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5.0 out of 5 stars
Sam Gunn, Unforgettable, June 21, 2008
The Sam Gunn Omnibus (2007) is an omnibus edition of ALL the Sam Gunn stories. It includes stories from
Sam Gunn, Unlimited and
Sam Gunn Forever. It also contains a very interesting -- and rather old fashioned -- framing story tying the others together.
The following short stories concern Sam Gunn himself. Many were previously published and then incorporated into the Sam Gunn collections:
"The Supervisor's Tale" (F&SF, 1983) tells of a stranded group of NASA astronauts on the Moon who have to wait for a rescue mission. The physicians suggest using tranquilizers, but Sam finds an alternative.
"The Long Fall" relates the story of a sadistic space station commander and a video company technician. When Gloria Lamour iss rumored to be coming to Freedom station, everybody aboard gets excited.
"Diamond Sam" (F&SF, 1984) uncovers the relationship between Sam and the Russian space station crew. Once Sam gets his foot in the door -- or airlock -- the Russians are beguiled by his words.
"Tourist Sam" (Analog, 1998) depicts an early enterprise created by Sam to encourage rich tourists to experience space. Suspicious of his requested leave of absence, Sam's boss turns loose his niece -- a DEA agent -- to check out his operation.
"Isolation Area" (F&SF, 1988) recounts the time that Sam is kept in quarantine within the Mac Dac Shack with a patient undergoing an experimental treatment for AIDS. Sam definitely impresses Malone with his total lack of fear of the disease and his efforts to seduce the nurses.
"Vacuum Cleaner" (F&SF, 1989) shows the development of Vacuum Cleaners Inc. by Sam Gunn. Sam hires two graduate students who have come up with a different way of removing orbital debris.
"Nursery Sam" (Analog, 1995) involves Sam with a US Senator, a teenaged boy and a sixteen month old child who loves microgravity. Sam is trying to steal a space sickness medication, but ends up a hero instead.
"Sam's War" (Analog, 1994) exposes the beginning of Sam's partnership with Ecuador. It all starts with the Presidential daughter who goes to work for Sam as a spy and saboteur.
"Grandfather Sam" extols Sam's role in the construction of a free and unstructured playground within the New Chicago habitat. A large construction company wants to build a giant condominium on the lot, so Sam gains the permit by winning a game of sandlot baseball on the disputed field.
"Two Years Before the Mast" discloses the events of the voyage of Sam and his partners to the asteroid belt. After the first month of a two year voyage, the partners are ready to kill each other as well as Sam. Then the sabotage becomes evident.
"A Can of Worms" conveys the conflicts between the Peruvian sculptress Elverda Apacheta and a Moralist Sect building a space habitat. The sect tries some underhanded manipulations with the International Astronautical Authority to evict Elverda from her asteroid to use it for building material.
"Einstein" (Omni, 1990) expounds on the discovery of a small black hole. Sam gets a little too close to the event horizon.
"Acts of God" (Science Fiction Age, 1995) divulges the reasons for Sam suing the Pope -- really the Vatican -- for the events that destroy property belonging to his company. After all, the Pope is God's Vicar on Earth, so why shouldn't he reimburse people for God's negligence?
"(Sam and the) Prudent Jurist" (Science Fiction Age, 1997) states the circumstances that led to Sam being tried for genocide and other crimes by the Interplanetary Tribunal. Naturally, Sam was only trying to rescue the Porno Twins.
"Piker's Peak" explains the origins of the Hell Crater entertainment complex. Rockledge Industries invests in Sam's idea, but plans to freeze him out of the deal. It doesn't quite work out that way.
"The Mark of Zorro" concerns the efforts of the Interplanetary Security Commission to regulate the commodities market. Sam Gunn was obviously cheating and Carole C. Chatsworth is out to get him.
"The Flying Dutchman" reveals the visit of Amanda Cunningham Humphries with Sam. She asks him to deliver an encoded message chip to Lars Fuchs.
"Takes Two to Tangle" describes the return of Sam from a black hole and the construction of a matter transmitter. Many think that one of him is bad enough, so what about two or more Sams?
"Orchestra(ted) Sam" is the last story in this volume. It is almost certainly the first story about Jane Avril Innocu. Jade is a reporter who has produced videos about Sam. In this story, Sam is hiding from Jill Meyers and Jennifer Marlowe, the Beryllium Blonde. Both claim to want to marry him, but Jennifer is more motivated by revenge than romance. She would much prefer to sue him for everything he has.
This volume actually contains thirty-one more short segments of the framing story, featuring Jade. A young woman born on the Moon, Jade is forever barred from going to Earth due to brittle bones.
Jade is a truck driver in the vacuum of the Moon when she hears the first story about Sam Gunn from her supervisor. She is so intrigued that she sets out to become a news reporter and then starts tracking down people who know Sam Gunn for a video biography. So the longest tale in this collection is really the framing story about Jade rather than the ones about Sam Gunn.
Highly recommended for Bova fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of womanizing astronauts, spacegoing entrepreneurs, and defenders of the common justice.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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