Assault on the Gods

On a routine trading mission to the soggy planet of Dascham, Captain Ardeva Korrell and her crew run afoul of a bunch of invisible and almost omnipotent local toughs who call themselves "the gods" and employ a host of robot "angels" with terrible swift swords to keep the gentle native population in a state of terror. Goldin's account of the subsequent battle rarely rises above puerility. Certainly there are no sexist cliches here; it's encouraging to find a science fiction heroine portrayed as a no-nonsense professional capable of assuming command in any situation. Would that this one were not otherwise such a wearisome nullity. (Kirkus Reviews)