The date is 1967 of the Galactic Era, almost three thousand years from now. The Republic, created by the human race but not yet dominated by it, is in the midst of an all-out war with the Teroni Federation. After his latest exploit saved millions of lives but embarrassed his superiors, Captain Wilson Cole, a man with a reputation for exceeding orders but getting results, found himself the victim of the media feeding frenzy, a political scapegoat despite years of dedicated military service. Faced with a court martial, he was rescued by the loyal crew of his ship, the Theodore Roosevelt. Now branded mutineers, the crew of the Teddy R. has quit the Republic, never to return.

Seeking to find a new life for themselves, Wilson Cole and comrades remake the Teddy R. as a pirate ship and set sail for the lawless Inner Frontier. Here, powerful warlords, cut-throat pirates, and struggling colonies compete for survival in a game where you rarely get a second chance to learn the rules.

But military discipline is poor preparation for a life of pillaging and plundering, and Cole's principles naturally limit his targets. Seeking an education on the nature of piracy, Cole hunts more knowledgeable players. Enter the beautiful but deadly Valkyrie, Val for short, and the enigmatic alien fence known as David Copperfield. But hanging over everything is the fearsome alien pirate — the Hammerhead Shark.

With Starship: Pirate, five-time Hugo winner Mike Resnick continues the story begun in his very first military SF. Will the galaxy ever be the same?

"One of the characters in this sequel to Starship: Mutiny (2005) asks, 'Whatever happened to heroes who didn't think everything through, but just walked in with weapons blazing' The answer is 'They're buried in graveyards all across the galaxy.' This sums up nicely Hugo-winner Resnick's approach to military SF, which isn't so much about fighting and hardware as it is about strategy and leadership. Having busted their commander, Wilson Cole, out of the brig for disobeying orders that would have cost millions of lives, the crew of the starship Theodore Roosevelt find themselves on the run from their own fleet. The plan? Hoist the Jolly Roger! Since Captain Cole is a moral man, he must figure out a way to practice piracy without actually harming anyone — at least, anyone who doesn't have it coming. As he and the Teddy R. stumble their way through Piracy for Dummies, they make new enemies and find new allies that make the difference between real pirates and military professionals all the more apparent. Readers craving intelligent, character-driven SF need look no further." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"One of the characters in this sequel to Starship: Mutiny (2005) asks, 'Whatever happened to heroes who didn't think everything through, but just walked in with weapons blazing?' The answer is 'They're buried in graveyards all across the galaxy.' This sums up nicely Hugo-winner Resnick's approach to military SF, which isn't so much about fighting and hardware as it is about strategy and leadership. Having busted their commander, Wilson Cole, out of the brig for disobeying orders that would have cost millions of lives, the crew of the starship Theodore Roosevelt find themselves on the run from their own fleet. The plan? Hoist the Jolly Roger! Since Captain Cole is a moral man, he must figure out a way to practice piracy without actually harming anyone — at least, anyone who doesn't have it coming. As he and the Teddy R. stumble their way through Piracy for Dummies, they make new enemies and find new allies that make the difference between real pirates and military professionals all the more apparent. Readers craving intelligent, character-driven SF need look no further." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Snappy dialog, intriguing human and alien characters, and a keen sense of dramatic focus make this a strong...sf action-adventure." Library Journal

In Book 2 of the Starship Series, Captain Wilson Cole, a political scapegoat despite years of dedicated military service, turns to a life of piracy aboard the "Teddy R."

Mike Resnick has written 50 novels and 200 short stories, and edited 40 anthologies. The winner of five Hugo Awards, among countless others, he ranks fourth on Locus's list of science fiction award-winning authors.