Decent read

Pik Lando (no, not Lando Calrissian) is a smuggler whose ship, The Tinker's Damn, looks ratty and neglected but is actually in excellent shape. Lando is a master of deception and good at the smuggling business, but he has an honest side to him too.

Lando is hired to help a pacifist doctor named Wendy Wendeen, whose community The Chosen are at war with powerful corporation Mega-Metals for control of the planet Angel (which has a "halo" -- check the cover art). The Chosen want only a place to live, farm and raise their families, while Mega-Metals wants to mine the planet for metals. Lando isn't too keen on going against Mega-Metals until a brutal event makes it a personal thing for him.

Lando and Wendy develop a physical relationship, but their differing personalities make a lasting relationship impossible, something that hurts Lando more than he ever expected it to. However, he sticks to his guns and adheres to the agreement made, even though he is risking his life unnecessarily in doing so.

Deitz has a decent writing style, though a bit inconsistent, which can be distracting at times. He also jumps relentlessly from one character's mind to another within the same chapter, which works for character development but works against storytelling. Also, the final few chapters of the book are more like a mini-story that feel like a set-up for a sequel (and it has two sequels) and make a somewhat clumsy if action-packed ending for the book.

So, it's okay. Not great, but okay.

6/10