I enjoy Mr. Tenn, as he was a master of the First person humorous short story. This collection of eleven stories was written between 1951 and 1958 for various magazines. Betelgeuse Bridge is a good example of the style, and a pointed comment on the fruits of imperialism. ( )

Some time ago I bought stacks of cheap mm pb from used book stores every time we went on a road trip.  Included were several by Tenn, who I don't recall ever hearing of before.  Given the titles of some of his other works, I thought maybe I'd be getting into something I didn't really want to, and would be disappointed the same way I was with Joanna Russ.  Finally I started Tenn's books with this one.  Fortunately it's a lot more palatable than I feared.  Relatively edgy for the time, now it's almost simplistic.  But not quite.  The stories are well-written, engaging, and the themes still relevant.  They're not true masterworks, but they're definitely still worth reading.  I thoroughly enjoyed them, and look forward to reading the rest of my Tenn. ( )