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This podcast-only novel was something of a space opera, but not quite. It has a lot of space opera-like qualities - there's a lot of intergalactic travel without being too hard sci-fi-ish, some references to old naval traditions, and . What it's lacking, though, is anything particularly operatic. Instead of a grand destiny, or a quest, or anything noble like that, we instead get the story of a guy working on a ship, just kind of doing his thing. He's motivated to go to space mostly because if he doesn't, he'll get deported, and while he seems to enjoy what he does, and is good at it, and that seems to suit him fine enough.

What's great about this story, though, is that Lowell manages to strike at the heart of the fundamental nobility of that kind of a common, working-class lifestyle - that a simple life, well-lived, is something to be proud of. It's not a story that gets told often - a look in any bookstore or library will reveal a lot more stories about generals than soldiers - but it's a nice change to hear a story like this one.