From Publishers WeeklyThis "novel" brings together a decade's worth of stories about Haviland Tuf, an honest but thoroughly small-time interstellar trader who happens to acquire a centuries-old and miles-long seed-ship of the once powerful Earth Ecological Corps. Originally a deadly weapon, it alone preserves the secrets of a now-forgotten science and still functions well enough to create, gene-splice and clone any of a myriad species of plant and animal, both benevolent and destructive. The eccentric but ethical Tuf now styles himself an ecological engineer and wields his ship's treasures to solve the problems plaguing farflung settlements, from famine to sea serpents. These colorful tales mostly skirt the more interesting and prickly issue of Tuf's playing god to fundamentally change the cultures he encounters. Still, the seed-ship is a wonderful idea and Tuf, protecting his pet cats from the charge they are useless "vermin," is a droll hero. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. Praise for Tuf Voyaging A rich blend of adventure, humor, compassion and all the other things that make being human worthwhile.Analog A new facet of Martins manysided talent.Asimovs Praise for George R. R. Martin Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best. In fact . . . this is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien.Time Long live George Martin . . . a literary dervish, enthralled by complicated characters and vivid language, and bursting with the wild vision of the very best tale tellers.The New York Times I always expect the best from George R. R. Martin, and he always delivers.Robert JordanFrom the PublisherTUF VOYAGING includes interior illustrations by Janet Aulisio, cover artist and illustrator of the original edition. Included will be her original eight illustrations, along with 28 newly commissioned ones. how can i download a book from goodreads Tuf Voyaging
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This is a FUN, easy read!!!By TasawufA real wild trip through the explored universe, populated by insanely diverse and myriad characters and cultures...a classic sci-fi universe created by the author...sort of like "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy," set well over a 1000 years in the future. The main man, Haviland Tuf, an unlikely and very clever hero, who loves his cat (s), provides a constant, almost absurdly rational, and consistent counterpoint ( think Spock) to much of the nonsense that passes for human interaction, thinking, and speaking.Yes, it could be said that it was written for younger readers; however, I say that the beauty of this book lies in its simplicity and straightforwardness. A tale of weird beings,creatures, and cultures.....a tale of the various, myopic and unconscious ways in which humans see themselves, others, and how we relate to the environment. All driven still by survival, wealth, status, power, and various metaphysical, religious type beliefs.The more things change, the more they stay the same. Thank you Mr. Martin, thank you for the surreal ride! I might like to try whatever it is you're smoking.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent, Innovative, Puzzle-solving StoriesBy Walter StanleyI have never read much by George R. R. Martin. Years ago I enjoyed the WILD CARDS series that he edited, but he did not write many of the stories, and I read the first of the GAME OF THRONES series, which I liked quite well, but didn't want to devote enough of my time to reading a fantasy series to read more of them. While TUF VOAGING isn't exactly hard science fiction, it was not, as I was expecting, swashbuckling science fantasy. There was no sex, nor even romance, and the violence was all second hand accounting. These stories concerned a nice, gentle, but also stern, trader who came into possession of great power, and of how he cleverly used that power to solve various problems that existed on worlds he traveled to. If the science is sometimes far fetched, it is, perhaps, not ridiculously so. These are among the most enjoyable, intelligent science fictions stories I've ever read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Easy reading and fun.By MichaelI read one of the Tuf short stories in the early 80s in one of my father's Analog Magazines. Recently, I remembered the story and wanted to read it again. I had no idea that George R.R. Martin wrote it, or that there were more stories featuring the same central character, but, thanks to the Internet, the book was easy to find. While the story hasn't exactly stood the test of time (there are plenty of moments when the representations of future technology seem silly) plenty of it is still enjoyable. It is light reading and totally worth my money.