Rating: 
Summary: At Last! James Schmitz's classic tales are back in print!
Review: For years I have scavenged the used bookstores trying to collect all the tales of the Hub written by James H. Schmitz, and now I can finally have them all. These wonderfully written tales of Telzey Amberdon, a young law student who discovers she has psychic powers, are an excellent introduction to James Schmitz and his Federation of the Hub. I eagerly look forward to the rest of the tales.
Rating: 
Summary: Make it 3.5 - fun quick reading
Review: I can see how Schmitz created a following with Telzey's character. She's a bubbly and fresh 15 yr old law student and a xenotelepath to boot. The characterization is reminiscent of Podkayne of Mars which reigns as my young-adult favorite. Unfortunately, thats really the only character that sticks to the mind - everyone else is filler. The first couple of stories introduce Telzey and her growing telepathic powers and her personal battles with the Big Brother machines of the Hub. The plot is fastpaced, not in the least challenging but entertaining nonetheless. I liked the collection of short stories with the exception of The Lion Game which took too long for being all action and no beef. Overall its not going to leave you breathing heavily with awe and its quickly forgettable. I recommend it as a good quick read of the classics of sf that fortunately has been much improved upon since then. Check out L.M.Bujold for a witty romp.
Rating:
Summary: Telzey returns, FINALLY!!
Review: I first read the Telzey Amberdon stories back when Ace Books reissued them in the early 1980's. Unfortunately, I lost my copies over the course of several moves, and for a long time was not able to find replacements. Well, thank goodness Baen (which is gaining a good reputation for reissuing old classic SF authors) has stepped in, with the first volume of its compendium of the works of James H. Schmitz. Telzey Amberdon is back, and the stories are just as good as I remember them. For those who are unfamiliar, Telzey is a rather precocious 15-year old girl who, over the course of several stories, discovers that she is also a rather powerful telepath. And not just any telepath, but one who can read the minds of non-humans as well as humans. This brings her into contact with a number of alien races, and hence forms the gist to some very good adventure writing. In "Novice", Telzey's abilities are triggered by a race of psionic cats who no one knows are intelligent; in "Undercurrents", Telzey uses her new-found abilities to try to thwart both the Psychological Corp and some unsavory people who are trying to kill her best friend; "Poltergeist" offers an unusual turn on an old ghost story idea; and the "Goblin Night", "Sleep No More", and "The Lion Game" sequence (probably the most well known of the Telzey Amberdon stories) puts Telzey in the middle of a power struggle between multiple alien factions. This collection also contains two other Schmitz stories, "The Blood of Nalakiaï" and "The Star Hyacinths", neither of which contain Telzey but do provide background for many the stories in the series (Schmitz, after all, set nearly all of his novels and short stories in the same universe). All together, this is a very good collection of short stories from an author who is unfortunately not as well known today as he should be. Perhaps this and the subsequent volumes in Baen�s series will rectify that matter; one can hope. In the mean time, pick this book up and read; you won�t be disappointed. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Telzey returns, FINALLY!!
Review: I first read the Telzey Amberdon stories back when Ace Books reissued them in the early 1980's. Unfortunately, I lost my copies over the course of several moves, and for a long time was not able to find replacements. Well, thank goodness Baen (which is gaining a good reputation for reissuing old classic SF authors) has stepped in, with the first volume of its compendium of the works of James H. Schmitz. Telzey Amberdon is back, and the stories are just as good as I remember them. For those who are unfamiliar, Telzey is a rather precocious 15-year old girl who, over the course of several stories, discovers that she is also a rather powerful telepath. And not just any telepath, but one who can read the minds of non-humans as well as humans. This brings her into contact with a number of alien races, and hence forms the gist to some very good adventure writing. In "Novice", Telzey's abilities are triggered by a race of psionic cats who no one knows are intelligent; in "Undercurrents", Telzey uses her new-found abilities to try to thwart both the Psychological Corp and some unsavory people who are trying to kill her best friend; "Poltergeist" offers an unusual turn on an old ghost story idea; and the "Goblin Night", "Sleep No More", and "The Lion Game" sequence (probably the most well known of the Telzey Amberdon stories) puts Telzey in the middle of a power struggle between multiple alien factions. This collection also contains two other Schmitz stories, "The Blood of Nalakiaï" and "The Star Hyacinths", neither of which contain Telzey but do provide background for many the stories in the series (Schmitz, after all, set nearly all of his novels and short stories in the same universe). All together, this is a very good collection of short stories from an author who is unfortunately not as well known today as he should be. Perhaps this and the subsequent volumes in Baen's series will rectify that matter; one can hope. In the mean time, pick this book up and read; you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed Telzey I liked the stories and this is a Good Book
Review: I had not realized when I bought this book that the original stories were written when I was a wee tyke and not yet into science fiction novels. The stories have held up pretty well considering some are over 30+ years old. While it is true current science fiction writers have gotten more in depth with their technology over the last few years and flesh it out more believably, Telzey is a well written character and makes the stories fun to read. Like my profile states, I like well written female characters because they are often underestimated and usually have to compensate for the small minded worldview that doesn't let them be viewed as equals. That a strong female character (young too) was being written about that long ago shows the author to be somewhat of a visionary especially since the character does not have to resort to female wiles and sex appeal to win the day. While sometimes it can be unbelievable that a 16 year old girl can fight these crazy people and monsters and come out ahead the fact that she is powerful yet finds herself in these complex situations is engaging enough. The reason why it becomes unbelievable is because you are not sure if you could have done as well in the same situation if you had been Telzey. I especially liked Goblin Night and it makes you wonder if you could have done the same in her situation. You want to keep reading to find out how she will get out of each sticky situation and she does it believably and not always on her own strength but by finding the best points of each situation. Telzey was a great read, I am almost finished reading the TNT series with Telzey and Trigger which is just as good if not better. If you like a good adventure read with a cool yet powerful character in big situations then you will love Telzey.
Rating:
Summary: A long-overdue reissue of a great writer's work
Review: I have been a fan of James Schmitz for years, first reading THE UNIVERSE AGAINST HER when I was in my teens. Schmitz was considered one of the top SF writers in those days. I'm delighted to see that some of his fans were able to get his stories back in print. Although I have all of his books (even A NICE DAY FOR SCREAMING), I plan to buy this four-volume set as it comes out. I re-read TELZEY AMBERDON the night I bought it, and it not only brought back some good memories, it still holds up quite well. My congratulations!
Rating: 
Summary: This book ...I wish there was 0 stars
Review: I have read many Sci Fi books in my life, I love them. The Reasoning being is you can find STRONG females Characters. However, Telzey proved to be the exception, I found her character to be too strong, in the books she has no balance, there is no one that can come close to taking her on. The Department incharge of Psi's might of been what was needed to keep her in line, but it is soon etablished that her Psi power's makes them unable to touch her. I find this hard to believe, if she had used her family money and power to protect herself I would of brought it, but not untried psi powers. Another thing is that Telzey always wins,with very little struggle. But what is annoying is that she uses her morals to decide what right and then people have to deal with it. For ex. she invades people minds and violates their privacy and if she doesn't like what she finds she'll uses her Psi power to change you. Talk about lack of free will. That coupled with the face that she always just stubbles on to evil plots just in time to stand the world or universe. Oh please! I guess you can tell I did not like this book.
Rating:
Summary: So. Calif. Girl in 3500 AD!
Review: I loved the Telzey Amberdon stories when they came out in the sixties and seventies. Along with Nile Etland, Danestar Gems, and Trigger and Pilch, (and of course, the trio from Karres) they are among the most interesting of Schmitz's characters. The stories in this volume are good, but I feel they just introduce Telzey and her Universe. The stories planned for the next volume are, in my opinion, much better. The stories, and characters are of their time (Schmitz was in Southern California in those years, and it shows) but they transcend that time and place. They are fun! Lest you think he did all his best work with female characters, I recommend "The Guardians", which is about a male pirate in the asteroid belt. Very good. I hope they reissue "The Searcher" in one of the future volumes planned in this series. That is one interesting (and sympahetic) "monster", as are its human opponents. Schmitz's stories are never easily in black and white. This volume also has a couple of non-telzey stories that sketch in the background of the Hub. The Hub universe is a major, and interesting, character. All in all, I am pleased that Baen is re-issuing Schmitz's tales of the Hub.
Rating: 
Summary: Old friends return, just a little dated
Review: I read the Telzey stories as they were published in the SF magazines in the 60's and 70's, and always enjoyed them. They're not by any means deep, but they are generally lots of fun. This is good material for when you want enjoyable SF that won't strain your brain cells much. Because these stories were written almost 30 years ago, you'll find a few cultural assumptions that no longer ring true. But they're easy to swallow, nonetheless. Another good thing about the age of these stories is that I'll have no qualms about passing this book on to my 12 year old son when I'm done with it; by today's standards, they're very tame. After so many years, It's nice to make the acquaintance of Miss (you won't see a Ms. in these books) Amberdon and her friends again.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Mess with Telzey!
Review: I read these when they first appeared. They are even better now. And they created a breezy world of character-driven SF adventure that I have never forgotten. Stories of this kind are still needed by SF genre. Before "adventure had the name, Indiana Jones", there was Telzey Amberdon. Supergirl? Not even close. But Telzey is a quick mind and a quick learner. She makes mistakes. She doesn't repeat them, she doesn't take guff, and she doesn't quit. She's the nadir of heroines. Princess Leia owes a lot to Telzey. Honor Harrington probably read 'Telzey' as a young woman. Get the book. Enjoy. You won't be sorry.
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