Helpful Score: 5
The Draco Tavern is the collected tales of Rick Schumann, bartender to the stars--that is, the inhabitants of stars, planets, and places in between. Story after story Niven proposes a bizarre problem: alien daycare, procreation versus recreation in a species that kills their mates, negotiating the purchase of Mars; I found myself wondering how he was going to solve THIS one, but Niven does, and with aplomb. All this is set in a bar on Earth carefully designed to cater to a variety of intelligences, creating an atmosphere of general comfort and conviviality. I found myself looking in the back for a map--I'd love to visit the place!
Really enjoyed it, a quick read, several short stories that are charming and funny.
Interesting short story collection of Alien encounters. Dated but a fun read.
Some of the stories have an easy-to-understand point; some of them are very obscure. I've read better stories by Niven; not real impressed by these.
