Wasp Review

Wasp by Eric Frank Russell

(from the back of the book)

The war had been going on for nearly a year and the Sirian Empire had a huge advantage in personnel and equipment.  Earth needed an edge.  Which was where James Mowry came in.

If a small insect buzzing around in a car could so distract the driver as to cause that vehicle to crash, think what havoc one properly trained operative could wreak on an unsuspecting enemy.

Intensively trained, his appearance surgically altered, James Mowry is landed on Jaimec, the ninety-fourth planet of the Sirian Empire.  His mission is simple: sap morale, cause mayhem, tie up resources, wage a one-man war on a planet of eighty million.  In short, be a wasp.

It is a science fiction book but that shouldn’t scare away any non-science fiction fans.  It happens on another planet and there is space travel but the science fiction elements are not a big influence on the plot.  Change it from another planet to another country and it becomes an espionage story instead.  There is a dark humor to the story as you watch this one lone human running around an alien planet causing all sorts of trouble for the government and making them believe that there is a whole organization involved and not just one man.  There is suspense and a few thrills as Mowry runs for his life on a hostile planet amid the chaos he has created.  So if you are not a science fiction fan but like espionage stories with a lighter feel to them you should give this a try.  If you are a science fiction fan you should not be put off by the fact that it isn’t very science fictiony.  You won’t get warp drives, first contacts or time travel but it is still a good, fast story.