Mark Tier

This is basically a collection of libertarian science fiction, and I'm a libertarian so it would seemingly be a good fit. On the other hand, I'm not easy. I went through my period when I grooved to what I'd call "libertarian pornography" just for the pleasure of seeing my worldview in fiction. Now the more heavy-handed stuff makes me cringe. So, do I think this collection would transcend a particular political bias, is filled with outstanding stories? Well, some of them. Several struck me as rather "meh."

I liked "Monument" quite a lot, a story about natives outwitting attempts to colonize them--certainly I don't think you have to be a libertarian to like that story. "Gadget and Trend," "Historical Note," "Committee of the Whole" all depended on, well, gadgets as reasons for liberation of the populace. I found those three stories underwhelming, and given the last was by Frank Herbert of Dune fame, that was disappointing. Vernor Vinge's "The Ungoverned" had often been mentioned to me by more than one "anarcho-capitalist" trying to convert me to the workability of no government at all. It's more than just a good thought-piece though. As with all the Vinge stories I've read, it's well-written with engaging characters. Along with "The Ungoverned," Vogt's "The Weapon Shop" is the other story that libertarians have mentioned to me as a favorite. At first it seemed another "gadget" story--one likely to make haters of the right to bear arms foam at the mouth, but there turned out to be a lot more to it than that. I don't know that "Second Game" really fits well into the liberty theme, but on its own terms it's one of the strongest stories in the collection, with a twist I didn't see coming. "And Then There Were None," the longest story which closed the collection, was a standout too. I liked the way it gradually revealed its world to us. In it's way it's just as thought-provoking as Vinge's better-known story.

So, this is a bit of a mixed bag--but has enough stand-out stories not otherwise collected for it to keep its place on my bookshelf for now.… (altro)