Light of Other Days, by Bob Shaw

One other for today. Light of Other Days is more of an early story in classic mode, in that it stands alone--never was going to be a novel, not part of a series. An interestingly impossibly scientific premise is turned to the end of a good human tale. These are the stories that can stand up over time. This one seems a little familiar to me, I think I have read it before. Glass that can trap light for years at a time stores up scenes of beauty, and also of tragedy. Too hard to explain much without giving it away, just read it.

Mr. Jester, by Fred Saberhagen

Mr. Jester was a 1967 Hugo award nominee in the short story category. It's a Berserker story, of which there were many, most of which I have not read. This story does show Saberhagen's humor, but I think it would be hard to really get it without the context. So it's a toss-off.

The Witches of Karres, by James H. Schmitz

Just finished The Witches of Karres, a Hugo Award nominee for 1967. These 60's stories are a bit old fashinoned, but this one holds up reasonably well. It's basically a fantasy story set with spaceships, putting it as a precursor to "Star Wars" and other "galactic fantasy" stories (c.f. Mercedes Lackey). I'm not always a big fan of this particular strain, but I like it if the characters are well-done. And the ones in The Witches of Karres are. Captain Pausert is quite a likeable guy, as he copes with acquiring witch-like powers. So are the little witches. It's a fun read, easy to recommend, and probably could have won an award if it had been recognized more for the Nebula-type story that it is.