Space smugglers, blackmail, a vendetta, dysfunctional sibling rivalry, an alien artifiact of unknown powers, a theocratic dictatorship run by telepaths – lots of fun ingredients for an entertaining online read. There’s some light humour, mainly based on the eccentricities of characters, but it isn’t so silly that it becomes ridiculous. The hero has flair, but is not so cool that he doesn’t fall on his face once in awhile. It’s primarily an adventure story, and the plot has some depth. Enough supporting details of technology and culture are presented so that the far future setting is fleshed out and made suspension-of-disbelief worthy.

There are no major flaws – if I had any critique of it, it could only be that there isn’t anything about it in particular that makes it stand out from other stories like it that I have read. This is partially a side effect of its occupying that "just right" space so well. Time will tell whether this is a story I’ll remember, but it’s certainly an enjoyable read in the present. A big plus is that the author clearly cares: Chapters are presented typo-free and on a schedule, and the site has the basic amenities to make it easy to navigate.

And there is also a podcast with the author reading out loud! I listened to one chapter in this format for comparison. The even pace (not too fast, good balance between conversation and exposition) lends itself well to following along by listening. I encourage you to try this if it’s a convenient way for you to enjoy the story.

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Well-written, if a tad slow—but it starts to pick up towards the end of the first chapter. Looks like a fun romp will be had.

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I remain an indifferent reader of caper novels and am not particularly enamored of ruffians or dashing ne’er-do-wells, but Wright made me care about his cast of unlikely characters. The dialogue is superb, the characterization spot-on and the plot moves with both speed and poise, just as it should in a novel of this kind. It’s funny, it’s entertaining, it’s [more . . .]

Fans of Phule’s Company, rejoice! We have a replacement. Pay Me Bug is the story of a decrepit crew of miscreants, making a living trading in space, usually goods of the illegal variety. The characters are three dimensional, with their own speech patterns and quirks. The writing and dialogue flow and pull you along. And the jokes keep you laughing. [more . . .]