>So heads up, my reviews between now and next fall will be a little shorter than normal. I am very, very busy planning the 4th international Philip K. Dick Festival in Fullerton, CA from August 20-23rd. It is going to rule, so join us there if you can. I am also working on a SF novella, and the final edits of the sequel to The Last Night To Kill Nazis. Yeah, that is why the reviews have been a little shorter.<
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Red Star Hustle by Sam J Miller (Saga Double W/ Apprehension by Mary Robinette Kowal )
402 pages, paperback
Published October, 2025 by S&S/Saga Press
Certain authors just win your loyalty. Once you have been rewarded by following authors to whatever genre they feel comfortable with, then yeah, you’ll keep coming back. My first Sam J. Miller novel was Blackfish City, a winner of the Nebula, but more importantly for me, it was a top read of whatever year it came out. I could look it up, but let's say 2018. Then he did whale ghosts in the unique The Blade Between.
Sam J. Miller is a powerful writer, full of unique worlds and ideas, one I am so glad is here to add to the genre. Red Star Hustle is one I knew a bit about going in. I went to Miller’s reading/ signing here in San Diego. I know that he intended to be a less dark, more entertaining space opera, but he couldn’t help himself, he ended up with a gritty noir space opera about addiction and political intrigue.
RSH is half of a Saga double, and the other half of the novel is written by Mary Robinette Kowal who, I know, has written some pretty big-time SF. I admit I have not read her work yet, I will fix that. Honestly, though I was trying to get to RSH quickly, I will come back to Apprehension. Promise.
This is a far-future crime noir based on the real-life murder and scandal connected to the Italian director of 120 Days of Sodom, Pier Paolo Pasolini. He was murdered in 1975, and there are lots of strange connections to politics, sex workers, and lots of other interesting elements. Great history to make the basis for a crime sci-fi noir novel. It is a case I knew a little bit about, and I think that only adds a layer; you don’t have to know the case to enjoy this.
Aran is a high-class “rent boy,” who is pulled into a mystery and political intrigue when his high-class client - a controversial film director - is found dead. In his role as a rent boy, he is hired by a unique client a monoarch in a political monarchy who is one more than a dozen clones of their dear leader.
I personally enjoyed the world-building and thought this diverse set of worlds connected by wormholes was well thought out. Using the PKD technique of having the world-building expressed by the sub-human (The rent boy) and the upper-class lover, made for subtle details that gave us the details we needed. I love the planet zero dislike, the way Aran is uncomfortable with being on a planet. Once the giant mech battles happened I was totally sold.
This is a super gay book, I say that as a positive, to be clear. It is annoying that Cis books that have lots of horny stuff hardly get called graphic, but this one gets that label all the time. It is a double standard. This is a fun and thoughtful Science Fiction novel.
Red Star Hustle is one of my favorite modern reads of the year.
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