My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An exciting space thriller featuring space pirates and a daring operation to transport an asteroid to Earth's orbit.
Rock Hopper is a new and exciting space thriller from author Kenneth Ocklund featuring pirates and a daring and desperate operation to capture a resource-rich asteroid and transport it to a U.S. Navy spaceport orbiting Earth to mine it for its valuable metals. When access to a super-advanced spacecraft practically falls in his lap, the aimless son of a war hero killed in action after the "Satellite Wars" between the U.S. and Russia hatches a plan to provide such an asteroid to the Navy for a multi-trillion-dollar payday. However, his recent friendship with Becka, the captain of a space privateering operation, puts a target on his back by her traitorous former second-in-command, Blitz.
Toru is the son of a renowned war hero (and secret developer of an advanced triple-threat space fighter - atmosphere, near, and deep space - for the Russians), Tomas Tanner. Access to the "Manta Ray's" capabilities was limited to its creator and pilot by a DNA match, so the fighter has been hangared and basically forgotten in a remote Earthside spaceport in Sweden's far Lapland region: an unusable doorstop. However, with one touch from Toru, the ship responds. Toru, raised by his uncle, had made his quiet, lackluster way through life as a cheap guide into Lapland for budget-minded foreign tourists, drifting and aimless since his father's death when he was still a teenager. The connection to the "Manta Ray" also extends to the father he still grieves, and the opportunity to make something of this life using the spaceship to accomplish something no one else has been able to do galvanizes him. I enjoyed that despite this teenage trauma, for most of the book, Toru is upbeat, rarely succumbing to despair even when things look hopeless and the situation gets dire.Heading up intersecting storylines are Becka, the captain of the "Ching Shih" and her pirate crew, and Vanja, Turo's childhood friend, now the commander of the American-leased naval spaceport in Sweden. When Blitz, Becka's second-in-command, leaves her for dead during an incursion, she and her remaining loyal crew members shift sides to become privateers with letters of marque, looking for revenge against the traitorous Blitz. Vanja enables her old friend and former sweetheart in his venture by granting him access to the "Manta Ray" and setting him up with the commander of the orbiting spaceport where he first encounters Becka. Toru is an engaging innocent in many ways, and while Becka is wily and experienced, she's still someone you hope will come out on top. There is an immediate attraction between the two that is fun; however, Vanja is still carrying a torch for her former sweetheart.
The story progresses swiftly, with the multiple storylines impacting each other in surprising and dangerous ways. Toru's asteroid mission is fraught with peril, and he endures many tense situations. His partnership with the ship's AI "Ray" to creatively solve problems was compelling reading, and the assistance of the mining robot, Baxter, another figure from Toru's childhood, proves fortuitous yet bittersweet. Although the story comes to a close, there are still some loose ends left hanging, such as the romantic triangle and the whereabouts of Captain Becka's nemesis, Blitz. While there's no mention of a sequel, I certainly hope for more adventures featuring these characters.I recommend ROCK HOPPER to readers of science fiction and space adventures.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.