I can grasp the concept of a Kzin space pirate. What I can't understand is why a Kzin would speak like he'd just stepped out of a stroke-survivor cast version of Pirates of the Caribbean. If you can get past the silly speech mannerisms, there's a decent story here. My standard is always whether the Kzin are allowed to be Kzin -- and here, they are treated with that respect. The characters were well-written and allowed to grow. The ending was wrapped up a lot more quickly than I would have liked. I enjoyed the story and I'd say that if you're a longterm fan, this is one you can put on the shelf. Beginners to the Man-Kzin series are far better off reading "Destiny's Forge" by Paul Chafe, or the Man-Kzin Wars volumes themselves.

I've read all the Man/Kzin fiction - the short stories, the novelettes, and the rare novel. Every one has been blessed with a tight writing style that provided fascinating, believable characters, solid plots, and engaging dialogue. "Treasure Planet" doesn't reach that level, unfortunately. There's nothing wrong with basing the plot on the novel, "Treasure Island;" after all, some really great stories about the Wunderland defense recall the movie "Casablanca." But, the characters and dialogue in this book were almost a caricature of the Treasure Island film in which Robert Newton playing Long John Silver gave us, 'Aharr, matey ! Arrrrr!' Kzin, pirates or no, don't talk that way.