I generally don't like short story collections, but this one is an exception. I enjoyed every story in this collection, I only wish there were more of them! Some of them are familiar, as they were excerpts from books turned into novels, but that only added to the enjoyment. Good solid sci-fi. Please write more, Vernor! ( )

This is a collection of Vernor Vinge's short piece from his first published piece in 1965 to a 2001 novella, "Fast Times at Fairmont High" that first appeared here. The only short stories by Vinge written up to publication not included is "True Names" and a story that would later be expanded into Tatja Grimm's World. It suffered a bit from my having just reread the collected stories of Isaac Asimov. I hadn't read those stories for decades, yet often I could remember them as soon as I saw the title or just a few paragraphs into the story. Few stories here were as memorable on my reread of these a decade later. Although in at least one way the collections aren't comparable. In the Foreword Vinge writes that his ideal length for his shorts is about 12,000 words, novelette length in other words, while Asimov's stories tended to be much shorter, so his first volume of collected short stories packed in 46 works, while with Vinge there are only 17 chances to impress. Still, is there anything here to compare to Asimov's "Nightfall," "The Dead Past," "The Ugly Little Boy" or "The Last Question?" Not really. While I think Asimov is even better in his short stories than his novels, with Vinge I think it's the reverse, and I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to him.

"The Ungoverned" was the one story I remembered just from the title. A few others took just a few paragraphs to come back to mind: "Bookworm, Run!" "Apartness," "Long Shot," "The Blabber." I did like all the stories in the collection though, there wasn't one complete dud, although I remember leaving "Fast Times at Fairmont High" unfinished the first time, and it did take a while for me to get into. I think back in 2001 the virtual plugged in world was just a bit too alienating for me. The scary thing is that a bit over ten years later it sounds like our near future. And actually there is something reminiscent of Asimov in the twists to many of these stories. I like the way Vinge pushes at how technology might drive a very radical change in what is human, and he's good at imagining truly alien perspectives. So, to name my five favorites in the order they appeared in the collection:

"Bookworm, Run!" - This 1966 story is the first one Vinge wrote that he ever was able to sell--he was still in high school at the time. I really liked his chimpanzee protagonist.

"The Ungoverned" - This is a cult classic among libertarians and had even been pointed to me as an argument for anarcho-capitalism. Color me skeptical it would change any minds, but it certainly is memorable and thought-provoking.

"Long Shot" - About the odyssey of a space probe, this has a fantastic premise and is among Vinge's best stories.

"Original Sin" - In the afterward Vinge said this 1970 story was for years his favorite of his own stories. It's rather brutal, but for that very reason unforgettable. One of the more original, truly alien aliens I've encountered in science-fiction.

"The Blabber" - A story of a young man and his extraterrestrial pet. Maybe I'm just a sucker for animal stories, but I did really love this one. As much as any in the collection. ( )

http://www.leftfield.org/~rawdon/books/sf/vinge_vernor/#the.collected.stories.of... ( )

Having loved A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire Upon the Deep, and as a lover of short story collections, I had high hopes for this collection. While there are 2 or 3 interesting stories, and at least 1 very good one, the majority were bland and at some times rediculous (one of his earlier works showcased herein utilizes a tedious phonetic gimmick). I began and did not finish 2 or 3 stories. If you're a VV fan, you may like this as long as you know what you're getting into. Again, there are some quite good stories, so it may be worth it to the dedicated fan. ( )

Wonderful! ( )