes for their goods, but then an "incedent" happens which turns the whole thing on its head. Their principal rival trading state decided earlier to close its borders, and our gang gets caught up in a firefight. This being the straw which breaks the camel's back, Our Heros turn to commerce raiding.

One of the things that throws me is the Mirror Worlds. There isn't a real explaination of it in this book, but as it's a major plot point, I'd like to have seen a better explaination of it.

The book starts out a little slow, but builds into a fairly fast-paced book about a third of the way in. Still, though, not at the pace you see from his Slammers stories.

In my opinion, this isn't David Drake's finest work, but, by far not his worst.