Smuggler’s Dilemma is the fifth science fiction book in the Privateer Tales series by author Jamie McFarlane.
Guerrilla warfare in the main asteroid belt. The Red Houzi pirate launched a deadly campaign, looting defenseless mining colonies and then disappearing into the deep darkness of space. No one can predict where or when they will appear next, not even the great Martian Defense Navy.

Liam Hoffen and Nick James have returned from their last meeting, grateful to be alive, but wondering what they will do next. Sterra’s gift is nothing more than a pile of broken pieces, tied to a pile of ore. Replacing their beloved ship was hopeless – or so they thought, until a crazy old man introduced them to an old British warship called the Hotspur.

The Red Houzi’s attack near Colony 40 spurs Liam and his team to action and they embark on a reckless race to save their family. But, what can a ship do against an entire fleet? They will risk everything, but the question is – will it be enough?

This series typically pushes the limits of logic and reliability with all the crazy coincidences and untrained kids beating tough professional criminals but it’s not quite beyond the boundaries of cartoons. Done with a wink and a nod and relax the rational part of your brain, it’s an enjoyable ride all the way. I especially appreciate the moral limitations of the author and the way the characters are portrayed.

Science fiction hardly seems to be a thing of the past, but not with McFarlane. With him, we have a lot of EVA rides for one reason or another, cleaning up broken or poorly maintained equipment and the like that other authors simply wave to. high tech ‘magic’.
I especially like manipulating gravity very locally for a variety of reasons. If you ask me, the upside down workout area is a clever construct.
But those are the characters we keep coming back to spend time with. Liam and his friends are good people to hang out with. To be sure, they were young and McFarlane needed time to develop their thoughts and actions from the foundation of youth, innocence, and purity. They are so successful that we can easily forget that they are just past their high school years. In other societies, it would take them decades to reach a place in life where they could command a ship. There’s no comparison to these belt-wearing kids, growing up in space. They do what needs to be done because they’ve grown up doing what needs to be done, child or not.
Science seemed solid to me, the social world seemed solid to me, and I enjoyed the characters.

• Smuggler’s Dilemma

• Privateer Tales, Book 5
• By: Jamie McFarlane

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