Return of Santiago (Tor Science Fiction) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mike Resnick's Santiago is not only one of my all-time favorite science-fiction novels, but also one of the first genre books I read when growing up. As far as I'm concerned, it's about as close to a perfect adventure novel as any reader could hope for.

So I had mixed feelings about the sequel. Resnick had resisted writing one for nearly fifteen years, because the first book ended without any need for a follow-up. I was worried that this would just be a watered-down version of the first book (remember the sequels to Bill the Galactic Hero that Harry Harrison foisted on us?).

I'm so happy to report that I was wrong.

The Return of Santiago is probably the second-greatest adventure novel I've read. Resnick has recognized the two things that made the first book so much fun -- the poetry of Black Orpheus, and the quirky characters (and subjects of those poems) who populate the Inner Frontier of Resnick's future universe. Instead of a limp attempt at following up the saga of Songbird from the first novel, Resnick tells the tale of a petty thief a hundred years in the future, who sets out to be the new Black Orpheus and tell the tales of the Frontier.

Danny, our thief, rechristians himself "Dante Alighieri," and prompty finds a Virgil to guide him through the Frontier (from which Santiago has long vanished, we discover). After writing his first few poems, Dante realizes that what made Orpheus great was having a Santiago who affected the entire Frontier, and was known to all as the greatest outlaw (all the while fighting the corrupt Democracy). He decides, then, to go on a quest to find a new Santiago to provide him with fodder for his poetry.

Dante's quest, like Songbird's in the first book, takes him to dozens of planets, and introduces us to hundreds of fascinating, quirky characters. I'm hesitant to spoil any of Resnick's wonderful writing. Suffice to say, the book has characters who will make you laugh out loud, and ones who are truly horrifying.

As with the first book, the fun of this novel is the quest, not the reward. However, Resnick has improved as a writer over the decades, and this novel has a much more solid feeling ending than the original one did. No one will ever call this great literature, but The Return of Santiago will be remembered as one of the most enjoyable adventure novels in a long time.

If you're not familiar with Mike Resnick's work, Santiago, pick it up and read it before reading this one. Even without reading the first book, this book is a lot of fun. Mike's storytelling is excellent, but it has gotten better over the years and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan or who wants to read something entertaining.

It's been over a hundred years since the last Santiago surfaced and Danny Briggs, aka Dante Alighieri, discovers Black Orpheus's original poems in a house he broke into. This sets him on a quest of bringing back Santiago, the famed King of Outlaws who worked towards righting injustices.

Along the way, Dante meets people on the frontier such as the Virgil Soaring Hawk, Tyrannosaurus Barnes, the One Armed Bandit, Waltzin' Matilda. Moby Dick, and a host of other unforgetable characters. His search for Santiago takes him up against some of the baddest aliens in the galaxy.

If you're looking for sheer fun, this is the book!

Following up one of the best sci-fi adventure novels ever written, especially after such a lengthy absence, shows a lot of courage on Mike Resnick's part. Lucas didn't learn his lesson with Star Wars, and I was afraid that Mike might drop a bomb with the Return of Santiago. Thankfully he didn't. That isn't to say that the book doesn't have its problems, especially in comparison to the first novel, but at least it is a decent read.
The thing I liked the most about the book is that it is not what I expected it to be. What I expected was the further adventures of Santiago and Moonripple (and secretly, I still wish Return WAS that story as I thought Moonripple was fascinating). I truly expected the sequel to pick up right where the first book left off. Instead, Resnick shoots us into the future a hundred years after Santiago's death and begins his story in the heart of the Democracy with a small time crook named Danny Briggs. Danny is hiding from the police in the house of a family off on vacation when he finds the original manuscript of Black Orpheus, the poet of the Inner Frontier. In poring over the poem, he realizes that the part of Santiago had been played by more than one person and, ironically, the king of the outlaws had really been a champion of the rights of the people against the Democracy. In a moment of self revelation, Danny decides to move to the inner frontier, change his name to Dante and continue Orpheus' saga. To write such a poem, however, he needs a central figure, and only one will do--Santiago. Since one does not exist at the time, Danny and his rapidly growing circle of new companions on the Frontier decide to find and recruit one. The universe may need a man like Santiago, but how do you go about recreating a myth for modern times. Dante and his friends soon find it isn't as easy as it seems. Great spin on an interesting concept and a good sci-fi read.
I do have some reservations about the work, though. No matter how bad you want it to be, it isn't the original by a long shot. The pacing isn't as crisp, the story isn't as tight and the writing style just doesn't have the edge the first book possessed. The characters, while still colorful with interesting names, aren't nearly as memorable as the ones in the first work (and many are downright forgettable). The story is clever, but absent of surprise and if you didn't see the ending coming a mile away, well, I just don't see how you could miss it. There is just something missing here that was present in the original work and I'm not sure what it is. Void of the snappy patter and the absorbing moments and the breakneck plot pace, this book just seemed much more tame. There is also, and this annoyed me to no end, a moral to the story which Resnick pounds pretty heavily throughout the book. There is a definite preachy quality about good men standing up and being counted...if not you, whom...if not now, when...the ultimate evil is when good men stand by and do nothing...etc...etc. A little too much of the real world and the current global political situation seeps into this, what is supposed to be, fantasy work. The original book had an adventuresome Robin Hood morality to it that worked very well without beating you over the head with anything. Many times in some of the heavier handed passages, I saw the author's views intruding negatively into this work. Mike could have been a bit more subtle here.
Anyway, this is a decent book. It isn't great as some claim, and it isn't bad like some feared. It is a decent sequel as sequels go, and unlike the original work, this one definitely leaves the door open for a sequel of its own.