Subject: "The Mind Pool" by Charles Sheffield

From: Rex Croft <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 3 May 1993 16:15:05 GMT

"The Mind Pool" by Charles Sheffield
- reviewed by Rex Croft  [email-masked]

One can't go wrong with any of Charles Sheffield's books.  All of his books
that I have read have been excellent, which is why he is on my "to buy"
list.

_The Mind Pool_ was originally a somewhat different and shorter book called
_The Nimrod Hunt_.

From the introduction by the author:
"Enter Jum Baen, publisher of _The Nimrod Hunt_. In August of 1991, Jim
 called to say that he was going to reissue the book, with a new cover.
 Was I interested in changing, deleting, or adding anything?
   Was I!  Of course I was, and my task sounded easy: remove the red
 herring, restore the original subplot, and make the homage to Alfred Bester
 less intrusive.
 ...
 The one-week easy fix become the two-month concentrated effort.  I found
 that I had produced a different book."

It is a while ago since I read _The Nimrod Hunt_ so that only now and then
did I recognize parts of the book.  The ending is supposed to be different.

The head of security of the solar system started a project to develope
something to patrol to perimeter of explored space looking to enemies.
Unfortunately something went horribly wrong and one escaped to the remote
planet Tranancore.  Teams of one human along with one each of the three
known intelligent aliens are formed to dispose of this menace.

The book follows the exploits of the first two teams and the actions of the
two heads of security.  The ending is unexpected.

Recommended.

The book also has a very attactive cover featuring a large spaceship amongst
asteroids.

%A  Charles Sheffield
%T  The Mind Pool
%I  Baen
%C  New York
%D  April 1993
%O  paperback, US$4.99
%P  420 pp.
%G  ISBN 0-671-72165-8
%O  Cover art by David Mattingly
%O  A different version of the book was first published as "The Nimrod Hunt"