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Star Rigger #1
Panglor
In this prequel to Jeffrey A. Carver's STAR RIGGER Universe, we find Panglor Balef, space pilot, on the edge of sanity. Forced to embark upon a hopeless mission, the life-weary pilot suddenly finds himself in the depths of space--in a place that seems beyond reality. Is this the horrifying end of his journey? Or could it be a window to a new and incredible path of discovery? Panglor must fight for his life to find answers?
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 16, 2021
You’d be a good pilot, probably, if you weren’t so unstable.
Meet Panglor Balef. Space Pilot. Most likely certifiable. His inability to find (and keep) a good job combined with drug use and poor decision making, inevitably lands him in a “wrong place, wrong time� scenario. Thereby setting the stage for this prequel to the Star Rigger series.
I have to be honest; it wasn’t always easy trying to understand the protagonist and his motives. Obviously, his mental state is central to the plot, so expect some histrionics as he alternates between bursts of rage and episodes of incapacitating anxiety (with physical symptoms to boot).
Now, this is a bit of an odd book. But perhaps I should explain: the Star Rigger universe is defined by its unique take on space travel, and particularly superluminal travel, through a hyperspace realm called The Flux. Only certain space pilots (called star riggers) are able to use the flux, because of the mental toll and requirements involved. Only those with the imagination and willpower to bend hyperspace to their will (in a manner of speaking), can pilot the streams of the flux. But what would such a person be like?
At the beginning of this book, the flux has not been discovered yet, and FTL travel (foreshortening) is achieved by entering a generated collapsing field and getting pulled out of foreshortening by a generated capture field once you’ve reached your destination. It is a hell of a risky business, having to do with very exact angles and calculations, and actually makes for some of the more thrilling sequences in this book.
The ship lurched and pitched nineteen degrees. They continued to accelerate toward the field, but started killing some of their sideways vector. Drivers went to full power, running smooth but hot.
It is a space adventure, with the action moving from space station to planet et al, but there are some psychedelic bits thrown in for good measure. As you may have surmised, the rest of the book then deals with the discovery of the flux (and subsequently the first “star rigger�), as such there are two main themes that are focused on throughout: firstly, the mental state of the protagonist, and secondly, the way superluminal science is understood (or misunderstood) and applied in this universe.
”That’s one way to look at it. Another way is that in the ocean of reality as we know it, there are billions of imperceptible wavefronts of distortion, of aberration. And here they all intersect, reinforcing each other, and it’s like a gigantic standing wavefront of distorted reality. In a way, it’s like a black hole singularity, minus the gravitational effects.�
Now, it should be clear to you, as reader, that suspension of disbelief is going to be required. The real question is whether this novel succeeds only as a prequel, or whether it can stand alone on its own merit.
As with the other Star Rigger book I've read at the time of writing this (), I found the bits detailing the flux (even though it isn't called that here yet) always fascinating.
The world went dim, and he felt himself falling. The world turned about him in a blur, turned like the rushing of the wind, like the wheeling of the stars, like the vast rotation of the galaxies. Turning� falling through an incredible tunnel�
…and he became aware of voices, human and inhuman, screams and whistles and clicks and brrrring rasps, and he squinted and thought he saw a layering in the world as it passed around him, a kind of wide latticework, glistening strands crossing and crisscrossing all around, with dark emptiness below him, as though [her] analogy of a hole in the fabric of space had come to life around him.
Despite Panglor being a difficult book to review, I have to say that I found a lot to enjoy. It is a product of its time (it was published in the 1980s) and will likely have more appeal to readers who are familiar with the Star Rigger series, even so�. 3.5 stars.
September 5, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Some very alien world building and plenty of sciencey notions. Some of this felt like it could have been written in the 1950s and other parts seemed like they could have been written just this side of the Twenty-first century. I'm looking forward to working through the rest of this series.
January 18, 2016
The longer I read this the more the rating goes down. It is slow. I feel like I am stuck in someone's LSD fantasy with only a part time grip on reality, which I am pretty sure defines the main character, Panglor. Since my version of reality is science fiction, that is pretty tough to do to me. I do like the alien pet. The female character is only partially developed.
This is book 3 , and I started with this one because I obtained it for free through bookpub. I didn't realize it was part of a series until I started writing this review at 80% through the book. I only am continuing to read it because I have this problem of when I start of book, I finish it. I read the author's notes and he does recommend starting the series with this book in terms of content as opposed to timeline.
I kept looking for why it received such excellent reviews on Amazon with comparisons to Asimov and 68 of 82 reviews giving it a 4 or 5 star rating. It just didn't grab me and it was a struggle to read, putting me to sleep several times. Being relieved that I finished it is a rare experience for me. But, that is the best I can say about the story. I can also state the author's writing skills are excellent as to mechanics. His style just didn't engage me.
This is book 3 , and I started with this one because I obtained it for free through bookpub. I didn't realize it was part of a series until I started writing this review at 80% through the book. I only am continuing to read it because I have this problem of when I start of book, I finish it. I read the author's notes and he does recommend starting the series with this book in terms of content as opposed to timeline.
I kept looking for why it received such excellent reviews on Amazon with comparisons to Asimov and 68 of 82 reviews giving it a 4 or 5 star rating. It just didn't grab me and it was a struggle to read, putting me to sleep several times. Being relieved that I finished it is a rare experience for me. But, that is the best I can say about the story. I can also state the author's writing skills are excellent as to mechanics. His style just didn't engage me.
September 11, 2022
Having read up to and including book #3 in the series, I am putting the story down, but it is kind of a good one. A true psychedelic storytelling (especially in book #1) which takes me back to my childhood. Many of those really old sci-fi stories had this exact vibe going.
The story deals in many quite unique concepts that seem to flicker uncertainly between sci-fi and fantasy, though in the end it isn't really a sci-fi book at all. The storytelling was good, I liked the character building and the world is very interesting indeed. I didn't felt like rating this five stars, though, nor continuing it past #3 simply because the story just didn't grab me, without anything very obviously wrong that I would like to point out to a potential reader. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a decent fantasy read.
Oh, and there's dragons, parts of the story is even told from dragon's point of view, but it's weird. I didn't like them too much in this story. I am shelving this as "dragons as plot device", because I don't feel there was any emphasis on the draconic aspect at all. Dragons are essentially daemons in this story, who just happen to exist in sort of (but not always) the shape of a dragon. It did not felt right to me. If you are looking for draconic literature, I'd skip this one.
The story deals in many quite unique concepts that seem to flicker uncertainly between sci-fi and fantasy, though in the end it isn't really a sci-fi book at all. The storytelling was good, I liked the character building and the world is very interesting indeed. I didn't felt like rating this five stars, though, nor continuing it past #3 simply because the story just didn't grab me, without anything very obviously wrong that I would like to point out to a potential reader. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a decent fantasy read.
Oh, and there's dragons, parts of the story is even told from dragon's point of view, but it's weird. I didn't like them too much in this story. I am shelving this as "dragons as plot device", because I don't feel there was any emphasis on the draconic aspect at all. Dragons are essentially daemons in this story, who just happen to exist in sort of (but not always) the shape of a dragon. It did not felt right to me. If you are looking for draconic literature, I'd skip this one.
January 11, 2015
Panglor Balef is an unfairly disgraced space pilot, struggling to support himself and his empathic pet ou-ralot with ground-based work, when he is coerced into accepting a mission of murder. He's to pilot an old freighter to a near-collision with another freighter from a large, successful company--Balef's hated former employer. The point is to force the ship to make a bad entry into "foreshortened" space--the technological trick that allows faster-than-light travel--so that it will be lost in limbo and never reach its destination.
Panglor hates his former employer, but he's not a killer, and he's not stupid. He takes off intending to find some way to evade the trap if at all possible. His life doesn't get easier when he discovers he has a stowaway, Alo, an impossibly annoying young woman he encountered briefly on the space station. The frightening encounter at the interception point lands all of them--Panglor, his stowaway, and the target ship, Deerfield, in disaster. They successfully entered foreshortening, but they exit at an abandoned system--abandoned because of the bizarre events and numerous ship losses that happened there. They're trapped in an area of madly shifting reality.
This the prequel to the Star Rigger universe, and Panglor has discovered what is known in the books set later in the sequence as "the flux." It's always a question whether to read a series in internal order or publication order. I think this is a case where publication order is the right choice. Panglor will make more sense if the reader knows where this is going. Carver has a clear and direct story-telling style, and his characters are solid and convincing. There are real villains, but most people try to do the right thing. Alo is a smart, tough, resourceful character, and she more than pulls her weight on this bizarre trip (which has some resemblance, at times, to descriptions of LSD trips). Since the publication date is 1980, along with the relatively small total number that we see, it's probably not fair to ask why we don't see any other female spacers.
All in all, this is a solid, enjoyable read, especially if you're already familiar with the Star Rigger universe.
I bought this book.
Panglor hates his former employer, but he's not a killer, and he's not stupid. He takes off intending to find some way to evade the trap if at all possible. His life doesn't get easier when he discovers he has a stowaway, Alo, an impossibly annoying young woman he encountered briefly on the space station. The frightening encounter at the interception point lands all of them--Panglor, his stowaway, and the target ship, Deerfield, in disaster. They successfully entered foreshortening, but they exit at an abandoned system--abandoned because of the bizarre events and numerous ship losses that happened there. They're trapped in an area of madly shifting reality.
This the prequel to the Star Rigger universe, and Panglor has discovered what is known in the books set later in the sequence as "the flux." It's always a question whether to read a series in internal order or publication order. I think this is a case where publication order is the right choice. Panglor will make more sense if the reader knows where this is going. Carver has a clear and direct story-telling style, and his characters are solid and convincing. There are real villains, but most people try to do the right thing. Alo is a smart, tough, resourceful character, and she more than pulls her weight on this bizarre trip (which has some resemblance, at times, to descriptions of LSD trips). Since the publication date is 1980, along with the relatively small total number that we see, it's probably not fair to ask why we don't see any other female spacers.
All in all, this is a solid, enjoyable read, especially if you're already familiar with the Star Rigger universe.
I bought this book.
February 17, 2017
Well that was different...
I'm of really mixed feelings about this book. I hated the first half but was too stubborn to put it down. But then, either I got used to the characters or the story got better, I began to almost like it. There were still plenty of things about this story that irritated me. Panglor was totally nuts and I never felt like we got enough explanation for why that was the case. On the other hand, the story couldn't work if he weren't a bit twisted. So I grudgingly and retroactively accepted his weirdness. Also, Alo didn't make a lot of sense as a character. Brilliant, rebellious, and for some reason she fell for Panglor. Seriously? The story, although revised since it's original publication in 1980, felt rather dated. The description of the "planet" Panglor and Alo end up on seemed like a bad drug trip. But it was interesting overall.
I'm of really mixed feelings about this book. I hated the first half but was too stubborn to put it down. But then, either I got used to the characters or the story got better, I began to almost like it. There were still plenty of things about this story that irritated me. Panglor was totally nuts and I never felt like we got enough explanation for why that was the case. On the other hand, the story couldn't work if he weren't a bit twisted. So I grudgingly and retroactively accepted his weirdness. Also, Alo didn't make a lot of sense as a character. Brilliant, rebellious, and for some reason she fell for Panglor. Seriously? The story, although revised since it's original publication in 1980, felt rather dated. The description of the "planet" Panglor and Alo end up on seemed like a bad drug trip. But it was interesting overall.
August 29, 2021
Panglor is the prequel to Jeffrey A. Carver's Star Rigger universe. I actually enjoyed this one a lot. I liked the strange science and the unreal landscape and the characters. They all come together to tell a damn good story.
Panglor has not had the best of luck and in the beginning of the novel he is not exactly a likeable person. He has a chip on his shoulder, big time. But when the time comes, he manages to shine. At the beginning, he has just been fired from his position as a pilot for Vikken, a space transport system. And as he's wandering around feeling sorry for himself he manages to get in some trouble, and is offered a pilots position from an extremely shady competitor, Grakoff and Garikoff, with a stipulation that is not even in the neighborhood of legal, but Panglor is in over his head so he agrees, hoping to turn the tables. His efforts to sabotage the plans of Grakoff and Garikoff sets him on the adventure of a lifetime. I will be returning to these Star Rigger novels. Jeffrey A. Carver writes some interesting science and I'm curious as to where his universe goes.
Panglor has not had the best of luck and in the beginning of the novel he is not exactly a likeable person. He has a chip on his shoulder, big time. But when the time comes, he manages to shine. At the beginning, he has just been fired from his position as a pilot for Vikken, a space transport system. And as he's wandering around feeling sorry for himself he manages to get in some trouble, and is offered a pilots position from an extremely shady competitor, Grakoff and Garikoff, with a stipulation that is not even in the neighborhood of legal, but Panglor is in over his head so he agrees, hoping to turn the tables. His efforts to sabotage the plans of Grakoff and Garikoff sets him on the adventure of a lifetime. I will be returning to these Star Rigger novels. Jeffrey A. Carver writes some interesting science and I'm curious as to where his universe goes.
January 10, 2020
Another rouge anti-hero with a cute alien sidekick � and already the plot has backed itself into a cliched corner.
The writing style is straightforward and pedestrian, but not overly bad. However, the characters and plot are a retread of dozens of novels that came before it. So, if Carver is going to squeeze his idea into this already crowded genre, then it needs to find some originality. Nope.
After 50 pages, it’s obvious this is just another copy.
The writing style is straightforward and pedestrian, but not overly bad. However, the characters and plot are a retread of dozens of novels that came before it. So, if Carver is going to squeeze his idea into this already crowded genre, then it needs to find some originality. Nope.
After 50 pages, it’s obvious this is just another copy.
November 15, 2017
Very interesting read. The character development was on point. The imagination used in this is refreshing with situations such as the "planet" not being a planet but an unstable rift in the space time continuum. This is the first I've read in this series and look forward to reading more by this author.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
September 8, 2019Why I didn't finish this: I had remembered liking Carver's Star Rigger (something my dad had for years), so I wanted to read the rest of the series. I tried Seas of Ernathe (not so great), reread Star Rigger (good), and then I gave up during Panglor. I'm just not into stories with weird reality/dream-like bits.
November 6, 2024
I'm interesting book
Our hero, Panglor, it's just crazy enough not to go back guano insane when he lands on a planet where everything shifts and you can't believe your eyes.
With his comfort animal, and a young, pretty stowaway, they tried to make it home without being killed by the bad guys.
There's a sense of woo woo about this book that I find very interesting.
Our hero, Panglor, it's just crazy enough not to go back guano insane when he lands on a planet where everything shifts and you can't believe your eyes.
With his comfort animal, and a young, pretty stowaway, they tried to make it home without being killed by the bad guys.
There's a sense of woo woo about this book that I find very interesting.
July 3, 2018
Conceptually intriguing, good characterization
Struggling through space and time the characters have to find their way home. The dimensional rift captures and holds them until they corral their own emotions. Keeps the reader guessing and turning the page. Worth the time to read.
Struggling through space and time the characters have to find their way home. The dimensional rift captures and holds them until they corral their own emotions. Keeps the reader guessing and turning the page. Worth the time to read.
July 6, 2018
Crazy helps
I’ve wondered from time to time if some of the traits that society deems not exceptable are in fact necessary for the future. The author makes this something of a survival skill. Good read.
I’ve wondered from time to time if some of the traits that society deems not exceptable are in fact necessary for the future. The author makes this something of a survival skill. Good read.
November 12, 2024
good to read a space opera book again. this one does not have the magical switching through wormholes or whatever. but does have a disorder in the logical process of space travel which creates a planet that is not a planet.
December 28, 2017
Fun read
Interesting premise that there is a world/universe where people who don't fit into regular society can actually excel. Light, enjoyable read.
Interesting premise that there is a world/universe where people who don't fit into regular society can actually excel. Light, enjoyable read.
May 23, 2018
Fun
Quite a fun book, the main characters are entertaining and crazy but in a good way so that you have fun reading about them.
Quite a fun book, the main characters are entertaining and crazy but in a good way so that you have fun reading about them.
August 21, 2020
I feel like Jeffrey A. Carver is highly underrated. I love the universes he builds and the characters he fills them with.
November 23, 2023
Very difficult to read in the beginning but I became invested in the characters and enjoyed the ending.
August 20, 2024
this one grew on me. an interesting story.
October 17, 2016
Very entertaining book, fast moving and enjoyable. I can't wait to read more of this series.
December 2, 2015
A better book than I thought it would be, given that it was a Book Bub freebie. It was a little slow in setting up, introducing us to the protagonist as a relatively unstable anti-hero, the dirty job he is hired to do, and the annoying, thugish teen side-kick. In the author's universe, if one does not enter "hyperspace" correctly, the ship and crew disappear to who knows where, if anywhere.
Panglor, the protagonist, is hired to make sure a ship does not enter hyperspace in the right way. Panglor succeeds, but also sends himself and the thugish side-kick to an alternate realm where time and space are very fluid concepts and reality is nothing as it might seem.
At this point the story gets little more interesting, as Panglor et al navigate this alternate reality and meet others, and try to get out of this alternative place. Only the protagonist is creative/unstable enough to envision what is going on, and "thinks" up the reality that allows them to escape.
Panglor, the protagonist, is hired to make sure a ship does not enter hyperspace in the right way. Panglor succeeds, but also sends himself and the thugish side-kick to an alternate realm where time and space are very fluid concepts and reality is nothing as it might seem.
At this point the story gets little more interesting, as Panglor et al navigate this alternate reality and meet others, and try to get out of this alternative place. Only the protagonist is creative/unstable enough to envision what is going on, and "thinks" up the reality that allows them to escape.
February 10, 2017
Twists and turns and interesting adventure!
I really enjoy the Star Rigger stories (especially the Dragon stories!) and this book fits in well with the series. A prequel, of sorts, it had a good arc - from disgraced pilot pressured by, well, space-mobsters, to a castaway, to hero - Panglor goes through a hero's journey of sorts.
Carver's Star Rigger 'verse is a nice change from Star Wars/Trek genre fiction (which I certainly don't eschew). It would be fun to see more - especially in the Dragon realms, though I doubt that is coming.
I really enjoy the Star Rigger stories (especially the Dragon stories!) and this book fits in well with the series. A prequel, of sorts, it had a good arc - from disgraced pilot pressured by, well, space-mobsters, to a castaway, to hero - Panglor goes through a hero's journey of sorts.
Carver's Star Rigger 'verse is a nice change from Star Wars/Trek genre fiction (which I certainly don't eschew). It would be fun to see more - especially in the Dragon realms, though I doubt that is coming.
September 11, 2015
Every time I read a sci-fi novel, I'm in awe of the imagination that goes into it. Mr. Carver has done an excellent job of creating characters and locations and conversations that make this book gripping and interesting. Adding an empath (ou-ralot) pet and a scrappy young woman makes the story even more engaging. Being marooned on a planet that is a space discontinuity is a different twist, with scenes that change enough to drive some spacers crazy.
This is the second book I've read by Jeffrey A. Carver. I've thoroughly enjoyed both of them. This book is a minor revision of one written earlier by him, and it ends rather than forcing you to continue in a series to reach the completion of the tale.
This is the second book I've read by Jeffrey A. Carver. I've thoroughly enjoyed both of them. This book is a minor revision of one written earlier by him, and it ends rather than forcing you to continue in a series to reach the completion of the tale.
February 17, 2013
I'm returning to Carver after having been away from him for several years. This small 90-page short story or novella is meant to be the first of the Star Rigger Universe series, even though it was published after some of the later volumes of the series. Several years ago I read "Eternity's End", meant to be the fifth volume of the series. See for a nice listing of all of Carver's books available as e-books. Just as my memory had it, Carver writes in an easy style which, while being almost childlike in its tone, nevertheless has plenty of science, action, excitement, adventure and danger. That's why I liked and still like Carver's work so much.
January 24, 2016
I have been downloading a lot of "free" books from Amazon and Google to the Kindle and tablet for reading away from home. I never expect much but so far have found the books interesting. This is one that provides the background for the author's Outrigger series. I found it quite interesting and well written. There were a few things included in the book that really did not impact the story line and could have been left out very easily. None the less, I enjoyed the book and will likely read the rest of the series at some point.
March 15, 2013
Technically the first volume of a two volume prequel to an earlier series so I started here but could have started with the later first series - if you know what I mean.
It was okay, nothing spectacular to me partly because I suspect none of the characters grabbed me in particular but there are some element of the premise that give me a little hope for when I get into the formal star rigger series.
It was at least a very quick read.
It was okay, nothing spectacular to me partly because I suspect none of the characters grabbed me in particular but there are some element of the premise that give me a little hope for when I get into the formal star rigger series.
It was at least a very quick read.
September 30, 2022
A crusty, discredited space pilot and a stowaway girl of uncertain age, due to time dilation and other timey-wimey mishaps, crash-land on a planet where, to put it mildly, time is out of joint. There are bad guys, wrecked spacecraft, and stranded aliens. Panglor is the foundation book for Jeffrey A Carver’s six-book Star Rigger series originally published from 1976 to 2000. Carver’s flux-space universe has just enough hard science to keep it out of Dr. Who territory. 4 stars.
October 13, 2024
Written as an introduction to the Star Rigger series this book felt more suited to a short story than a full length novel. It lacked substance and the writing was a little immature. I will be interested to see how the series evoles both in content and writing style.
The main premise of the story was the forced landing and subsequent escape from Dimentia what came before and after was more padding than anything and could have been left out leaving a short well formed story behind.
The main premise of the story was the forced landing and subsequent escape from Dimentia what came before and after was more padding than anything and could have been left out leaving a short well formed story behind.
September 29, 2014
A clever story with some mediocre characters. There was too much introspection and general unknownness for my taste but a pretty good story nonetheless.
May 21, 2015
Another yummy book
Carter has a way with his stories, for certain. Too much fun, as we trip through the Star Rigger universe.
Carter has a way with his stories, for certain. Too much fun, as we trip through the Star Rigger universe.
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