> What's this? Incidentally, is Poul Anderson worth reading? I must have > encountered his work as a kid, but can't remember anything about him. Short answer: yes. Medium answer: If you like classic sci-fi, you'll probably like at least some of Anderson's stuff. Personally, I like his Psychotechnic/Polesotechnic/Falkayn universe quite a bit (and I have a good 10-15 books of that universe and I'm still missing a number of 'em). His standalone stuff ranges from so-so to really good. His book "Brain- Wave" features some really cool ideas, although it's not much more than a novella. Although I haven't read them, I've heard very good things about his Ys books (written with his wife Karen). If you have a decent used bookstore near you, I can almost guarantee that you'll find some Anderson there. The guy has written a ton of sci- fi.