His vessel, the Ark, has huge potential and awesome power, yet Tuf uses it for the universal good (whilst turning a neat personal profit, he has his origins as a trader after all). Tuf must navigate his way safely through an exotic, yet hostile universe, imparting his wisdom and benevolence in the face of jealousy and self-serving contemporaries. Tuf Voyaging is about philanthropy and ecological problem solving on a galactic scale. If you are expecting lots of fighting and lasers, don’t read this. The way his characters speak, their motives and their humour all ring true. Martin is the master at dialogue and interaction. He is also a decent man in a universe of greedy and ignorant people with no scruples or morals. Rather than being the archetypal lantern-jawed, barrel-chested superman often found in sci-fi, Tuf is someone who relies on his cunning and ingenuity. He is a large, bald, portly man, fond of cats and mistrusting of humans. What I enjoyed here was the central character of Haviland Tuf. His reputation as the new Tolkien and all the other epithets are thoroughly deserved, the man can write! This is the first book by him I have read, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Prior to reading this, I had only seen author George R. Hosts of hostile monsters, a population addicted to procreation, a dictator who is willing to unleash plagues to get his own way - and all that stands between the colonists and disaster is Tuf's ingenuity, and his reputation as an honest dealer in a universe of rogues. With his unique equipment and powerful spacecraft, Tuf is set to tackle the myriad problems that human settlers have created during their colonisation of far flung worlds. We'll leave that aside for now - just be thankful that the most powerful weapon in space is in good hands, hands which now control cellular material for thousands of outlandish creatures. So how is it that, despite being up against the worst villains in the universe, he has become the proud owner of the last working seedship, pride of Earth's Ecological Engineering Corps? Haviland Tuf is an honest space-trader (one of the few), and he likes cats.

Tuf voyaging review