Delightful collection featuring a former commercial-spacepilot running into all kinds of trouble and (mostly) getting himself out of it. Alien artifacts, dangerous planets, new species -- this collection has it all. My printed copy from the 1978 run even has an excellent, mystifying back-matter ad from the publisher reminding readers that the energy crisis is a thing "because we only have one Texas" (so in other words: good to the last page). I'd read some stories by Larry Niven when I was in high school and had not liked them at all, but I enjoyed this batch a lot.

It's worth noting that while this is solidly old-school sci fi topically, thematically, etc., Niven's skilled writing keeps the stories feeling fresh and only the occasional telltale betrays its publication date.

4 stars: would recommend to anyone who enjoys the genre.