Member Reviews

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The pieces included in Pawn's Gambit range from the adventure science fiction Timothy Zahn is famous for to post-apocalyptic tales and humorous fantasy. In “The Price of Survival,” an alien ship arrives in our solar system without hostile intentions—but with a desperate need that could destroy humanity. “The Giftie Gie Us” is set in a post-apocalyptic United States, in which two lonely survivors find love among the ruins. And in the title story, a human and his alien opponent face off over a game that will decide which one of them will return home—and which will not. This collection also includes the Hugo Award–winning novella Cascade Point and eight stories previously unpublished in book form.

Anthologies / collections can always be fraught with danger - it is a very rare beast that pleases the reader with every single story.

And that is certainly the case here. A number of these stories are straight sci-fi but others delve into the world of fantasy as well.

There are some definite standouts - Hugo award winning novella "Cascade Point"; “Hitmen – See Murderers”; and “Music Hath Charms” were all favourites of mine. The inclusion of political stories seemed to be to the detriment of this collection - I really could have done without those...

Overall, a decent anthology of Zahn's shorter fiction - I wouldn't suggest reading them all at once, though - it can be just a bit much, to be honest.


Paul
ARH

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Overall this was a good read. I enjoyed reading the previously unpublished works by the author in this collection. While I haven’t read much by this author, I still found myself entertained and interested during these stories. I find myself now ready to go back and read more stories by Zahn.

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This is a versatile collection of short stories and a novella, and for those who haven't had much experience with Timothy Zahn's work, it will offer you a glimpse into his creative mind.

The stories in this book vary in length and subject matter from dark to funny to just strange, but in a good way. This author has a way of making the impossible seem believable and makes it fun for the reader. If you like sci-fi, this makes a great sampler.

I got a kick out of the endings of some of these stories. Some of them were cute and some of them left you wondering when you finished what would happen with the characters next.

Over all, this is a fun book that I think plenty of others will enjoy.

This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

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