Choices to make

I've loved everything I've read by Marston and The Fourth Consort doesn't break that pattern. As in Mickey7, the protagonist here is a man with not much keeping him on earth, a snarky sense of humor, and who has agreed to go on an interstellar quest. And I'm here for it.

The sardonic protagonist here is Dalton Greaves. Dalton's dad has passed away and his girlfriend literally just broke up with him when he's approached by Neera. Neera works for Unity, an alien confederation, and is offering Dalton a chance to make a ton of money working for her alien boss, Boreau. And with nothing left for him on earth, Dalton figures, 'why not?' and joins the team as an "ambassador" who'll run point for Unity with other alien species. Sure the job comes with a high level of risk, but if he makes it through, he'll have enough money to never work again. There's a couple of flies (or maybe giant ants?) in the ointment. One is a rival faction, the Assembly, who have their own plans for the planet Dalton and his team are visiting, and two are the native alien species who might just kill Dalton if (when) he makes a mistake. 

There's a lot of humor and suspense (will he be killed or not), but there are deeper themes as well. Dalton, as he deals with beings entirely alien to him, struggles to hold onto his humanity and his own personal sense of honor. He alone knows just how far he's willing to go and for whom. 

Mickey7 is just coming out in theaters as Mickey 17, directed by Bong Joon Ho, and I can't wait to see how it will look on the screen. I foresee other Marston books being picked up for development.