Time Bomb and Zahndry Others [Paperback]

I have been a fan of Timothy Zahn for a long time. I started reading his novels back in high school over 20 years ago. I have always found his work to be interesting and accessible science fiction with intriguing ideas and technology.

I found this collection of older short stories at a used book store and really enjoyed it. This book includes the following eight short stories of varying length:

1. Ernie: A youth boxing coach discovers that one of his boxers has an unusual talent, the ability to teleport an inch at a time, and a desire to be or do something great with himself. 17 pages. Pretty good story.

2. Raison D'etre: Our society in the future has found a unique and morally questionable way to deal with radioactive waste. A technician notices some strange things about one of his charges. This interesting story addresses questions of consciousness with echoes of the present-day abortion debate. 24 pages.

3. The Price of Survival: First contact story set in the not-too-distant future. Humans have colonized the solar system, but an alien ship passing through could inadvertently cause the destruction of the solar system. Neither side is able to communicate with each other, but both sides face the same impossible choice: them or us. 27 pages. Very good.

4. Between a Rock and a High Place: In the near future the United States has developed a skyport, a giant plane that stays in the air all the time and circles around the country. Shuttles dock with the skyport, bringing passengers and keeping it fueled. The conflict in the story revolves around how the crew deals with an emergency when one of the shuttles crashes into the skyport. The longest story in this collection at 76 pages, but my least favorite. It was still ok and interesting.

5. Houseguest: Some miners are deposited on a planet that a previous survey had determined was safe for humans. After their ship leaves, the miners discover that many dangers are present on the planet. They survive by taking shelter in stone houses, only to discover the houses are sentient and not happy that the humans are there. 17 pages. Great story.

6. Time Bomb: A scientist tries to escape the secret government project that he is working on. A major is brought in from the outside to catch him and finds out that the universe is starting to unravel around the scientist. Literally. 62 pages. Intriguing story about the price of knowledge and certain scifi paradoxes.

7. The President's Doll: A unique take on voodoo and politics. 20 pages. Very good.

8. Banshee: A government agency that can send "Jumpers" back to view events in the recent past. They are used to investigate accidents, terrorist events, and disasters. Then a desperate government official tries to use them to change the past, but not all the jumpers think this is a wise idea. 59 pages. Great story.

A great collection of short stories. Zahn exploits ideas & technologies (as always) in ways you would never expect. The stories include: A kid that can transport himself an inch at a time. A doomed "plane". People who can travel back and witness events as they happened, and much more.

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