The Outpost is a science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 novel by Mike Resnick

Mike Resnick

Michael Diamond Resnick , better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is an American science fiction author. He was executive editor of Jim Baen's Universe.-Biography:...

.

Plot introduction

The Outpost is a bar at the edge of the galaxy, in the area known as the Inner Frontier. It attracts the exceptional and extraordinary who, while drinking and relaxing, share stories of their lives.

Plot summary

The novel is divided into 3 sections: Legend, Fact, and History. In Legend, the characters tell stories of what they were doing before they arrived and about people they met and things they did. The storytelling is interrupted by an alien invasion of the system, to which the heroes react. The History section sees everyone gathered back at the Outpost to share their stories and find out the fates of the others.

Stories Told

• Catastrophe Baker and the Dragon Queen
• The Last Landship (Hellfire Carson)
• The Greatest Painting of All Time (Little Mike)
• The Short, Star-Crossed Career of Magic Adbul-Jordan (Big Red)
• When Iron-Arm McPherson Took the Mound (Big Red)
• The Night Bet-a-World O'Grady Met High-Stakes Eddie
• Catastrophe Baker and the Siren of Silverstrike

Characters in "The Outpost"

• Tomahawk (Thomas Aloysius Hawke) - Owner of The Outpost
• Reggie - Robot bartender
• Catastrophe Baker - Living legend
• Hurricane Smith - hero with a weakness for alien females
• Three-Gun Max - Mutant gunfighter with 3 arms
• Big Red - Former professional star athlete (basketball, baseball, murderball)
• Nicodemus Mayflower -
• Bet-a-World O'Grady - Infamous gambler
• Sinderella -
• Little Mike Picasso (Michelangelo Gauguin Rembrandt van Gogh Rockwell Picasso (formerly Montgomery Quiggle))- Famous unknown artist
• Sahara Del Rio - Alien (Borovite)
• Reverend Billy Karma -
• Einstein - Deaf, blind, mute supragenius
• Argyle - Alien with color-changing skin, former accountant
  Accountant
  An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
  
  
• Gravedigger Gaines - Retired bounty hunter
  Bounty hunter
  A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
  
  
• Willie the Bard - Historian and record-keeper for the Outpost
• Hellfire Van Winkle - (formerly Hellfire Carson) 5,000 year old former big-game hunter and safari guide
• Achmed of Alphar -
• Earth Mother - Retired madam
• Sitting Horse & Crazy Bull- Aliens (Velitas IV) who become members of the Great Sioux Nation

Major themes

• Tall tales
  Tall Tales
  Tall Tales may refer to:* Tall Tales , 2004* Tall Tales , by American band The Hot Club of Cowtown* "Tall Tales" , an episode of the television series Supernatural-See also:...
  
   in the nature of Paul Bunyan
  Paul Bunyan
  Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
  
   and Pecos Bill
  Pecos Bill
  Pecos Bill is an American cowboy, apocryphally immortalized in numerous tall tales of the Old West during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. Their stories were probably invented into short stories and book by Edward O'Reilly in the...
  
  , but set in the Wild West of the future.
• Religion in the form of monotheism and polytheism.
• Discussion of history as a set of facts vs. perceptions.

Release details

• 2001, U.S., Tor Books
  Tor Books
  Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
  
  ISBN 0-312-85485-4, Pub date May 2001, Hardcover