Tuf Voyaging

Tuf Voyaging is mid-80s science fiction fluff from George RR Martin before he was the Game of Thrones guy, a series of 7 linked short stories that flicker between charming and rancid, depending on how generous you're feeling.

The story introduces us to a group of rogue academics and criminals on a search for a ancient starship of immense power, an Ecological Engineering Corps seedship with a library of billions of cell samples, quick cloning tanks, and the power to remake worlds. They hire as their transport failing freelance trader Haviland Tuf. Tuf himself is an odd freak (absolutely autism coded, as the kids on TikTok would say). Physically, he's a pale hairless eight foot tall giant who speaks in a bass monotone. He's overly literal, show more honest to a fault, is a committed vegetarian, hates to be touched, loves dark ale and mushroom wine and strategy games, and prefers the company of his cats to any people.

When they arrive at the Ark, Tuf's trading ship is damaged by the defense systems and the crew immediately falls out over how they'll split the unimaginable wealth and power of the seedship. Betrayal and the hazards of a Big Dumb Object in space whittle down their numbers until Tuf is the last man standing. He decides to embark on a new career as an ecological engineer, and then the rest of the book.

The three main stories focus on S'uthlam, a city planet facing an immanent Malthusian crisis (the planet's name is an anagram for Malthus-subtle). Religious and social mores prevent any form of population control, and the planet's exponentially growing population of 40 billion plus is perennially years away from famine and/or an existential war with their neighbors. In three stories, Tuf gives them new crops, criticizes their society, and finally forces mandatory birth control, observing that as with cats, either you choose to sterilize them, or you find yourself tossing a sack of kittens out an airlock.

The intervening stories are a bit more fun. "Guardians" is the best, where Tuf helps a planet under assault from viciously evolving sea monsters reach a peace accords with the natives. The other stories have him undermining an aristocracy of animal pit fighters, and dropping plagues on an anti-technology zealot calling himself Moses.

GRRM knows what to do on a sentence to sentence level. But the setting and characters are a sketchpad for the moral lessons, and how much you'll enjoy the stories depends on how much you like Tuf's "Oh dear, no one appreciates my honesty and assumes that I'll use my god-like power to screw them over. Well, time to use my god-like to do what I think is best for them." I split the difference and gave this collection three stars. show less

“I will sit here in the coolness and talk my thoughts to this crystal and I will drink my wine and watch the flyers, the few who still live, as they dance and soar against the night. Far off, they look so like shadowgulls above my living sea. I will drink my wine and remember how that sea sounded when I was but a Budakhar boy who dreamed of stars, and when the wine is gone I will use the flamer.
(Long silence)
I can think of no more words to say. Janeel knew many words and many names, but I buried her this morning.
(Long silence)
If my voice is ever found . . .
(Short pause)
If this is found after the plague star has waned, as the night-hunters say it will, do not be deceived. This is no fair world, no world for life. Here is death, and show more plagues beyond numbering. The plague star will shine again.
(Long silence)
My wine is gone.
(End of recording)”

In “Tuf Voyaging” by George R. R. Martin

I sometimes need to learn to relax a bit and don't think of reading as always something that always has to be deep and meaningful. I try to think of genres in the same way one may think of food. One day I might go to the trouble or expense of a chateaubriand, and the next day I really, really fancy cheese on toast. Some days I want to be moved, the next have my head twisted inside out only to follow that with a bit of Jeeves. My advice: (1) don’t get your knickers in a twist about it. The authors all have different intentions and audiences, or maybe that should be audiences in a particular mood and frame of mind that day. For me, SF is my escape from the feeling I really should appreciate, analyse and be critical, and instead just float along happily in a haze of sun, sea and alcohol, or cold medicine, whatever the case may be. Like a secret stash of chocolates to relax with on my own; (2) Don't make reading into a chore. You don't always have to learn something. Sometimes it's just pure fun and recreation. SF allows you to make your own rules and set them in your own invented history. You can place it all in a universe where up is down if you wish and certainly on a world where they have a pink sky and two cooperating suns at one time. The author is truly omnipotent. But the prose doesn't need to be creaky. There are master craftsmen writing in this genre, for instance the-George-R-R-Martin-that-also-wrote-stuff-other-than-the-famigerated-GoT. I'm thinking about this particular little gem called "Tuf Voyaging". Who would have thought Martin had it in him to write stuff like this? As for all this stuff re genres and validity at literature, all genres have dross and have gems. Not seeing that also applies to SF is as dumb as not seeing in this in historical novels or biographies. I accept that for some genre of SF may not be their cup of tea, though maybe this often because they have not been exposed to gems from the genre and have seen some prejudice affirmed from what they have read. Which is a shame, for them. Creaky prose, preposterous characterisation, racist attitudes and all? In fact, if the dilemmas of impoverished middle-class young women in Regency England, or idealistic bootleggers in 1920s New York or ambitious young Irish politicians in late nineteenth century England are not necessarily escapist now, then nor are those of noblemen in an island torn by civil war with the prospect of others crossing the Wall and rumours of dragons overseas. This is as fine a set of science fiction stories as I have ever read, dealing with the problems and relationships of humanity and their technology, bound up with fascinating characters and plots. It also deals in a cautionary way with the problems of unrestrained population growth. Finally, it explores the consequences that result when a single human being gains the ultimate power of life and death. This George-R-R-Martin-that-also-wrote-stuff-other-than-the-famigerated-GoT is as fine a set of SF stories as I have ever read, dealing with the problems and relationships of humanity and their technology, bound up with fascinating characters and plots. It also deals in a cautionary way with the problems of unrestrained population growth. Finally, it explores the consequences that result when a single human being gains the ultimate power of life and death. Go and read “Tuf Voyaging”. It’s that good.

SF = Speculative Fiction.

NB: Peter Tillman brought this book to my attention. I'm glad he did. show less

A solid mosaic novel made out of seven short stories Martin wrote about Haviland Tuf in the 1970s and 1980s. Three of the seven form one longer narrative, and a fourth is Tuf's origin story (of sort), which together manage to make this book feel more like a novel and less like a loosely collected anthology than I expected it to.

We follow Haviland Tuf -- a bit of an intentional cypher to all the people he encounters, but not that difficult to understand (and, at least for me, like) for the reader. Tuf ends up in possession of a vastly powerful antique cloning chip, with which he decides to travel through space (joined only by his beloved cats) and offer biological engineering services to any planet that might need it. Tuf's disaffected show more manner, verbose patterns of speech, odd looks and particular combination of obvious misanthropy and deep empathy all serve to make him a highly unusual protagonist, but, I think, a very enjoyable one. It is (intentionally, I think) unclear to what extent he's prepared for every eventuality (though he's certainly prepared for many) and to what extent he trusts his mind to figure things out as he goes along, but in every story in this book, Tuf's little schemes bear satisfying fruit. And as they do, Tuf himself slowly might be changing -- subtly, considering his intentionally hard-to-read personality -- as Martin explores what ultimate power does to a person, even one as collected and self-assured as Tuf. Or perhaps he does not change at all. And both conclusions, whichever way I chose to interpret it, were equally powerful in my read.

'Tuf Voyaging' is an easy read, soft science fiction with an obvious satirical angle on the various societies and communities Tuf visits (and, in his own mind at least, helps), and what depth and realism there is might suffer slightly from the frequently convenient facts that tend to play to Tuf's advantage. But Martin is pretty good at making these palatable. And should he somehow ever find the time in his career to revisit Tuf (as I know he has mentioned over the years wishing to do), I will happily buy and read it. show less

In the 1970’s and 80’s, long before he wrote the Song of Ice and Fire books, George R.R. Martin was writing science fiction. He wrote particularly excellent short fiction, which garnered him a handful of awards, including Hugos for “Sandkings”, “The Way of Cross and Dragon”, and “A Song for Lya”. Tuf Voyaging is a fix-up novel containing stories he wrote during this period starring a man named Haviland Tuf.

In the first story, Tuf is the captain of a trading spaceship he calls the Cornucopia of Excellent Goods at Low Prices. He’s not a great trader, but he’s earnest. He takes on four people that hire him for transport to a “plague star”, which contains a planet that has been ravaged by disease. The cause of the show more disease is found when Cornucopia of Excellent Goods at Low Prices is damaged after triggering a seedship’s defenses: a seedship of the Ecological Engineering Corp from the Federal Empire, an ancient polity that has since faded into myth.

Through a crazy series of events that involve a Tyrannosaurus rex, Tuf ends up in sole possession of the massive seedship he calls the Ark. He parks the Cornucopia of Excellent Goods at Low Prices in one of the bays and starts using the ship’s stunning biological capabilities to make a living as an Ecological Engineer. With his cats, Tuf flies from world to world solving ecological problems.
Things, of course, are not that simple.

The major appeal of Tuf Voyaging is the character of Haviland Tuf. He’s a man of many words, delivered in a dry yet eloquent way that never gets old. At times the reader thinks Tuf may not be perceiving what is happening around him. It’s always a delight to find out that he understands perfectly.

The book is also thoughtful. Many of the ecological problems that Tuf is called on to solve have a human element to them. On a planet called S’uthlam, for example, Tuf argues that overpopulation is going to prevent any solutions, which spurs a debate about religious beliefs vs. ecology. On another world, treatment of animals is a topic. Martin brings these things up in this book without being preachy.

This book contains the following stories:
“The Plague Star” (1985)
“Loaves and Fishes” (1985)
“Guardians” (1981)
“Second Helpings” (1985)
“A Beast for Norn” (1976)
“Call Him Moses” (1978)
“Manna From Heaven” (1985) show less

I picked up Tuf Voyaging knowing exactly what to expect. I did not expect it to compare to A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's magnum opus that is the basis for Game of Thrones, and I knew from the blurb that it would not be a dark, brooding story in the vein of Fevre Dream (which is excellent and should be any GRRM fan's next port of call after Westeros). No, I knew this was a so-called 'fix-up' novel compiled of various short stories Martin wrote in the Seventies and Eighties – goofy space opera episodes centred around an author-avatar veggie pacifist cat-lover with a silly name. And I was prepared to judge it kindly on that basis. But I still didn't like it.

The premise itself is wonky and often hits you with some deus ex show more machina: Haviland Tuf, our protagonist, conveniently acquires a huge spaceship that gives him near-godlike powers and he goes about the galaxy solving people's problems. Tuf always knows what to do and how to act, and he acquires knowledge and skills seemingly effortlessly, which means there is often little drama or risk to the stories and they lack spice and uncertainty. Martin's excellent storytelling abilities – later shown to great effect in Fevre Dream and the Westeros epics – are either not fully developed by this early point in his career, or just don't have the right vehicle to express themselves.

Indeed, it is only the first story, 'The Plague Star', that I felt was really good, and even that had moments of hokey-ness. Space opera is hard to do – what with aliens and lasers and spaceships and weird names and outlandish technologies and so on – and Martin only double-downs on the juvenility by including cloned dinosaurs and psychic cats. I never felt connected with any of the characters – not even Tuf, who in his pseudo-intelligent speech patterns reminded me of Eugene, the absurd mullet guy from The Walking Dead – and the dialogue seemed to be reaching for an energy rather than bringing it itself.

The book sometimes felt off tonally, and not just because it is a stitched-together fix-up novel but within each of the stories themselves. It is ostensibly a series of light space opera adventures with some goofy humour, but then there are gruesome individual deaths and some morally-suspect decisions on a humanitarian level. It can lead to unintentional moments of disquiet from the reader, as you don't know whether you should be enjoying the wacky bubblegum ride or pondering the sometimes-superficial moral dilemmas.

Tuf Voyaging can be quick and pleasant enough to read but it is like watching some really old space-based sitcom on an obscure TV channel. You appreciate the novelty and the quaintness for a few minutes but then you reach for the remote to find something with better scripting and more modern production values. Couple this with some rather clunky (if well-intentioned) socio-political commentary, and you get a serviceable but ultimately unsatisfying read. show less

Originally published in 1986, 'Tuf Voyaging' contains seven stories largely published in Analog in 1985. You remember 1985, right? 'Money for Nothing,' 'A View to a Kill,' AIDS, Gorbachev, New Coke, Nintendo, and 'The Breakfast Club' all sound familiar? Yeah, that's right. The year where it seemed like the leaders just wanted to fight, greed was king and the youth movement was all about walking away from adults in the room. Clearly Martin was tapping into the zeitgeist, because his protagonist Tuf is all about being misunderstood, calling out governments and nobles, and expressing his desire to be left alone with his cats.

The first story is 'The Plague Star' and lays the foundation for the rest. A band of four people tied together by show more greed lights on Tuf as the solution to their transport problems. "The man is an independent trader, of sorts. Not a very successful one... He must be getting desperate--desperate enough, I'd think, so that he'll jump at this opportunity... He'll give us no trouble. He's big, but soft, inside and out. He keeps cats, I hear. Doesn't much like people. Drinks a lot of beer, eats too much." It is novella-length at 120 pages and describes just how a humble space trader ends up in possession of an ancient 'seed' ship.

The remainder of the stories are basically Tuf going to different places in the universe and 'solving problems,' although there's a reoccurring visit to the Port of S'uthlam, a sophisticated space repair station. 'Loaves and Fishes' refers to how Tuf solves the problem of repairs at the Port. At 75 pages it's the second-longest story, while the remaining ones are under 50. 'Guardians' is fishing world beset by leviathans and whom Tuf offers to help. 'Second Helpings' is a return to Port looking for another miracle of the fishes. 'A Beast for Norn' and 'Call Him Moses' are next. You would almost think 'Beast' is going to be a morality tale after witnessing how Tuf, a vegetarian, imposes his no-meat rule on anyone visiting his ship, but, not at all. He treats animals as disposably as his clients do. Lastly is 'Manna From Heaven,' a final confrontation at the Port which contains a philosophical showdown with the Port Manager.

This felt very old-school sci-fi. The universe felt like it had less to do with cohesive world-building and more the sci-fi version of Star Trek. The ship, you see, is thirty kilometers long, normally crewed by two hundred, but able to be ran--largely--by one person after reading a few manuals. You can clone anything you like, from cat to T.rex, and the defense system includes monsters from the lesser-known pockets of the universe.

It's a great premise, and I was expecting something along the lines of 'humble man achieves power and imposes order to chaotic systems,' but instead it felt like half morality tale, half destructive wish fulfillment fantasy. Much like a djinn, Tuf often obeys the letter of the requests made to him--giving people what they ask for, but not what they need. In exchange, just a few million or so, to help him pay off his own debt. I'd have less problem with it if it wasn't clear from the story that hundreds, to thousands to millions were suffering while he let the leaders screw around, essentially punishing them until they agreed to his point of view. Early on, the Port Manager makes the point of how absolute power corrupts. While I'm not sure Tuf was corrupted, I think being an asshole plus having an excessive amount of power certainly facilitated his being an asshole on a very large scale. Larger questions of the stability of a society are indirectly referred to as a potential consequence, but neither Tuf nor the reader gets to see them.

I don't know about you, but I was giving serious consideration to Tuf as George R.R. Martin's alter ego. Drinking his dark beer, complaining about the quality of food on other planets, and basically complaining about how no one gives him the benefit of the doubt or treats him with suspicion when he does so very badly at conveying his ideas. His solution in 'Loaves and Fishes' takes 45 days of him isolating himself and working away without a word to anyone. (I suspect Tuf was working on the outline to GoT). I mean, tell me that this quote doesn't sound like George commenting on a policy of choice: "Yet, poisonous cynic that I am, I cannot help but suspect that ultimately the S'uthlamese may decide that some lives are more sacred than others."

I was reminded a great deal of James White's Sector General series, about a deep-space hospital that catered to beings of all natures. While Tuf Voyaging does manage to avoid a lot of the misogyny and cultural centrism that that time period can be known for, the collection has limitations. 'Guardians' is by far the least problematic story, and got Martin nominated for an award or two. 'The Plague Star' is interesting in it's fallout, although most of the players in the story are unlikable. Basically, I wanted more interesting problem-solving or discussion thereof and more aliens. Enjoyment hinges on being able to just let details go and see where the ride takes you. Oh, and it helps if you love cats. show less

It took me a long time to get ahold of this book (I finally received it as a present!) Don't wait as long as I did to read it - this is a great book. It's certainly very different from the epic fantasy that Martin has become best known for, but fans of Martin are aware of his breadth of styles.
The book collects stories about Haviland Tuf, Ecological Engineer (and cat lover), that were originally published separately, but they come together as a coherent novel.
The first section is a classic "subtraction" story. Tuf, a minor space trader, owner of the ship 'Cornucopia Of Excellent Goods At Low Prices', is hired by a diverse group of disreputable types who suspect they know where to find untold booty - an intact 'seedship' of a defunct show more Empire, more powerful than anything now known to the galaxy. Unfortunately, disreputable characters tend to behave disreputably, and soon infighting and plots occur. Due to a combination of ingenuity and luck, Tuf ends up the sole owner of the ship, and sets himself up as an Ecological Engineer, available for hire to fix any sort of planetary problem.
Although he has a variety of comissions and adventures, he keeps getting called back to the planet of S'uthlam, a place (over)populated by a 'nice' but religious people who believe it is their manifest destiny to breed as much as possible. In the past, this has caused major problems with their planetary neighbors, who don't care to be overrun by S'uthlam. Now they are confined to their own planet - but they are running out of food and resources.
Tuf helps with improved agricultural strains and methods - but this just enables the S'uthlam to breed more rapidly. The hard-headed, tough Portmaster, Tully Mune, who knows her people have an even more serious problem than they realize, has to keep calling Tuf back... and drastic problems may call for drastic measures.
This book is clever, funny, entertaining - and also deals deftly with some of the most serious problems that we here on earth have, much like the S'uthlam, refused to engage. More than anything else I've read lately, I keep finding myself talking about this book to other people. show less