Tag: Widowmaker

Widowmaker Reborn (Widowmaker #2) ★★★★☆

~ Bookstooge ~ 24 Comments

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Widowmaker Reborn
Series: Widowmaker #2
Author: Mike Resnick
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 198
Words: 64K

From the Publisher and Bookstooge.blog

Jefferson Nighthawk, once the galaxy’s most feared killer, is cloned again and given a new mission. This time he is not only armed with the Widowmaker’s killing skills, but also with his lifetime of knowledge. Nighthawk’s new mission involves the rescue of a corrupt politician’s daughter, and the assassination of the rebel leader who holds her captive. But the daughter puts a wrinkle in the plan when she offers her father’s fortune if Nighthawk kills her father instead. While the odds are overwhelming, the price may be right.

So Jefferson, the name the clone has decided to go by, finds out that the daughter and the rebel leader are one and the same. He shacks up with the girl, wipes out the corrupt politician and survives. Thus he has to deal with the fact that in a couple of years he too will come down with esplasia.

Good stuff! Just as good as last time. I LIKED this version of the Widowmaker. He’s everything I want in a main character. He’s mature. He’s experienced. He’s knowledgeable. He is in control of himself and the situation he finds himself in. I love the fact that he thinks the people who cloned him are scum of the earth and that they will doublecross him as soon as they can. But that doesn’t deter him from doing what he sees as his duty to the original Widowmaker and to himself. He’s a survivor.

I had completely forgotten that the daughter and the rebel leader were the same person, so that little twist was nice to experience all over again. The battle at the end where the Widowmaker and his little crew take down the politician was nice too. Just the right amount of tension and blood and guts and a great big “ka bloom” of an ending so I felt like I had gotten my money’s worth (well, I bought this back in ‘14, so technically I was getting my money’s worth AGAIN, which is even better!).

As much as I like Resnick’s Santiago duology, I wonder if the Widowmaker series would make a better starting place. Just because the first three Widowmaker books were all published in three years and the fourth was done much later, just like the original Santiago was supposed to be a standalone until much later. As a standalone, I think Santiago is Resnick’s best. But as a series, Widowmaker is better.

Once again, I am really digging this new version of the cover. The one I read back in ‘14 definitely left a lot to be desired. While I like the bazooka Widowmaker from the first book better, I like the overall composition of the military looking Widowmaker with the text and background. It just has the “right feel” to me for conveying the lethalness of the Widowmaker. You know you’re getting a kickass story with a cover like this.

★★★★☆

The Widowmaker (Widowmaker #1) ★★★★☆

~ Bookstooge ~ 39 Comments

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Widowmaker
Series: Widowmaker #1
Author: Mike Resnick
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 198
Words: 67K

From Bookstooge.blog


Jefferson Nighthawk, also known as the Widowmaker, is in deepfreeze for an incurable disease. Unfortunately, that is expensive and even the Widowmaker runs out of money now and then. So to procure more money to keep him on ice until a cure is found, a clone is made and sent on an assignment. Which he fulfills and then dies because he makes bad choices about a woman.

Every time I re-read a book, it feels like I am marching out into an old minefield. With a blindfold on while carrying a 25lb cane that I smash into the ground at every step. That feeling of “will THIS step be the one where I explode and my guts go flying for 200 yards in every direction” is not very pleasant. On the flip side, if I do make it safely to the other side, the palpable relief coupled with the enjoyment of a familiar trek pretty much trebles the enjoyment.

In some ways this was a very frustrating read. Jeff Nighthawk, the young clone, is just so young that you know what is going to happen because he wants what he wants despite everyone telling him otherwise. If he’d been a normal person, he would have had a broken heart and learned from his past. Being a galaxy famous bounty hunter, well, all it takes is one mistake to kill him.

I really liked the idea of cloning the Widowmaker and using him. It makes for some interesting dynamics and philosophical rabbit trails but without getting all deep and serious and depressing. It was also fun to be back in Resnick’s Far Future History. Santiago took place during the Democracy (I think) and this takes place much later in what is called the Oligarchy. But the idea that there is always a frontier, a place to go if you’re a free individual is one that Resnick keeps alive in his stories.

The Idea of the Widowmaker is also one that resonates with me. Not necessarily the stone cold killer, but the idea of being the apex of your profession. I like reading about individuals who have striven to be the best and ARE the best. None of this schmopey dopey “ohhh, we’re all just the same” crap. No, we damned well are NOT the same and if you think otherwise, then you are insane and contributing to the general insanity of the world. I cannot be an astronaut no matter how much I might want to be. Nor can I be a professional basketball player. But I can work with only 1 person for 9hrs a day and not need communal group hugs or “attaboys” every other minute and I don’t need to discuss Movie/TV Show X over the water cooler. And you’d be surprised how many people can’t take the solitude. They think they can, but they can’t. So all that rant aside, I like reading about people who excel at what they do. It is inspiring.

There are 3 more Widowmaker books in this series and since I enjoyed this re-read as much as I did, I am fully looking forward to the rest of the series.

★★★★☆

A Gathering of Widowmakers (Widowmaker #4)

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7531b2621ef3bc611a048024f632e474 This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

 

Synopsis:

Young Jeff, the Widowmaker cloned to take the Original’s place, so he can live in peace, ends up fighting with the second clone, who has taken on the identity of Jason Newman.

The Widowmaker realizes he hasn’t taught young Jeff all he really needs to know to BE the Widowmaker and sets about to do just that.

But of course, there is a new outlaw that forces all 3 of the Widowmakers to team up and in the process young Jeff grows up and takes his rightful place as the True Widowmaker.

 

My Thoughts:

This was a good ending to the Widowmaker series. It was classic Resnick with some good banter between the Widowmakers as well as Kinoshita (?).

In many ways this whole series could be thought of as shallow and trite and just some throw away space opera. And really, you wouldn’t be wrong. But Resnick’s stories always revolve around ideas that are bigger than life and instead of trying to make those ideas fit into our world, he simply turns those ideas into people and situations that are bigger than life. I find this approach VERY appealing as well as good story telling.

The Widowmaker is Justice personified. He is quick, deadly, emotionless and never lets his quarry get away. And through this tetralogy we get to see all sorts of sides to that. Old, bitter experienced Jefferson Nighthawk. Young, inexperienced but super deadly [and ironically, dead] Jefferson. Middle aged, experienced Jason Newman who is sick of it all. Young, experienced and yet teachable Jeff.

So many aspects of Justice. Cold and Calculating. Righteous Indignation. Devil may care.

It is just a lot of fun to read and it resonates with me. These Widowmaker books, along with his Santiago duology, are the best of Resnick in my opinion. Highly recommended.

 

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Mike Resnick

A Gathering of Widowmakers

Widowmaker #4

The Widowmaker Unleashed (Widowmaker #3)

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7ac315519490e7956a4cd552cbe2c66f This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

 

Synopsis

Jefferson Nighthawk, the original Widowmaker, has been cured of his disease and released back into the land of the living. He just wants to settle down and live the rest of his days out quietly with a good woman.

However, the jobs his 2 previous clones pulled have made him a whole boatload of new enemies, ones he doesn’t know at all. So it looks like the Widowmaker has a choice, come out of retirement or die!

 

My Thoughts

While I enjoyed this book, it seemed rather short compared to the others. However, it is as long page-wise as the previous two.

Jefferson gets out, expects to retire, but keeps sticking his nose into situations that draw him back into the bounty hunter lifestyle. He keeps “saying” he wants out, but his actions say otherwise.

Eventually he creates another clone to the Widowmaker and fakes his own death so he can live in peace.

This would be much better as an ending to the overall story instead of as a stand alone story. I think if you read all 3 of the Widowmaker books in a row, that this would have been a better tale, as it would have been directly resting on the previous stories.  As a story by itself, however, I found Jefferson Nighthawk to be a cantankerous, selfish, deliberately blind and obtuse old man. His abilities didn’t outweigh his un-likable’ness.

When I read the 2 book, I found out there was a 4th book. I hope to hunt it down and read it in the next couple of months, because overall I have really enjoyed the Widowmaker books and think they rate right up there with the Santiago Duology.

 

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Mike Resnick

The Widowmaker Unleashed

Widowmaker #3

The Widowmaker Reborn (Widowmaker #2)

~ Bookstooge ~ 1 Comment

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This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis

Jefferson Nighthawk, aka the Widowmaker, is cloned again to rescue a young lady from a terrorist who is holding her hostage for ransom. This time, he’s been cloned as a 38 year old with all his original memories.

 

My Thoughts

Where Jeff, the first clone, was a 23 year old horndog who thought with his genitals, this clone has 62 years of memories and an additional 15 years of age to combat that. Jefferson makes his plans from the get-go, counting on that he’ll be betrayed by either the client, his lawyers or *somebody*. And his goal is to get enough money to live on, cure the original AND himself and to disappear so he doesn’t spend his life running.

This Widowmaker was an experienced, hardened veteran getting a job done. He does what he needs to with minimal fuss, little show and a lot of brains.

There are still all of the obligatory cliched characters that populate Resnick’s universe, but it wouldn’t be his universe without them. A corrupt politician, a beautiful girl, a desperado with a twist, some sort of alien or 2. And guns and stuff. Beautiful Kablooies!

I thoroughly enjoyed this. If the final book in this trilogy holds up, I’ll have to seriously consider buying this trilogy in hardcover.

 

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Mike Resnick

The Widowmaker Reborn

Widowmaker #2

Widowmaker (Widowmaker #1)

~ Bookstooge ~ 1 Comment

cover

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

 

Synopsis

Jefferson Nighthawk, also known as the Widowmaker, is in deepfreeze for an incurable disease. Unfortunately, that is expensive and even the Widowmaker runs out of money now and then. So to procure more money to keep him on ice until a cure is found, a clone is made and sent on an assignment.

 

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed Resnick’s Santiago duology and his Starship series was ok as well. Thankfully, I enjoyed this just as much.

Resnick’s Outer Rim is a wonderful place to read about. Characters bigger than fiction, huger than real life. Battles and circumstances so outrageous, so unbelievable that you are sucked in. And you love it, all of it.

This is about a clone, Jeff Nighthawk, who has all the skills of Widowmaker, but not his experience of life, and Jeff resents Widowmaker. So while on assignment, he plans to kill his employer, who has already doublecrossed him and also Widowmaker, so that he, Jeff, will BE the Widowmaker.

Sadly, Jeff falls in love. With a lowclass gold-digger. And you know things never work out well when one of those are involved. So you know the ending from at least halfway through the book, if not sooner.

Simplistic, stylized, pulpy. But oh so fun. I look forward to the rest of this trilogy.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Mike Resnick

Widowmaker

Widowmaker #1