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Corsair  By  cover art

Corsair

By: James L. Cambias
Narrated by: Victor Bevine
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Publisher's summary

In the early 2020s, two young, genius computer hackers, Elizabeth Santiago and David Schwartz, meet at MIT, where Schwartz is sneaking into classes, and have a brief affair. David is amoral and out for himself and soon disappears. Elizabeth dreams of technology and space travel and takes a military job after graduating.

Nearly 10 years later, David is setting himself up to become a billionaire by working in the shadows under a multiplicity of names for international thieves, and Elizabeth works in intelligence, preventing international space piracy. With robotic mining in space becoming a lucrative part of Earth's economy, shipments from space are dropped down the gravity well into the oceans.

David and Elizabeth fight for dominance of the computer systems controlling ore drop placement in international waters. If David can nudge a shipment 500 miles off its target, his employers can get there first and claim it legally in the open sea. Each one intuits that the other is their real competition but can't prove it. And when Elizabeth loses a major shipment, she leaves government employ to work for a private space company to find a better way to protect shipments. But international piracy has very high stakes and some very evil players. And both Elizabeth and David end up in a world of trouble. Space pirates and computer hackers...James L. Cambias' Corsair is a thrilling near-future adventure!

©2015 James L. Cambias (P)2015 Audible Inc.

What listeners say about Corsair

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

this story is about the many quirky characters

It is approximately fifteen years in the future and the moon is being mined for its helium to fuel the world’s fusion reactors. The payloads coming back to earth are worth billions; attracting the interest of pirates who try to intercept them. David Schwartz , AKA Captain Black, the space pirate, is a computer genius and hacker, using his skills and lack of morals to hijack these flying treasure chests. He is brilliant, elusive, charming in an annoying way, equally wanted by the police for his crimes and by the crime syndicates for his skills.

That’s the basic plot/theme, straight forward and linear. Though predictable, it doesn’t really matter, this story is about the many quirky characters, and most importantly, Captain Black, the space pirate. The author uses his full moniker over and over, “Captain Black, the space pirate; Captain Black, the space pirate,” which at first annoys the listener, then numbs him, then reveals the actual intent – humor. And if you go into this book with a sense of humor, you will be OK, if not, you will want to rip your eardrums out. There is no middle ground.

The characters are more like caricatures: Captain Black is a genius nerd, brilliant, sarcastic and supremely annoying; yet he somehow always gets the babe, whether she is the dumb blonde or the smart scientist. Elizabeth, the military scientist, is also brilliant with everything going for her, including a skyrocketing career; yet is strangely attracted to the destructive David Schwartz (Captain Black), then hates him. The corporate eunuchs, on the other hand, shrug as their billion dollar payloads disappear, far more worried about a lawsuit than the money they should be making. Equally impotent are the military and police forces of the world, unwilling or unable to do much more than watch as the world’s power supply gets hijacked over and over. In one scene, a single police officer on a bicycle (yes, plastic helmet and bike shorts) attempts to intercept a vicious assassin in a cafe shootout.

If taken as a kind of super nerd, spy satire, it’s pretty funny and will hold your interest throughout. The science is well researched and rings true. Many of the scenes are inventive and painted realistically enough for your imagination to take over. The several chase and action scenes should hold your attention too. There is some violence, but it is superficial, without gruesome details.

Victor Bevine reads the story well, moving quickly during the action and slowing down during the descriptive scenes. His voice is clear and his characters are generally easy to discern. Overall, Bevine is competent and skillful without ever getting in the way of the story.

If you know what you are going into (humorous high tech satire) you should enjoy the story. It is also recommended for young adults and older teens who like computer hacking adventures. Don’t get caught up in the obvious contradictions and unlikely character interactions and you should have a fun and light read/listen.

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78 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

5 Stars for sheer amusement

What made the experience of listening to Corsair the most enjoyable?

The quality of the writing and of the narrator's gifts are a perfect match here. Victor Bevine is always splendid, and his intelligent sense of humor subtly illuminates the exceptionally clever writing. This is one of my favorite books lately. It is a small-scale gem that exceeded my expectations by quite a bit.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Corsair?

No spoilers here- I decline the opportunity. The enjoyment is in all the details, as well as in the overall story. The writer takes what looks like an overused pulp science fiction trope and turns it into a far more enjoyable and interesting version of itself. I like this great-of-its-kind science fiction enormously, and it requires subtle skill to succeed this well.

Which scene was your favorite?

Many of us try very hard to avoid reading about the best parts of a book we purchase.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I nearly always prefer very good audiobooks to the movie versions.

Any additional comments?

James L. Cambias is the first writer since Andy Weir to cause such smiles in my mind. I heartily thank everyone involved for the first-rate escape from reality.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

More of a Slog than an Exciting Read

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It passed the time. The ideas were good, but poorly executed. The book takes place in 2030-2031, yet every engineer, gamer, and hacker, and all but one scientist, were men. There was a definite immaturity to the writing, not bad writing, but the pacing was off and the intensity of the scenes was lost.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Either Downfall by Rob Thurman or Midnight Crossing by Charlaine Harris.

What does Victor Bevine bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He gave the story energy the writing lacked.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Ehh

By 10 minutes in the book I was completely tired of hearing captain black space pirate.... Because they Sid it every sentence

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Addictive listen full of action/suspense and humor

If you could sum up Corsair in three words, what would they be?

Space Pirates! Hackers!

What did you like best about this story?

It was just a fun/addictive listen. It moved at a very good pace and had some bits of humor tossed in all the action/suspense.

What does Victor Bevine bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Narration was very good. Just the right amount of personality/inflection to really relay the tone of the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me laugh. Also was a book I didn't want to put down.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A decent near-future romp

Where does Corsair rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Somewhere around the lower middle.

Would you recommend Corsair to your friends? Why or why not?

I would, but only to friends who enjoy sf that isn't too challenging. It's a safe book.

What three words best describe Victor Bevine’s voice?

I like it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not particularly. Most of the characters felt a little generic.

Any additional comments?

This is a fast food burger. Safe, reliable, and filling, if not particularly nutritious.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Hacker Adventure

Space, Pirates and Hackers.... just the right mix! Interesting story narrated brilliantly by Victor Bevine. Very enjoyable!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good and Plenty

Pirates with computers! A near future action-adventure with plot twists that surprise and delight. There were so many tense moments that I almost started smoking.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

slow start but well done

this one started kind of slow and it wasn't clear where it was going. But by the middle I was in, and it got pretty tense about 2/3 of the way through. Overall a pretty good story, well read and pretty exciting.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Gr
  • 02-07-16

Near term SciFi

Light read Sci Fi set in the near future. Computer hackers, terrorists combined with a bit of new technology but nothing huge. Fast acting and interesting. As much as you want to hate the main character David Schwartz, he remains likable all be it immature and naive with a Catch me if you Can attitude. The narrator Victor Bevine is one of my favorites. Purchased on special and glad I did.

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1 person found this helpful