Review: It's Okay!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 14, 2013
For the past year I've been downloading a number of megapacks (especially the Science Fiction Megapacks) so I could get a feel of various authors that I had never read before.  This is where I was introduced to Randall Garrett, and because I enjoyed what I had read (The Judas Valley) I downloaded this collection to get a better feel for his writings.Overall this book is okay, unfortunately there are better collections out there, and while this collection is inexpensive, I would pick something else to read first.  Unlike some other authors, Randall Garrett doesn't create a specific world or theme to which he writes his various stories.  Each one is different, which on one hand is good.  Unfortunately, unlike say the work of H. Beam Piper, you don't feel an attachment to any particular story.  When there is a series of stories set in the same 'universe' or following the same theme, you tend to relate better to those stories and remember the previous ones, so that you enjoy the read better.  You don't get this with Randall Garrett and because of that the experience is somewhat muted.Still I enjoyed a few of the stories in this collection, including the above mentioned 'The Judas Valley' and a humorous tale called, 'In Case of Fire', a story dealing with giving the right job to the right person under the right circumstances.  Another very good story in this collection is 'Despoilers of the Golden Empire'.  I can't tell you about it because that would spoil the author's twist at the end, but I will say that I endjoyed it immensely.So that's it.  There are a couple of gems in this book and a lot of okay stories.  I do recommend it for reading, but I will say that there is better work out there, so give this a look only if you really haven't got anything else to read.