The Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra

Piloting starships is most definitely not a normal occupation for 12-year-old boys. However, for Tycho Hashoone, flying spaceships and privateering are all in a day’s work. He and the entire Hashoone family are privateers who spend their lives commandeering Earth’s cargo ships and ransoming cargo and crew, an illegal operation on Earth. That is why they joined the Jovian Union, an anti-Earth nation that is spread across Mars and the far reaches of the galaxy. However, when a mysterious diplomat appears on a dingy cargo ship, some eyebrows are raised. While this may not seem like much, the fact that the diplomat in question looks more like a thuggish pirate than an urbane peacemaker adds to the mystery. Soon, the Hashoone family is deeply entangled in a conspiracy that will plunge them into danger and refresh some old rivalries. Will they make it out in one piece?

This book interested me from the start. I appreciated the mix of piratical and sci-fi elements. Although I have read other sci-fi pirate stories, I enjoyed the variety of character personalities in the story. I appreciated the mix of action and humor providing just the right tone to keep me reading. I liked the heavy intrigue that this story employed. The mysterious twists in the story kept the plot satisfyingly unpredictable. I would recommend this to anyone that likes action, adventure, and laser guns.