Tobias Buckell's first novel, Crystal Rain, was described by one reviewer as ‘compulsively readable.’ This description applies well to his second novel, Ragamuffin, in which we find an abundance of picturesque characters, a complicated plot, brisk action scenes, and the heroic pursuit of freedom by humans under the oppression of a merciless alien race.

Humans and several other intelligent races are scattered among forty-eight star systems connected by wormholes. The most advanced of these races (technologically, not morally) is a reclusive but powerful one referred to as the ‘benevolent Satrapy.’ A network of these Satraps controls all worlds by controlling teams of subordinate races that do its policing. These minions have as their primary goal the detection and utter destruction of any effort to develop advanced technology. This is the far-future equivalent of ‘gun control,’ which of course means "victim disarmament." One character, defending that policy, remarks “You can't arm yourself and say you are harmless at the same time,” to which Nashara, the main character, replies: “When it comes to genocide, the unarmed are always at a disadvantage. I'll fight here and now rather than suffer a peaceful death later.” Humans, being the uppity type we are, scrabble about under the oppression, forming loose alliances in hope of breaking free of the Satraps. For their part, the Satraps quietly decide that the unruly humans should be exterminated.

There are several interesting nonhuman races, which play important roles in this story. The author reveals his contempt for collectivist ethics when he has his most interesting character, Pepper, say of the alien Teotl, “These aliens, with their focus on adaptive personal engineering and sublimation of self to the greater good, were effective and dangerous.”

The Ragamuffins are a ragtag coalition of humans endeavoring to free themselves of Satrap tyranny and simply lead their lives. They are tolerant, hardworking, and just. They face huge odds and take great risks, but they fight not for conquest but to be left alone. In contrast, some of the humans support the Satraps and are as dangerous as the Vichy French they resemble. (The Satraps do employ mind control technology to overcome any shift of allegiance.) But gradually we discover the potentially more dangerous League of Human Affairs. This League assists the Ragamuffins in a vital skirmish, but its xenophobic patriotism soon becomes apparent. The author likely had our contemporary neocons in mind when he depicted this group. Pepper agrees with one character who says to him, "We can shut these artificial borders, but even at sublight speeds, sooner or later, we will deal with other species, and creatures stronger and more powerful than ourselves. If we don't have models for dealing with this that don't involve all-or-nothing antagonism, we will, not now, but one day, become extinct as a species."

By the end of the book, the Ragamuffins may pat themselves on the back for a considerable achievement, though much remains to be done. There is abundant room for a sequel, and I eagerly look forward to one.

Any tale of resistance fighters will thrill readers and will showcase heroics, but will not necessarily imply a libertarian philosophy. But this novel appealed to me a great deal because of the pronounced individualism of the main characters and the tolerant, minarchist philosophy of the Ragamuffins. I urge any fan of freedom to obtain a copy, for you will find it a treat.