Starship: Rebel is the fourth book in Mike Resnick's science fiction series about Wilson Cole, former decorated hero of the human space navy in the vast Republic, since his mutiny in the first novel he and his crew have wandered through many career changes, from fugitives, pirates, mercenaries, and by the end of this novel, a full-fledged rebellion against the very Republic in which he once served. The series is set to conclude with a fifth novel sometime next year.

The books are both entertaining and infuriating, somewhat like a reality show on TV, which you feel strangely compelled to see through to the end. But this is not reality. Instead the books remind me of pulp stories from the 1930s, or something along the lines of the original Star Trek TV series. Wilson Cole is the perfect leader, self-assured and competent. His crew members and various associates idolize him, and he seems able to turn every negative situation to his advantage, much like Captain James T. Kirk, although unlike the serial romantic Kirk, Cole maintains a monogamous relationship (with his security officer, who snoops on every conversation in the ship, an eerie anti-libertarian theme).

What wins me over as a reader, despite my dislike for the all too perfect Cole and his colorful cast of associates and crew members (such as the Amazonian pirate queen who is indefatigable in lovemaking and combat, and the metal-human hybrid leader on the space station Cole's crew calls their current home), the story keeps me riveted. Ever since the first book, I have read each novel in the series faithfully almost the moment I received them. They are pure entertainment, which in and of itself is not a bad thing. To mix another metaphor, they are like the aging boxer who has been around the block, the tough guy from the streets with a heart of gold, who you want to see succeed, and you follow his saga with keen interest and an overwhelming yet guilty sense of enjoyment.

In the previous installment Cole and the crew of his aging Republic gunship, the Teddy Roosevelt, had shifted occupations from pirates to mercenaries. Since Cole insisted they be honorable pirates, they seemed ill-suited to that role. As mercenaries, Cole continues his noble view on life. Instead of killing all who oppose him, Cole seeks to first win them over with words and promises. He presents them with fair ultimatums: join us, depart, or prepare to die. This methodology gradually lets him build up a space navy of his own. Though seemingly safe while the Republic remains at war, Cole is still a fugitive. When some of his crew is captured and killed by the Republic, Cole vows revenge, and of course that will set him at odds with a government that can call on millions of ships against his few inexperienced ragtag vessels.

So, if you like your space cowboy action fast and light, vivid and thrilling, here's a series worth reading. Gloss over the science, the occasional cartoonish characters, and instead live life joyously and lightly. While Cole can be both infuriating and worth admiring, he is one of the good guys.