Olivia Elgison is a sophomore at North Atlanta High School in Atlanta, Georgia. This book definitely isn’t for everyone, but it is an extremely entertaining read that offers a unique take on the science fiction genre, so I would recommend it to any sci-fi fan.

One of my favorite interactions is when one character, angry with someone else, tells Tuf that she would like to give them a “good piece of her mind”-and Tuf responds, with no hint of snark or sarcasm, “A good piece of your mind might be considered an oxymoron.” This one line encompasses Tuf’s personality almost perfectly, and despite the fact that he was not attempting to be humorous in any way, it nearly made me laugh out loud. This novel brings together a decades worth of stories about Haviland Tuf, an honest but thoroughly small-time interstellar trader who happens to. Though his deadpan personality and lack of proficiency with metaphors, sarcasm, and human emotion may initially be a turnoff for some, these qualities make for some incredibly clever and witty dialogue and a great use of ironic humor throughout the book. And while Tuf doesn’t exactly exhibit many of the traits of a traditional sci-fi protagonist, he is one of the most unique and cleverly written characters of any book I’ve ever read. With a story centered so heavily on one character, that character must be compelling. This character pretty much carries the entire book on his own, and he is essentially the only character that the reader is really meant to invest in. Each story sees Tuf using his newfound seedship called the Ark-which just happens to be one of the biggest and most powerful vessels in the galaxy-to help people of different planets, usually with some hidden ulterior motive.Įach of the seven stories explores Tuf’s initially unreadable personality in different ways. Tuf Voyaging is a collection of individual stories following space explorer Haviland Tuf, a quirky and somewhat antisocial trader-turned-ecological-engineer who really likes cats. Marty Elgison is a retired attorney and avid reader of science fiction old and new.

Haviland tuf