The McCade books are very good, among my all-time faves, but they're getting a bit repetitive. At least this time around there aren't any assasins, but in Alien Bounty McCade manages to wind up in chains not once but TWICE, and once again manages to get rescued by his buds, Rico, eversoheavily armed, and Phil, once a slave himself. In the next novel, McCade's Bounty, our galactic space hero's daughter is enslaved by the space pirates. I swear, I would be suprised if in McCade's world anyone lower in status than Lakorian royalty was NOT a slave at some point, considering the stats. Also, the part in Alien Bounty about Mustapha Pong is a bit short. Other than those two points, though, MCCADE ON THE RUN excels. It weaves an intricate, complex universe in its diverse worlds, some of which entirely artificial. Dont expect any of that "Oh, it's a lava world" nonsense.This book deserves 4.5 stars, but hey, I'm a pessimist.