Runner (Jak Rebo Series #1) Book

It's hard to beat an entertaining space opera, and this one fits the bill. Jak Rebo is the eponymous runner, a courier, who travels interstellar routes on ships that are falling apart as the technology decays and no one knows how to replace it. His latest job seems straightforward--just get a young boy, one of the rival claimants (the real one, of course) to the head of the church to the holy city on a distant planet in time to secure his place. But he didn't count on so many assassins and traps along the way. Nor did he expect to team up with Lanni Norr, a "sensitive" who channels the spirits of the dead. She's in danger because she's currently the only way the deceased tech genius will communicate--and she needs to find the AI Logo who survived the devastation of most of his kind. So lots happening; plenty of action and danger all happening at a brisk pace. Black and white characters we love and hate; rich descriptions of the alien landscapes; suspenseful tone though all works out in the end and even a touch of romance. Dietz is a good storyteller and his skill shines here.