But work made for hire isn't always so awful, actually, or it didn't used to be, anyway. And in the case of the book you hold in your hands -- first in the Tom Corbett series by Carey Rockwell (whoever he was in real life) -- this book is really pretty damned neat. It's the tale of three young men who join the Solar Guard to serve as Space Cadets (yes, really! That's what the book calls them). It tells of the challenges that face them, and the way they triumph over adversity. Neat stuff! Read it now!

    They wish to preserve their cherished way of life but come to discover that in order to preserve their culture, they may have to change it forever. Now a man and a woman from these two clashing societies must work together to save this vanishing race—and end up uncovering ancient mysteries with far-reaching ramifications. As their mission hangs in the balance, this unlikely team—one cool and cerebral, the other fiery and impulsive—just may find in each other their own destinies . . . and a force that transcends all.

    Two archaeologists glean forbidden knowledge from the ruins of a dead world. Robot servants of ruling insectoid Klikiss guard the Klikiss Torch, which has the power to create suns. The reasons for the fall of the Klikiss empire may return.