Tired of waiting for Winds of Winter? Delve into GRRM’s back-catalogue with this self-insert sci-fi romp with a God complex…

Perhaps that’s a little too scathing of me. Set in the far-off future where humanity has colonised planets across the universe, Tuf Voyaging follows Haviland Tuf, a portly middle-aged man who wears a duck-billed cap (remind you of anyone?) who manages to get his hands on the Ark, an old seedship built for dispersing sustainable food across Earth’s colonies. Originally written as several short stories, each section follows one of Tuf’s adventures and the various characters and worlds he encounters along the way.

Read this and more reviews on my blog!

I enjoyed the middle section of the book the most. Tuf isn’t a particularly likeable character, but he does start out entertaining, bartering his way across the universe with his spaceship full of cats. As the book progressed, however, the religious imagery used went from being used sparingly and to great effect, to being about as subtle as someone banging a saucepan in your face. By the end, Tuf seemed to solve everything with an ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’ attitude, and instead of the witty, smart business tactics employed earlier on, would deliberately offend and shock just to prove his point.

The start held so much promise, and I was pleasantly surprised by the first half of the book or so. I just wish the witty commentary and observational humour had lasted right to the end. It was a shame to see so much potential go to waste. Will I read this again? No. Will I read more of GRRM’s books? Meh, probably. Fingers crossed I enjoy them more!