I picked this up because it's one of the Nebula-nominated novellas, and I'm considering trying to read all of those this year. (For those interested, here is the full list of finalists.) Which is why I've done something I don't normally do and start partway through a series, never having read any of the Amazing Conroy books before.
As a bit of background (inasmuch as I understand it), The Amazing Conroy is a planet-hopping stage hypnotist, who tends to get into and out of scrapes with great regularity. He's assisted in his journey by Reggie, a buffalo-themed "Amazing Space Pet!" who tends to be mostly indestructible, and happy to eat anything, up to and including explosive weaponry.
This time round, Conroy is visiting Triton, in order to participate in an auction for one of the rarest bottles of alcohol in existence, a liquer for the stinky planet of Bwill. Where he happens to run into an old friend, the teleporting Angela. (I'm assuming she appeared in previous books.) Can he manage to win the auction while still avoiding a diplomatic incident?
This is the third novella I've read recently, and they're definitely growing on me. The speediness needed in the plot gives them a very pulpy style, with a lot of action and not much chance for philosophical dithering.
This one in particular clips through at a fair old pace, though does have a couple of points that might have benefited from a little expansion. Evidently it's a very careful balancing act with a work this short.
Fun little plot though, with double-dealings, trickery, out and out cheekiness and an interesting spin with the old hypnosis mind control lark, which isn't something I've seen in a while.
Certainly wasn't bored at any point, and nobody felt silly. If you're already a fan, I doubt it's going to disappoint you, and it's interested me enough that I might pick up the first of the series.
Tagged: Book Science fiction Enthusiastic amateurs Novella Print