I should say that I usually skip this book when I do a read through (er…listen through). it is frustrating and the unrealistic role law enforcement plays, and the power the captain has over their role when it pertains to the ship and its crew is frustrating.
this was an unusual story for Lowell. First, Ishmael is a Mary Sue, but the results in the story are not unrealistic because often one person can instigate change, even in an environment as broken as the Tinker. I love these stories. I love reading (er…listening) about the positive change one person can have. how one person that refuses to accept things the way they are when they can be better can affect change.
I have 2 qualms with the story. First, is I have a hard time believing everything that happens on a ship happens in a vacuum separate from society and its laws. Having the reader believe that a crime as egregious and horrible as rape let alone various assaults and battery just wouldn’t and couldn’t be investigated by CPJCT and port authorities because the captain will not or would not back up the victim is crazy. it’s akin to someone being victimized at work and the cops just shrugging and walking away when the manager says, “Nah, nothing happened here.”
My last issue is with the bumble brother turning into the new captains loyal lap dog and being characterized as a “good boy that fell in with the wrong people.” He either directly participated in, or is directly complicit in the rape of a crew member along with other implied sexual assaults and other violent acts. As far as I’m concerned rape isn’t something someone does because he or she fell into the wrong crowd, and it’s not something that should be ignored because the captain manages to tame the person.