[.uk] The Return of Santiago (ISBN 0765302241)

Enjoyable Sequel to SANTIAGO:
THE RETURN OF SANTIAGO(2003) is the sequel to the classic SANTIAGO(1986). SANTIAGO was so good, that it was a very tough act to follow, but THE RETURN does a good job, and I rate it at 4.5 stars. In the original SANTIAGO, we learned that Santiago was really more of an idea than a person (there were 6 Santiagos over the course of 30 years in the original book). Santiago is described as "The King of Thieves", but he is really a revolutionary who keeps the Galaxy-ruling Democracy at bay on "The Inner Frontier". RETURN is set 100+ years later in time, and starts off with a petty thief coming across the entire collection of poetic writings of Black Orpheus, a contemporary during the original "reign of Santiago" a hundred years ealier... well, our petty thief figures out "the secret of Santiago", takes on the moniker "Rhymer" and decides to continue writing in the vein of Black Orpheus, and to help ressurrect the legend and reign of Santiago, to keep the increasingly oppressive Democracy at bay. The author couldn't just continue writing in the exact same way as the original book, as that would have been too boring; but he is able to mix some of the original flavor with enough new twists and turns that RETURN still is able to continually capture the reader's attention and interest. All in all, it is great fun, and that is really why I read - for enjoyment! Someday, I expect there might be a third book in this series, rounding out a new classic "Trilogy".

Amusing Pulp:
I like Mike Resnick's space-based dime Westerns, probably for the same reasons that historical readers liked the original dime Westerns. Resnick's larger-than-life characters, with their outsize names (Tyrannosaur Bailey, the Black Death and Accidental Barnes are but three) and bizarre talents, are magnetic, and their hyperbolic adventures are luridly compelling. But Resnick, a writer of exceptional technical skill when he wants to be, is definitely not trying to be William Shakespeare when he writes stuff like this, the original Santiago, or the Oracle trilogy. Compared to the first Sanitago, this long-delayed sequel has a more complicated, but more troublesome, plot. I know that Resnick intentionally glosses over a lot of details he's fully capable of writing out if he wanted, just to keep things simple and broad-stroke like the tall takes he's emulating. But even making allowances, some of the plot can be hard to swallow. For instance, it's hard to buy that our hero the Rhymer, who is trying to re-create the biggest secret of all time, does so by telling the details of that secret to practically everyone he meets. Still, plot is not the point of this fast-reading book anyway. The point is to see what happens when Jackrabbit Willowby meets the One-Armed Bandit, or who would win if Joshua Silvermane fought the giant aliens Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Mike Resnick is the only guy who writes stuff like this any more, and I'm happy to have it on any terms.

None of the characteristics of the original!!!:
This was terrible! Much like most of the other reviewers, I count Santiago as one of my favorite books and have read it several times. The sequel however, I didn't even finish. Here's why...the main character is a thief and has been one for as long as he can remember. During one of his exploits he finds the entire works of Black Orpheus, reads them in two days, and discovers who Santiago is...what?! Then he decides that he can continue where Black Orpheus left off and start writing poems about the Inner Frontier. I know this is Resnick's book and he can do whatever he wants, but I think he waited too long to write the sequel and lost the passion (and ablity to develop a story) that he had when he wrote the original. If you are looking for a sequel that will enchant you like the first one, I'm sad to say you won't find it here.

Jack Vance, where are you when we need you?:
Feeling like not much more then amateur Jack Vance fan-fic, the return of Santiago has a little charm, and about 150 too many pages. It also has a ridiculously obvious ending, which is a problem, as it is supposed to be a surprise. Mind you, if you pick it up, you will probably be roped into Mr. Resnick's easy natural style. His ability to generate quick likable characters is evident, a skill he shares with the venerable Mr. Vance. His inability to create memorable interesting cultures in a few sentences, or maintain interest past 200 pages (both skills Jack Vance excelled at) sadly outweighs this however, and eventually drags this book down below the 3 star level.

As Good as Santiago:
The sequel to Santiago had to be set in the same universe, told in the same style, but quite different from Santiago. And it is. The atmosphere and the spirit remain similar to Santiago's but the protagonists are opposite in temperament. In spite of a predictable ending, I think MR made the best of it.