One of the best story tellers, only regret is he didn't write more.
926589
I hunted for a print copy of this book for years, but unfortunately Dobson was one of the smaller UK publishers and as far as I know there was only one print run, hence the 2nd hand price was slightly astronomical. Fortunately the individual stories came out in various magazines, and these were more affordable.
Seeing it released on Kindle was a very bright spot in my day, brought it as fast as I could click.
The stories have a common theme, a bunch of engineers who take a very oblique approach to problems, not so much out of the box, but sometimes off the planet, yet there is a serious underlying purpose to Van Noon and his companions. They are training for a very long range, (inter-galactic, used truly for once), and millions of light years from support you don't want engineers who are stymied by the lack of a particular material, component or tool. Van Noon looks at what something does/can be made to do, rather than it's stated purpose. The first two, "The Railways Up on Cannis" and "The Subways of Tazoo" look at how an alien technology can be unravelled, by working out what it is supposed to do. Similar in someways to H. Beam Piper's "Omnilingual"
The later science gets wilder, but still retains an internal consistency. Another Kapp story, not included but containing a similar philosophy is "Hunger over Sweet Waters" (New Writings in SF8?) where Kapp uses his expertise in electroplate, without beating the reader over the head with it. He also published in Analog in the late 60's early 70's and these are well worth tracking down.
I'd group Colin Kapp with with Charles Harness, not the most famous, or prolific writers, but able to tell a damn good story. Sadly missed,
2655442
I have read all his books and I think this is without question his best since his first. He writes movies that are novels. You 'see' the plot unroll. Perhaps his characters could be more deeply developed but that would be more pages that would drag out the story. He is a masterful story teller and he gives you enough of each character that is necessaryletting fill in the small blanks.
1496621
Joe Abercrombie is a wonderful writer.  A master at vivid characterization and well-crafted prose, but his stories have suffered from a kind of nihilism that marred what would have otherwise been perfect books. More often than not, his brilliantly drawn characters end up exactly where they began, and even though the stories were thrilling, I often felt cheated at the end. Red Country is the first of Mr. Abercrombie's books I felt had a fulfilling end, and that alone makes it the best of his works I have read. This is a great book and a promising turn for a skilled writer that leaves me looking forward to more.
3897201
Really great short stories.  I believe he has the potential of being an even great writer than his father.
3050972
Murakami did an excellent job, his characters and story line were so well crafted that it seemed like I could be reading an autobiography. However,  I did miss his quirky and refreshingly descriptive style from some other books of his I have read.
2722254
Another good one from a great writer. Thank you, Mr. Scalzi. I would be happy to return to this world for a few more stories. Please, please...
258209
these were great stories was not able to put down and was only disappointed there were no more of them this author is to good to go so cheap. looking forward to more books by him.
3141397
This is one of his best. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but overall a great read with beautiful prose ,and a well paced story. Box is at the top of his game.
4401228
Mr. Gladwell is a great story teller. His books always have me riveted. I wasn't able to give this one five stars, because he made several claims, but didn't give compelling evidence to back it up. It was a little disappointing, but I still enjoyed reading the book. Hopefully, his next book won't be such a stretch.
2959816
A  writer who has largely been forgotten, with great promise, but died too soon.  His ability to give a sense of place and time, along with character insights, is truly great.
3238511
Beautiful language by an outstanding writer.  I did miss a bit of a plot, though, as in his other novels.
278720
Griffin is a superb story teller who manages to hold the interest. I do not think he does as well in the police world as he does in the military. I miss some of the humor and pathos of his war stories. Having served long in the military my knowledge of what he wrote may have influenced me. I would recommend it,though.
236170
I loved it, he is one of my favorite writers.
690854
One of my all time favorites.  Reread him often and miss the fact we can no longer look forward to new stories. He is missed by me.
NJW
1870070
Great book! Stories average 5-10 pages each. Just wish he would write another book or supplement to this book of stories and  crimes since 1991!
1572164
He is a master story teller in his fiction. His characters are developed and often flawed as are real people. This book lets you see where much of his inspiration came from and definitely reveals many sides of a great author through his own life. His willingness to to do in depth often dangerous research to write his novels surprised me and showed his true mettle as a great novelist.  His personal story is captivating and he never rationalizes his own faults. It is an honest autobiography told through anecdotal stories that often relate back to the characters in his books.
2416673
Rand is an incredible story teller. It would be great to have more  of her works to read, so difficult to finally finish and know there are no more coming!