Book 2 of the Rampart Worlds series. Not as good as The Saga of Pliocene Exile series that made the author's name in the late 70s. Some of the language is strangely archaic for a novel set in the 23rd century! Verdict: average space opera.
Extract
Fifty-six year ago in 2176, Galapharma Amalgamated Concern decided that its remote Perseus Spur colonies were no longer economical and retreated to the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. Seven years later, a spunky, shoestring outfit called Rampart Interstellar Corporation, founded by my uncle Ethan, my father and their friend Dirk Vanderpost (my mother's brother), came along and proved that the Concern had made a big fat mistake.
