Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin

When I bought this book, it was purely for the author, having recently read part of "A Song of Ice and Fire". This book is not like that book, but it's always interesting to see how an author works with a different medium. Tuf Voyaging is actually a collection of short stories, but it does read like a book of seven chapters, since each story has the same main character. Three of the series are tied together, and perhaps my biggest criticism of this book is that these three stories seem more coherent than the rest, and make the remainder (with the exception of the first) feel a bit as if they are tacked on. But I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself here.

The book concerns the antics of one Haviland Tuf, a rather quirky space trader. In the first story, Plague Star, Tuf manages to get his hands on an enormous and unique spaceship with a huge amount of genetic technology on board. He then proceeds to use his newfound powers of ecological engineering to travel the galaxy, finding people with problems, and fixing their problems. For a small fee, of course. Expenses, after all.

I liked Tuf. He's a bit mean at times, but he's intelligent and not in a particularly arrogant way. I suppose what I really liked about him is that he plays by the rules, and yet still gets away with what he wants. Despite the fact he's got this enormously powerful ship which everyone wants, he never lets the power go to his head, and always sticks to what he says he'll do... and while he doesnt always give people what they really want, all his deception is deception by omission. He's like the genie who you must be careful what you ask for.

I think ultimately, the very interesting main character really helps these stories. This was a book I could not put down. I wouldn't say it was massively surprising; you could tell what was happening fairly early on, but it was nice to see things come to a conclusion at the end, when people realise the consequences of their requests. All in all, this is a satisfying book. You finish each part, and think, "that was a good story." I'd heartily recommend it.

9/10