Sunday 2 March 2008

Badge of Infamy

The official blurb

Daniel Feldman was a doctor once. He made the mistake of saving a friend's life in violation of Medical Lobby rules. Now, he's a pariah, shunned by all, forbidden to touch another patient.

But things are more loose on Mars. There, Doc Feldman is welcomed by the colonists, even as he's hunted by the authorities. But, when he discovers a Martian plague may soon wipe out humanity on two planets, the authorities begin hunting him for a different reason altogether.

My Review

This is a fun story. It starts on Earth with the main character spending the night in a doss house trying to sleep next to a dying man, and being unable to do anything about it despite being a doctor. He's held back by the laws of "medical lobby".

Thus are we introduced to this far future with a gritty feel. Yes we have space ships, but not the clean loverly looking ships of Star Wars, but the tough dirty feeling you get when watching Blade Runner. The world is run by the lobbies and men are ground up in "the machine."

It's a tough place to live and our hero see's no hope except to try and escape to the less strict world of Mars. There his skills might be of use.

This was a great light story that filled an afternoon nicely. The well produced reading is easy on the ears.

Reading = 3/3
Production = 2/3
Story = 2/3

Total = 7/9

You can find this at Podiobooks and also at Librivox