Timothy Zahn Night Train to Rigel

Night Train to Rigel

Timothy Zahn

Tor, Oct 2005, $24.95

ISBN: 0765307162

Two hundred years into the future, the Western Alliance Intelligence Agency fires whistle-blower Frank Compton for exposing the Yandro colony, a fiscal fiasco that allegedly was to turn earth into an interstellar superpower, but only lined pockets of the wealthy. The alien Spiders assign the courageous Frank to stop a pending war on Yandro. Accompanied by the female human Bayta, a Spider mole, Frank rides the hops to the Quadrail galactic transit system from earth to Yandro.

In Jurian space, the Halkas attack Frank and Bayta, but they escape only to learn that the enigmatic Modhra have caused the crisis at Yandro. Meanwhile Bellido insurgents want to destroy the intelligent coral on Modhran. As Frank struggles to figure out who is the enemy, Bayta warns him to avoid contact with the insidious coral, while others recommend otherwise if he wants to learn first hand the truth why the coral is the center of a potential galaxy-wide war.

Though there are too many twists, young adult readers will enjoy this solid science fiction thriller because of the ethical hero's dilemma of sorting the enemy from friend, as everyone, even Bayta seems like they want to harm him. The action-packed storyline has Frank and Bayta jumping from one escapade to another; so fans will have no time for a deep breath. Though the hazards are overdone to hide friend from foe, fans will enjoy this fine caper of one caring person ready to battle the universe to save the innocent, though he does not know from what.