Title: Dated, not his best
Review: I met Terry Bisson through "Bears discover fire", which is awesome and highly recommended. However Pirates of the Universe is a Bisson which you should skip. As a woman, and an avid reader of old and new sci-fi, I have a thick skin when it comes to portrayal of women -- if you tell a fascinating story, if the story can transcend time, then I'll forgive you for not having any real women in it. However "Pirates of Universe" was published in 1997, not 1947, and there's really no excuse for marginalization of his women characters. Between "virtual reality sex fantasy", "virtual reality psycho listener", "hometown girl with dreams no higher than suburbia", and "virtual reality psycho sex provider to inmates" you have to really wonder why Bisson populated this novel with a full cast of two-dimensional female shadows. One rather hopes it was a failed attempt at irony.
Is this product review negative?