P. M. Griffin (1947–2020)

Murdock and Ashe are stuck in the living past of Hawaika after they'd seen off the threat of the Baldies to that ancient world. Not quite resigned to their fates, the two men reckon they're stuck there after their gate had been destroyed but Karara and the mysterious guardians of that past come to tell them that a way back was to appear in the near future. Not inclined to argue this seemingly incredible statement, the two men soon find themselves faced with the slight figure of Eveleen Riordan, come to bring them home. Back uptime in their present, they find Hawaika a living world but one that had been the heart of a thriving human civilisation had been reduced to a cinder and with a new mission; the reversal of the burn off. Back in time, Murdock finds himself organising a guerrilla war against the invading Ton, who's death was fated to wreck the nascent civilisation that would eventually beat off a Baldy incursion. As they fight for this land, Murdock and Riordan find themselves growing closer, and Murdock finds himself falling for the land he's fighting for as well. Eventually, the enemies are beaten and Ashe, Murdock and Riordan come back to a living presence.

Although Norton has already introduced the concepts of having members of the opposite sex having important roles in her previous Time Traders tale, this one also pushes a degree of romantic entanglement that is unusual for her books, though this is most likely the doing of her co-author PM Griffin… (más)

The Solar Queen and her crew have planeted on Canuche and the apprentices are enjoying their liberty when they go to a less than legitimate business in Happy City where they have a run in with some local hoodlums that brings them to the attention of the local Patrol office, but this time the local Patrol commander believes their tall tale enough to plan a raid on the drinking establishment where they uncover a horrifying plot to rob and kill careless spacers. When things settle down to something more normal, the crew sell off the second trade ship that had come into their possession with part of the deal involving the hiring on of Rael Cofort as medic but the craziness doesn't stop with the rats as a local trader shows them around the sea port where a ship was unloading ammonium nitrate fertiliser...

With the introduction of Rael, we are introduced to the female of the human species in these books, the Queen's universe appearing to have largely been male-only to this point.… (más)