Endless Universe

I found this book in a used bookstore many, many years ago. I make it a point to read it once every couple of years. The stories are excellent, and are well told. I only wish that there were more stories to be had. An excellent read.

See the review below mine for an outline of the story. I've read Endless Universe about four times over the last 20 years. If you like good ole Sci-Fi, you'll like this book.

This excellent short story collection is the revised and expanded edition of _Endless Voyage_. The major difference between these two collections of short stories about the crew of the Explorer ship Gypsy Moth is that the latter includes "A Time To Mourn", which among other things explains how Gilmarina came to be named for Gildoran's childhood friend, lost in "Planets Are For Saying Goodbye".Galactic civilization travels by Transmitter, a technology that allows people to step into a booth and travel anywhere to any receiver within a few light-years. Nobody needs to actually travel through the intervening distance anymore, except the Explorers: the small fleet of ships who discover new worlds, set up the first Transmitter hookups, and open them for colonization. They have their own culture, and even differ subtly between ships; this is the story of the Gypsy Moth, particularly Gildoran, who in ship-years is quite young, but with relativistic effects is far older in planet time.Explorers are set apart, not only because of long years spent in isolation, and seeing sights and running risks that no one else ever faces, but because of the adaptations they need for the life they lead. Explorers must undergo DNA surgery as infants to survive drive effects - and the dangerous surgery can only be successfully performed in the drive field, so all Explorers are raised in the life. Raised, but not born; radiation effects leave them all sterile, with paper-white skin, while low-g gives them great height. They're only a legend on many worlds, but a legend people hate: they need to take unwanted babies to keep going.The stories present in this edition are:"Planets Are For Saying Goodbye" - The Gypsy Moth is preparing for departure, after spending 2 years opening up this new colony world, where Gildoran has spent his youth. Planning in terms of 5-15 year voyages, Gildoran is dispatched with his friend Ramie to buy 6 new babies from a Hatchery that's willing to deal with Explorers, even though his friend Gilmarin was lost on the same assignment. And in transit through Lasselli's World, 'Doran learns what it is not only to lose his oldest friend, but makes and loses another friend, who not only saves him from lynching, but gets him back to the Moth before liftoff."A Time To Mourn" - Nearly a year out, four of the six infants are still alive and beginning to talk; Explorers don't name the kids until about this time, when they're sure the children will survive the DNA surgery's aftermath. 'Doran has spent this year on Nursery duty, helping ensure that the kids will pick up human language and social skills, and not just become Poohbears in human bodies (the aliens who serve on every Explorer ship, raising the kids). He's both delighted that Rotation Day has arrived to liberate him from toddler-land, although secretly he'll miss seeing the brightest of the little 1-year-olds every day, a really cute young imp of a girl who'll need a name soon.The Rotation assigns him