The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Marc Miller's Traveller: Gateway to the Stars by Pierce Askegren 0-671-01188-X

$5.99. Published by Byron Preiss Multimedia Company, Inc. and distributed by Pocket Books.

Published July, 1998, but only just became available (in several copies) in my local B,Daltons.

This was the first in a series of three novels, and is not complete. Too bad, because with the demise of Imperium Games the publisher has canceled the series.

The novel is not bad. The hero is a criminal who has purchased someone else's identity -- and memories -- in order to travel to a nebula in search of some Droyne artifacts. He has a Free Trader, also bought from the other identity, and the other identity's problems. He is forced by circumstance to take on a very rich passenger, a member of the bird-like Guy-Troy race, and to recruit from guildmembers stuck on a planet off the regular trade lanes.

The novel covers three worlds including the starting point. It has some good uses of Universal IDs, weapons, communications, and other aspects of the Traveller universe, so it would probably make a good sourcebook for Traveller fans.

However, there is a lie on the cover. It advertsises "an all-new Traveller module by Marc Miller" but instead it just has a summary of how characteristics work in the RPG game -- very disappointing.

And hey -- if enough people buy it, maybe they will publish another one.

Note: there is a much better review at http://www.sfsite.com/11b/gate45.htm

which is how I found out about it in the first place.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Marc Miller's Traveller: Gateway to the Stars
Author: by Pierce Askegren Category: Company/Publisher: Published by Byron Preiss Multimedia Company, Inc. and Cost: $5.99 Page count: 327 ISBN: 0-671-01188-X Capsule Review by Marc the Shark on 01/15/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Far_Future Space	Marc Miller's Traveller: Gateway to the Stars by Pierce Askegren 0-671-01188-X $5.99. Published by Byron Preiss Multimedia Company, Inc. and distributed by Pocket Books. Published July, 1998, but only just became available (in several copies) in my local B,Daltons. This was the first in a series of three novels, and is not complete. Too bad, because with the demise of Imperium Games the publisher has canceled the series. The novel is not bad. The hero is a criminal who has purchased someone else's identity -- and memories -- in order to travel to a nebula in search of some Droyne artifacts. He has a Free Trader, also bought from the other identity, and the other identity's problems. He is forced by circumstance to take on a very rich passenger, a member of the bird-like Guy-Troy race, and to recruit from guildmembers stuck on a planet off the regular trade lanes. The novel covers three worlds including the starting point. It has some good uses of Universal IDs, weapons, communications, and other aspects of the Traveller universe, so it would probably make a good sourcebook for Traveller fans. However, there is a lie on the cover. It advertsises "an all-new Traveller module by Marc Miller" but instead it just has a summary of how characteristics work in the RPG game -- very disappointing. And hey -- if enough people buy it, maybe they will publish another one. Note: there is a much better review at http://www.sfsite.com/11b/gate45.htm which is how I found out about it in the first place. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)