The first of these stories isn't, in fact, a Solar Queen novella but a stand alone story set futureward of the Solar Queen books. A plot is hatched to gain control of a lost fortune using a young man from the lower end of society. Brainwiped and reprogrammed, When a safari party goes to the world where this young man had been dumped, a plot of dark plans is put into action, But the plans of man aren't the only ones affecting the planet and those on its surface.

In Voodoo Planet, the crew of the Queen have a rare holiday and Doctor Tau indulges his interest in witchcraft when he and other members of the crew are invited to the normally closed world of Khatka ( )

Two unrelated stories. Star Hunter is mildly interesting - a complex fraud, an alien planet that's more alien than expected, and then some interesting revelations about said fraud at the end. And a happy ending, of sorts. I think I've seen Ras Hume in another book - the name sounds familiar. That would be neat. The second story is a Solar Queen one - between Plague Ship and Postmarked the Stars. It's an interesting setup - 'native' magic and not-quite-the-same animal dangers (the lions are black and white!). Dane is largely an adjunct for this - the narrator, but the chief actor is Medic Tau. Which is nice, since his hobby of studying magic was established back in the first book. Nice, minor adventure for the Solar Queen's crew (or a limited selection of same - Dane, Tau, and Captain Jellico). ( )

Both stories are fairly light and quick. They are YA, but that does not take away the enjoyment of curling up with them. ( )