Algis Budrys 1 hr 16 min read

They were the hired gun-rabble of the System, and Ash Holcomb was doing fine, until a woman from his past walked in with high stakes and murder in her eyes.

Algis Budrys's 1953 story struts down Rocket Row, the neon-lit joy street of three planets, into a hard-boiled tale of mercenaries, money, and betrayal. Colorful, noir-tinged space opera with a tough-guy voice. Read it for pulpy golden-age SF that plays like a spaceport crime thriller.

In its time

Published in 1953, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

1 hr 16 min read (a novella, a full arc in one sitting or two).

Illustrated by

Alex Ebel