Tuf Voyaging review + Book Lists

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In my previous book post, I mentioned that I was reading Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin. Well, I've finished.


Awhile ago, I bought a copy of Murray Leinster's "Med Service" stories, in a convenient one-volume paperback form (called Medship, if you're interested). They were fun stories, with a simple premise – the hero, alone, traveling from place to place solving terrifyingly difficult problems with ingenuity and skill. The same premise as "Have Gun, Will Travel", actually, and the same premise as Tuf Voyaging.

Naturally, this series is different from both the "Med Service" series and the "Have Gun, Will Travel" show, and the differences start with the protagonist. Haviland Tuf is not a doctor, nor a gunfighter; he is an ecological engineer. Furthermore, Haviland Tuf is far more eccentric (and comic) than either Calhoun ("Med Service") and Paladin ("Have Gun, Will Travel").

A more important difference is the presence of moral questions in the Tuf stories. In several of them, especially the later ones, ethics enters as a significant player in the plot. It is most fortunate that George R. R. Martin was able to keep a good degree of consistency in his writing and his characters despite the entrance of controversy onto the scene.

In the end, I did enjoy the stories. I don't think I'll reread them soon – the episodic format tires me after a while – but the stories themselves were original, and sometimes even thought-provoking. It was a fun series.


Despite finishing that book, my backlog has actually grown by another six books. My mom is great.

Neutron Star, by Larry Niven.

Niven is famous, but I haven't read too much of his. This one looks to be a set of short stories.

A Case of Conscience, by James Blish.

I like this title. Haven't read it, of course, and certainly the old aphorism applies, but cases of conscience can make for fascinating literature.

Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper.

Another Tepper book. She's one of my favorite authors at the moment, and I expect this one to turn out quite well.

Beauty, by Sheri S. Tepper.

Ditto, basically.

Earthwreck!, by Thomas N. Scortia.

Is that an oil painting on the cover? It's very stylized; looks good.

The Falling Torch, by Algis Budrys.

Nice, stylistic cover. Also, I recognize the title from the last batch of books my mom gave me.

Gladiator-At-Law, by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth.

Another older book with a beautiful cover.

Furthermore, I also have added to my book wishlist. This includes the previous list, just for completeness.

The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Recommended and reviewed by limyaael, it sounds like the sort of tragic and philosophical fantasy story that I found Shardik to be. I loved Shardik; I hope I will love this book as well.

A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge.

The sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep. I expect both books to be good.

I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov.

This collection of short stories isn't just famous, it's important famous.

Added to the list:

Native Tounge, by Suzette Elgin.

The first Suzette Elgin book I read was her "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense". Or rather, the sequel. More recently, I began to read her journal, ozarque, and that's where I found out about her novels.

Pornography: Men Possessing Women, by Andrea Dworkin.

Andrea Dworkin died a few days ago, and (sadly) that's the first I heard of her. Since she was one of the earliest and most energetic feminists, I felt that I should know at least something about what she said.

Long, long post. And it's not helping me revise my paper, so I probably shouldn't spend too long trying to think of new books for my wishlist.