Of the stories, the ones that I found most captivating were Let the Ants Try (a bizarre tale in which we give ants a try at evolving and controlling the planet in place of humans), The Tunnel Under the World (a rather interesting mystery in which a man discovers that his life is not what it seems), and What To Do Until the Analyst Comes (an amusing yarn in which an addictive chewing gum is successfully marketed and it turns everyone kinda stupid). A few of the other stories I found a little less captivating, but are still worthwhile. The Mapmakers might be the most important tale here: a solidly-written and suspenseful thriller about spacemen struggling to map their way across the stars (this story is especially noteworthy in the way it emphasizes the threat of uncontrolled heat in space travel, which doesn't radiate and therefore just keeps building; it's not something I see mentioned in other works). Rafferty's Reasons is a rather intense tale with some interesting psychology. Target One is a pretty neat idea (something that actually mirrors the premise of the Red Alert video games). Grandy Devil seems like an odd inclusion to the collection, but it has its share of charm. As for the remaining three, I barely remember what happens in Children of the Night, The Ghost Maker, and Pythias. For whatever reason, I found those stories to drag a lot more, and nothing about them really connected with me.
Frederick Pohl crafted each of these stories with a pretty solid blend of prose and dialogue; his writing tells just enough to set the scene, but he doesn't overdo it with the details. His characters often show personality, and each story has a unique premise or twist worth telling.
If you're a sci-fi fan, this collection should be worth checking out. Recommended.
4/5 (Entertainment: Good | Stories: Good | Book: Good)
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