Tuf Voyaging: A Novel

By George R. R. Martin

Long before A Game of Thrones became an international phenomenon, #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin had taken his loyal readers across the cosmos. Now back in print after almost ten years, Tuf Voyaging is the story of quirky and endearing Haviland Tuf, an unlikely hero just trying to do right by the galaxy, one planet at a time.
 
Haviland Tuf is an honest space-trader who likes cats. So how is it that, in competition with the worst villains the universe has to offer, he’s become the proud owner of a seedship, the last remnant of Earth’s legendary Ecological Engineering Corps? Never mind; just be thankful that the most powerful weapon in human space is in good hands—hands which now have the godlike ability to control the genetic material of thousands of outlandish creatures.
 
Armed with this unique equipment, Tuf is set to tackle the problems that human settlers have created in colonizing far-flung worlds: hosts of hostile monsters, a population hooked on procreation, a dictator who unleashes plagues to get his own way . . . and in every case, the only thing that stands between the colonists and disaster is Tuf’s ingenuity—and his reputation as a man of integrity in a universe of rogues.
 
“A rich blend of adventure, humor, compassion and all the other things that make being human worthwhile.”—Analog
 
“A new facet of Martin’s manysided talent.”—Asimov’s

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9780345538642

George R. R. Martin

George R.R. Martin is the author of fifteen novels and novellas, including five volumes of A Song of Ice and Fire, several collections of short stories, as well as screenplays for television and feature films. Dubbed ‘the American Tolkien’, George R.R. Martin has won numerous awards including the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is an Executive Producer on HBO’s Emmy Award-winning Game of Thrones, which is based on his A Song of Ice and Fire series. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews for Tuf Voyaging

[antao-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“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 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. MartinI 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.

[robertday_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I recently responded to a fellow LT member's review of George R.R. Martin's 'Nightflyers'. I said: It's been a while since I read that, or any of his other short stories, given that he's devoted a lot of time to the sort of fantasy that I generally don't read; but I certainly recollect that his one science fiction novel, 'Dying of the Light', was not well received because of its generally gloomy setting and downbeat resolution. And others of his short stories - 'Sandkings' springs to mind - are equally devoid of happy endings.The one collection of short stories I would suggest may be worth trying - and I think it's been reprinted recently in a 'Game of Thrones' tie-in edition - is "Tuf Voyaging". It's a series of linked stories about one Havilland Tuf, who comes into possession of an Imperial seed-ship from the Old Empire. He then travels the galaxy, dispensing ecological fixes to a range of different environmentally-challenged planets (for an appropriate fee, of course). It's a lot lighter than a lot of his other work, even though the named character does dispense what you might call "Tuf justice" (sorry about that) to clients whose demands don't appear on Tuf's moral compass. On the other hand, Havilland Tuf does like cats....

[renbedell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of short stories about the space adventures of Tuf and his attempts to solve planets' problems. While they are all short stories written at different times, they are very connected and reference each other, with the later stories expanding on the older ones. Tuf is a great character that reminded me a lot of Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. It is written well and enjoyable throughout the book. Since they are short stories, it is hard to get fully invested though. Great, quick read for easy entertainment.

[lucky2loki · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[majackson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

DNF. Haviland Tuf & his ship are hired to take a group of misfits to a planet that suffers incurable plagues every 3 generations from a remnant war ship cum super-biological weapon left over from the last galactic war--several thousand years ago. The plot theme is filled with potential, but dumbed down enough for the YA target audience. All the other reviewers of this book are correct in their criticisms and plaudits: •Tuf evokes no sympathy, the story indulges in too many deus ex machina endings and the story plots, of what little I read, avoid any gripping action; ignoring Tuf the other characters—who aren’t outright idiots/evil—usually have more depth. •The story lines are easy to read/understand, Tuf is just obnoxious enough to titillate the average teenager and the action tends to be short and sweet.In general, I’m giving this book 3-stars for the YA readers who, I believe, will really enjoy it. If you want a more mature read (i.e. with “more meat”), this is not it. As a side note, something that really bothers me about Martin is his penchant for finding extremely gruesome ways to kill people. In fact, the primary reason I read this book was to see what other “tools” he had in his workshop—but this one hearkens back to the first story I read by him, ‘Sandkings’. The only saving grace these stories have is that these deaths, while fairly gory, are not dwelled on so dramatically and tediously as in ‘Sandkings’.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sorry, I don't remember this very well. I know my ex loves it - and I know how his taste meshes a tiny bit but mostly clashes with mine - so, my best guess is that it was a little better than ok, in my opinion. And, offering you the average of our opinions means I'm offering you a suggestion but not a recommendation. Ok, got that? Good, you're a better person than I, then! I do recall that it was not an epic like some of Martin's other books.

[altheaann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[eaterofwords · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Really a pretty solid, enjoyable series of linked stories, but the caricatures in the first story nearly turned me off it. You can definitely see the roots of Martin's later work in this collection.

[ellen6w · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So Haviland Tuf is a middling space trader, later an excellent ecological engineer, who tools around the universe with his cats Havoc and Chaos in the most excellently named spaceship the Cornucopia of Excellent Goods at Low Prices. He manages to extract himself from all manner of potentially deadly predicaments due either to a combination of extreme naivete and extreme luck, or to a devious intelligence hidden behind the appearance of the previous two. A rival calls him "the last goddamned innocent," though as the book goes on one calls into question (or at least I called into question) this judgment.

This book was a lot of fun, and almost deceptively fun, given that the main characters are forced into some pretty chilling decisions. I'm not quite sure why it ended up feeling more like a 3-star book than a 4-star book for me -- possibly because of the structure. I've seen it described as a "fix-up novel," i.e. one made up of previously published short stories; while the individual stories work really well together, and there ultimately is an arc, the tempo still comes out a bit staccato.

If you're a Song of Ice and Fire fan... this might not be your thing. If you're a fan of fun yet thinky space opera, give it a try.

[lemurkat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Large and bald Haviland Tuf gets his hands on a great space Ark, capable of creating life, and travels the galaxies - using his biological creations to aid the cause of struggling colonialists. Although portrayed as honest and humble, Tuf is anything but. He is cold and emotionless, with little affection for anything except his feline friends - for which he would do almost anything. Whilst he will aid the struggling civilians, he does so with money in mind. In personality, he reminds me a bit of Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler - with his droll humour, sarcasm and constantly playing up his "honest and reliable" nature. He is very reliable, and honest - but not to a fault for whilst he never actually lies, that doesn't mean he'll speak the whole truth either. As a character, he is entertaining and interesting, but not especially likeable or easy to empathise with. For a zoology nut like me, I loved the strange creatures, but shuddered at the ways in which he messed with the various ecosystems.

Sometimes he helps, sometimes he hinders, but the moral of the story is - as one person pointed out - that in most cases it is the colonies own fault that they have brought about ecological ruin or other disasters upon themselves, and perhaps if they thought about the problem with as much consideration as Tuf, they would not be in the situation in the first place.

If Tuf were to switch to an evil mastermind, then all the universes would find themselves in grave peril.

[adpaton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ever since Game of Thrones hit TV, George Martin has become hot property and fans who are eagerly awaiting the conclusion of his Song of Ice and Fire series will be disappointed by the publication of a book which has nothing to do with the GoT saga. Tuf Voyaging is not new however: the publishers have raided his back list and reprinted an old collection of stories about an enigmatic space trader and cat lover, Haviland Tuf. Set in the far distant future, the loosely connected tales relate to adventures and quandaries of Tuf, a giant, bald albino, who has acquired a giant space ship devoted to genetic engineering, and travels the universe as a profiteering problem solver. Tuf may not be a very sympathetic hero but he is a very engaging character, wry, dry and probably autistic, who gives moral complexities short shrift – and would probably be quite at home in the Kingdom of Westeros.

[karlstar_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For fans of George R. R. Martin's fantasy books, this may come as a surprise, this is something completely different. I have always been a fan of Martin's Haviland Tuf stories and I particularly like this one. Tuf is an oddball who just happens to own a galactic ark/seedship, and tries to solve environmental problems for hire. 'Tries' is the key word, and everyone is out to get him and his ship. Interesting, well done and enjoyable.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It’s been a while since I simply could not finish a book, and to have it be Martin was distressing. This is a compilation of sf stories from 1978-1985 about Haviland Tuf, an adventurer who ends up in control of a powerful seedship, whose ecological treasures make it prized and feared. Unfortunately, Tuf is smug, unpleasant, and prone to whining about how mean people are to him, and his antagonists are generally only better because they aren’t Tuf, though of course they’re always too selfish and dumb to beat him. There are hints of the complex situations and characters Martin later wrote, but overall: blech.

[tpi_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Consists of several connected novellettes.Rereading these (I have read most from original magazine publications) several years later was a nice experience. Martin can write very interesting stories. However, this is very different book than his fantasies, which have more full bodied protagonists. But even in this early work he wasn't afraid of fairly dark solutions to some problems, even is fairly light book like this.

[vegaheim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great book. don't usually like sf, but this one wouldn't let me put it down! the many adventures of Tuf, he gets himself out of every tight spot imaginable. entertaining, interesting.

[clong_818048 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tuf Voyaging may not be as compelling as Martin's best, and it's rather tame stuff when compared to the author's more recent Song of Ice and Fire series. But it is thought-provoking and original in a way that is characteristic of great science fiction. The obese, resourceful, brilliant, loner Haviland Tuf has to be considered one of the truly unique protagonists in all of fiction. Tuf Voyaging tells the story of how he comes to control a massive seed-ship (which can bioengineer just about variation you can imagine on any animal species that has ever existed), and of his various adventures with the ship. It is really more of a progression of linked short stories (a genre at which Martin excels) than an organic novel, but it holds together pretty well as a "fix up."

[selanit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a collection of short stories originally written between 1976 and 1985, published mostly in the science fiction magazine Analog. As one of the longest-standing publications in the field, Analog has a reputation for quality, and Martin's Tuf stories make the cut.The stories follow the tale of Haviland Tuf. Tall, heavy, bald, albino, Tuf makes an unusual hero - if indeed that is what he is. It is somewhat hard to tell. Tuf, an eccentric cat lover, spends his time careening through the stars in an enormous ship devoted to genetic engineering, which he uses to address ecological crises on a number of worlds. It's an appealing image. Yet his profound distaste for any kind of personal contact, his literal-mindedness, and his apparent lack of emotional depth make Tuf difficult to truly like, for all that he engages the mind's eye. As the pages slide past, the concept of Tuf, and of his ship (whose vast derelict halls harbor sterile corridors and sleeping nightmare-creatures), become increasingly uncomfortable, in a deliciously uncanny way.Tolly Mune, the steel-plated portmaster who plays the only other sustained role in the book, is much easier to sympathize with. Her passions, her foul mouth, her canny political sense; all these make her much easier to recognize as human.Though technically an anthology, do not think that the stories in this volume are wholly independent of one another. Bound together like this they read very much like chapters in a more conventional novel, the only clue to their separate origins being occasional repetition of background information. They might have been somewhat better edited together for this version; in particular, the growing tension between Tuf and Mune might possibly have been played more consistently. But it's well done as is - and leads up to a truly superb final sentence.If I have any reservations about this book, they arise from my reaction to it on a second reading, many years after my first encounter: the book is disquieting. The unsympathetic protagonist neatly unbalances the familiar stereotypes of SF - but that same feature also transforms what might otherwise be a forgettable book into one that sticks in the memory. And, I suppose, that's what makes really good SF: it makes us think. And sometimes, even in ways we may find uncomfortable. At that, Tuf Voyaging unquestionably succeeds.