Helpful Score: 1
Tiptree was way ahead of her time, and this book is more proof. It is actually several short stories all related to human - alien contact. Tiptree deftly flips viewpoints from human to alien to illustrate the universal fatal flaw of false superiority. Another great read from Tiptree.
Helpful Score: 1
3 stories in one; "Tiptree" does it best with short stories, in particular these are around the star rift. It concerns an interst in early life around the rift and the unsung heroes who helped to promote peace and technology in the right direction. The first story will capture you; it's the best in the book. Teenager takes her shuttle joyriding into history. The second one has a mild romance in it (whether this works in SF/F is still debatable) but the sci-fi in story 2 is remarkable. The third story shifts from one view point to another on what is going on and can get confusing; once you understand who's who and where, you have to finish the story to find out how "Tiptree" brings it all about so smoothly. Sweet. This was worth the initial purchase -- hope to share it with you.
Three Tiptree short stories with a unifying framework. In 'The Only Neat Thing To Do', a rebellious teenager takes an unauthorized jaunt into space, makes a true friend, and must then make a very grown-up decision. 'Good Night, Sweethearts' puts an independent salvager in an odd position, thanks to the technology of coldsleep that permits humans to make decades-long space journeys, and 'Collision' is a first-contact tale where any small misunderstanding could lead to a horrific war.
