The Space Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra

Come on, guys, admit it--haven't you ever dreamed about being a pirate? Of course you have! What about being a space pirate? I bet you've wished that one too. That's what so great about this new book The Space Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra by Jason Fry. Not only do you have a family of pirates, they are pirates in the asteroids and moons around Jupiter. Well, maybe they aren't exactly pirates--they're privateers, but I'll get into that in a minute.

Privateer ship of the old days

First, let me tell you about the world of this book. It's a little complicated but hang on. The story takes place some 600 years in the future. Humanity has inhabited the Solar System but the people who live around Jupiter broke away from Earth's central government and formed the Jovian Union. Sometimes the Union uses privateers to capture Earth cargo ships. (Privateers are sort of legal pirates--they have permission from their governments to capture enemy ships, even non-military ships. They follow the laws of war and don't wantonly capture and kill like true pirates. Both the British and Americans used them in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812) That's where the Hashoone family comes in. They've been operating in space for generations and have letters of marque from the Jovian Union giving them legal permission to board and capture Earth ships and sell the cargo. But something goes wrong right away and they're not allowed to hold onto a freighter they've captured because of some legal issues. Things don't look right but while they're waiting for the court to settle the matter, they receive a new and very odd assignment--search the most deserted and barren asteroid area around Jupiter. And what do they find? The  Hydra, ship of the illegal and deadly pirate Thoadbone Mox. Why were they sent to find it? Does it have anything to do with shady operations on Earth? And could they survive a second encounter with the most bloodthirsty pirate in space?

I really enjoyed this book. It's a good old-fashioned space adventure, complete with colorful characters (especially Grandfather Huff Hashoone), mysterious dealings behind the scenes and a fantastic battle at the end on board a space pirate ship. Although, I must say, that it takes a while for all the action to start. This book is obviously meant to be the first in a series and so takes a while to set up the world of the future Solar System, but, wow, once the action starts, it's great!! The library already has copies of the next book, Curse of the Iris, and I can't wait to check it out. But the Iron Guy must be true to his word and finish the Boys vs Girls books first.

So go get this one and don't wait! You'll enjoy it a lot. Plus there's a great glossary at the back to give you the meanings of words you may not understand. The author (and the characters) use a lot of terms from the old pirate days, so when the author talks a bout a kip or a pinnace, you'll know what he means or when a character says, "Avast" or "Belay that," you'll understand what they're saying.
And if you've read this book, be sure to hit the "Comment" tab under this post and send us a review!