The Widowmaker

Rating:
Summary: I highly recommend all 3 Mike Resnick's Widowmakers books.
Review: Mike Resnick has done a great at translating the Old West lawman/bounty hunter to the frontiers of space. However, Jefferson Nighthawk, aka the Widowmaker, the best at his job is sent on a mission ill prepared to face the emotional realities of his world. This Widowmaker is a clone that is trained with the original's physical skills, but not the his emotional mind set or memories. Read the book to see if the young Widowmaker survives to complete his mission.

Rating:
Summary: A mildly entertaining, yet fast read
Review: Perhaps I expected too much of the Widowmaker, with its sexy blue-skinned babe and Elfin, mildly effeminate and dashing captain at the helm on the cover. Although I did get interstellar adventure, interplanetary shoot-outs, dramatic, but awkwardly choreographed fight scenes, and yes, titilating sexual innuendo, the book ultimately left me a little flat.

Although I really did like the set-up for the ending, the actual sequence of events at the end was kind of abrupt. I do like the irony of the main character's downfall using a scantily clad stray tail, and I did like the scathing cynicism thrown at organized religion, relationships and politics.

Maybe I will check out the second book, and maybe I will not. One thing is certain, though; the premise is quite intriguing, and perhaps the story gets tighter in the second book.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Awful
Review: The backcover blurb about a "killing machine," a bounty hunter who is cloned to track down a notorious assassin certainly sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, it didn't take long to realize the author had pretty much wasted the interesting premise through pedestrian (and worse, at times amateurish) writing. All of the characters, except perhaps Father Christmas, are pretty annoying and cliche'ish. Father Christmas is just cliche'ish. The dialogue is inane and too often juvenile prattle, which is really bad because the book is virtually all dialogue. I think this was the first Resnick book I've read. It will be my last.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Awful
Review: The backcover blurb about a "killing machine," a bounty hunter who is cloned to track down a notorious assassin certainly sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, it didn't take long to realize the author had pretty much wasted the interesting premise through pedestrian (and worse, at times amateurish) writing. All of the characters, except perhaps Father Christmas, are pretty annoying and cliche'ish. Father Christmas is just cliche'ish. The dialogue is inane and too often juvenile prattle, which is really bad because the book is virtually all dialogue. I think this was the first Resnick book I've read. It will be my last.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Awful
Review: The backcover blurb about a "killing machine," a bounty hunter who is cloned to track down a notorious assassin certainly sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, it didn't take long to realize the author had pretty much wasted the interesting premise through pedestrian (and worse, at times amateurish) writing. All of the characters, except perhaps Father Christmas, are pretty annoying and cliche'ish. Father Christmas is just cliche'ish. The dialogue is inane and too often juvenile prattle, which is really bad because the book is virtually all dialogue. I think this was the first Resnick book I've read. It will be my last.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but the second one is better
Review: This book is very good, it entertained me, but I enjoyed the 2nd book in the series better. This also caputres the naievete of a three month old in a 20 yer old persons body. Very interestin.