The Velvet Comet is a space station with a difference - this orbiting platform is the most luxurious brothel in the universe. Equipped with casinos, five-star restaurants, a 2 mile long shopping mall and of course the pleasure rooms with prostitutes to suit every taste.

Another of Mike Resnick's books set in the Birthright Universe, this is the story of Harry Redwine (an accountant sent to the Velvet Comet), the Leather Madonna (the madam of the Comet), Rasputin (the Head of Security) and Suma (the most famous and most sort after prostitute on the Velvet Comet).

Harry Redwine's mysterious employer is seeking to bring about the ruination of the Comet to disgrace a boardroom rival and so Harry is assigned the task of changing the accounts of the comet to cause it's downfall, a task he finds increasingly difficult due to his growing feeling for the Leather Madonna. The Security Chief, Rasputin, has his suspicions raised when he is unable to break the security jamming used by Redwine and sets about trying to discover Harry true purpose on board. Meanwhile Suma has ambitions to take over from the Leather Madonna as the new madam and is very ruthless at her task.

This is typical of Mr. Resnick style. In his Birthright Universe the characters use aliases more often than not, the scale of the backgrounds are larger than life (this brothel is an orbiting space station over two miles long). This does differ in form a little from some of the other novels I've read in this universe. Whereas a lot of them tell the story from multiple angles with each character taking over as the main focus of the story for a section this is one continuous narrative, but as all the action takes place in one place and does not, as in other books, travel across vast sections of space perhaps that is appropriate.

If you are little hesitant to read this due to it's subject matter (it is about sex when it comes down to it) don't worry. Although this is set on a brothel and the characters do indulge in the kind of activities you would imagine are commonplace in such an establishment, these are hinted at more than described, and are certainly not the main emphasis of the story. This is a story of intrigue and ambition, of greed and love. Yep, love can happen in a brothel.

This is written in Mike Resnick usual fast paced style, it's another of those books that drags you quickly through to the end delivering a fine tale and leaving you wanting still more.