Cloud-Castles
Cloud-Castles by Dave Freer
An idealistic young man lands on the gas dwarf Sybill III, or rather on the antigravity plate that holds the most people, while aliens float about in cloud castles. A ragged urchin named Briz robs him, discovers he's a remittance man, realizes he could be a steady source of income, and goes back.
Some adventures on the plate, with Briz's aid and some dumb luck, end up without disaster for him, and also we learn of outbackers who live out in the floating skyfrond on the floating beasts of the world.
Subsequent developments turn on his being able to calculate odds quickly on cards, the technology used on the planet for anti-gravity, gliders, restarting machinery, Briz's secret, signalling with mirrors, and more.
An idealistic young man lands on the gas dwarf Sybill III, or rather on the antigravity plate that holds the most people, while aliens float about in cloud castles. A ragged urchin named Briz robs him, discovers he's a remittance man, realizes he could be a steady source of income, and goes back.
Some adventures on the plate, with Briz's aid and some dumb luck, end up without disaster for him, and also we learn of outbackers who live out in the floating skyfrond on the floating beasts of the world.
Subsequent developments turn on his being able to calculate odds quickly on cards, the technology used on the planet for anti-gravity, gliders, restarting machinery, Briz's secret, signalling with mirrors, and more.