Runner Jak Rebo and his companions are trying to return an artificial intelligence named Logos to Socket, an obscure planet where it can reactiveate the gates allowing the easy transfer between worlds that once tied them together. Rebo is doing it to repay a debt to a dead man (which isn't the same here as someone who no longer exists). Others are equally determined to stop him, adding the dangers of being caught up in war between technophobes and the Techno Society to the regular risks of travel. Rebos isn't a runner for nothing, so he and his group continually run and fight back when they have to... and survive. The result is a non-stop, planet-hopping run through death, destruction, and ghosts from the spirit world, who are at least as dangerous as the crime lords who are all too interested in Jak and crew.

There's something here for fans of almost any kind of SF, starting with plenty of action-adventure that matters, with the future of the galaxy at stake along with that of characters you care about. What technology there is includes some interesting food for thought. The worlds are filled with memorable characters, while being vividly depicted themselves and nicely varied. The overall feel may be noirishly dark, but leavening is provided with some touches of humor and a deepening romance. You could see this becoming a hit SF movie, full of color and action, with an edgy, dark setting but a charmingly raffish antihero hero.