Gold at the Starbow's End [Anglais] [Relié]

Comprised of one novella and four short stories, The Gold at the Starbow's End is a somewhat fascinating collection. The title tale regards a group of astronauts on a very long journey to Alpha Centuari and what they do to occupy the time they spend getting there. They have been sent by a very forward-thinking man who may not really have their best interests at heart. This story was hilarious in regards to the kind of antics the astronauts got up to, and the reaction their handler has to their reports are absolutely priceless in more ways than one.
"Sad Solarian Screenwriter Sam" is one of those stories where extra-terrestrials decide to destroy the human race because we suck. Sam is their one and only test subject. He sucks. Quite a bit of this story is cribbed from Burroughs Martian saga. I was not amused.
"Call Me Million" is a 'what-if' kind of story that is uniquely written, but never really goes anywhere. Charley is a soul sucker. He eats people's souls and they die. There are no people left to eat except other people eaters. What now? There. You've read the story. Skip it.
After reading "Shaffery Among the Immortals" I was hoping that the final story would also feature a complete sad sack so I could say I didn't really like or identify with any of the main characters in these stories. Shaffery is a pathetic loser even compared to Sam and Charley. However, the story was worth reading for the ending. Very fitting.
Probably the best story in the book was "The Merchants of Venus." Pohl did a very good job of world-building in regards to the planet, it's atmosphere, it's previous denizens, etc. without bogging the reader down with exposition. I did not disdain the main character. I was rooting for Audee to find what he was looking for. The fact that he was destined to do so was obvious from the first, but the struggle and journey were quite enjoyable to read about.
Final take: Skip stories two and three and you have a 4 star book.