Tor.com, September 2017
“Angel of the Blockade” by Alex Wells
Reviewed by Bob Blough
Surprisingly there is only one story this month at Tor.com, but a very enjoyable story it is.
Alex Wells comes up with a nuanced main character called Nata in “Angel of the Blockade.” This is modern space opera at its best. Nata is a smuggler between planets and empires and space stations. Her ship–the Goodluck Grey Pearl–is the fastest and she is the best pilot in the cosmos. And in the course of this novelette she proves this. The story is not new–a smuggler takes on a cargo that is more trouble than it is worth–and turns it into an exciting ride with even a bit of emotional depth involved. It is fast and frenetic yet never confusing and smells like the start of a new series. I am moved to follow along. Great fun.