A Hunger in the Soul

Dr. Michael Drake may have discovered a cure for a mutated form of ybonia, a cross-species plague that is ravaging the galaxy. But Drake has been missing for 15 years and may even be dead. Journalist-adventurer Robert Markham is convinced that Drake is alive. He hires Enoch Stone, a one-legged, washed-up explorer with a mordant sense of humor, to outfit an expedition to the jungle planet of Bushveld, sparing no expense--cameramen, hunters, a doctor, a mechanic, tons and tons of gear and a large contingent of the native Orange-Eyes to serve as porters. But soon, Indiana Jones turns into Ahab. In his zeal to track down the missing doctor, the arrogant Markham's behavior worsens, and he mistreats and ultimately murders the alien bearers. Stone, troubled by Markham's actions, attempts to deflect his employer and defend the apparently hapless Orange-Eyes, as things go increasingly wrong for the expedition. The prolific Resnick (Kirinyaga, etc.), a Hugo and Nebula Award winner, has generated a fast-paced action yarn that delves provocatively into deep themes--particularly, humanity's attempt to colonize new worlds, at the expense of those who live there. (May)