Rogue Berserker - Fred Saberhagen Book Review

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Review Summary

Baen, Jan 2005, 22.00, 281 pp.
ISBN: 0743498739

Harry Silver, with a wife and as a new father, needs money, but a Berserker destroyed his vessel. Wealthy Winston Cheng offers him a small fortune along with a quality ship if Harry leads a private army to rescue his granddaughter and great-grandson kidnapped by a Berserker. Harry knows that if these killing machines allow a so-called "Goodlife" to live it is only because they become subservient. Winston feels this abduction is different because the death machine is a rogue which acts dissimilar from the others.

Harry learns that the rogue Berserker kidnapped his wife and son. His only hope to save his beloved Becky and Ethan, assuming they have not been terminated as so-called “Badlife” and that Cheng's theory is correct. Harry meets old friends, several enemies, and other adventurers while preparing for an assault.

Harriet Klausner

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of Rogue Berserker

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%

Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - rescue mission/escape from confinement
Robots, Computers, VR Yes
Robot, PC, VR Plotlets: - fighting evil robot(s)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - champion of justice
Age: - 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - An "It".
Profession/status: - mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Genius (really!)

Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only) - some scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript

Most similar books to Rogue Berserker
Berserker Prime by Fred Saberhagen
Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds
T2: Rising Storm by S.M. Stirling
Berserker's Star by Fred Saberhagen
Technogenesis by Syne Mitchell

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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