Pirates of the Thunder

Pirates of the Thunder is the second novel in the The Rings of the Master series by Jack L. Chalker, published in March, 1987. It has nine chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue.

Blurb
Hawks had refused to help the ambitious Lazlo Chen in his quest to find the five gold rings that could break Master System’s hold over humankind—and that refusal had landed him on the deadly prison planet Melchior.

But when Hawks and some fellow prisoners engineered a bold escape, it seemed almost too easy. Hawks guessed that Chen was pulling the strings, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was another, greater power involved. And that scared him.

Now the stakes were rising, and Hawks was more determined than ever to find the five gold rings. But Master System was out to capture him, and Chen was trying to follow him —and the only place his small band of rebels could hide was smack in the middle of pirate territory …

Hostile Makeover (in-book catcher)
“Reba Koll leapt at Sabatini. Their merged bodies became a single, seething mass of amorphous flesh; it writhed and wrinkled like some great monster, and slowly a form began building out of the center.

“ At first it was a head, humanoid but hardly human, with bloated, puffy flesh and no hair or features. Then the torso started to emerge, then the waist, and finally thick, sturdy legs. Subtly the skin texture and muscle tone changed, becoming flatter, harder, and more natural. Very slowly but steadily the rest of the detailing came in.

“ The figure shuddered, then breathed deeply. The eyes opened, and the new Sabatini looked at them.”

Plot
(To be filled, see the Books Project page for details)

Chapters

 * Prologue


 * Chapter One: The World That Moves Through Stars
 * Chapter Two: The Pirates of the Thunder
 * Chapter Three: An Island In The Wilderness
 * Chapter Four: Settling Some Political Matters
 * Chapter Five: A Nice Little Layover
 * Chapter Six: Scouting Expeditions
 * Chapter Seven: The Pirates Strike
 * Chapter Eight: Reconnaissance Mission
 * Chapter Nine: The Vulture Of Janipur
 * Epilogue: Passage: Two Characters Meet In Hell