GREAT!!

No likable characters. Character actions don't drive the story, they are powerless. The scifi is so fantastic that it goes straight to fantasy - ghosts, teleportation by mystical beings, space creatures that happen to create air pockets and food humans can eat.

An amazing feel for the cold war view of communism.

The fantastical elements remind me of nothing so much as Doctor Dolittle on the Moon - which is jarring against the totalitarian society portrayed.

Wasn't interested enough to finish it (I read the first book of the three in the collection, and the first 50 pages or so of the second) even though it's such a weird product of its time.

Definitely some interesting ideas here. The first book is the best one, with a convincing scientific explanation of an inertialess drive, some interesting beasts, and a good story. The world is fairly convincing even after 40 years, although there's still quite a bit of this-is-what-happens-when-the-communists-win. The second book is well-written and fun, but the ending doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The author had an idea of where he was going but it doesn't get resolved really well. The third book really feels dated, with the men rescuing and the women being rescued, and the intelligent-star idea has some interesting points to it. It's also interesting to compare the science of the day to what we have today. Might be interesting to see how it holds up in another ten years, but I doubt I'll read it again. ( )

The Reefs of Space; Starchild; Rogue Star