This collection of stories is Larry Niven's take on the "aliens in a bar" genre. Niven is a master storyteller, and the various alien races are well-thought-out, and the storylines are entertaining. But the collection suffers from being a bit overly earnest. Every story seems to revolve around some Big Question of ethics, philosophy, psychology, sex, life, or death, and the aliens too often serve as surrogate Devil's Advocate or, worse, Deus Ex Machina.