Man Who Used the Universe, The

This is a nice space-opera story, but not among Foster's best. I see it as something of a riff on Heinlein's The Man Who Sold the Moon, but with a somewhat psychopathic version of Delos Harriman. It's not part of his Humanx Commonwealth sequence. The aliens are a little too one-dimensionaly evil, an......more

I know this isn't anything like great literature, but I guess it speaks to me. It's probably the book I've read more times than any other, just because I never get tired of the twists and turns. I also love the idea, as outrageous as it is, that one man is able to reinvent himself and manipulate peo......more

I first read this book maybe 20 years ago. Accidentally started reading it again when trying to determine if it was the book I recalled, but I recalled so little I had to read a hell of a lot of pages before I became convinced. Cracker of a story, still highly readable.......more

I found it hard to rate this one. Some aspects I really liked, like the descriptions of the aliens and the focus on business relationships and competitive learning (call me weird). Some aspects, like the pacing and the unsympathetic protagonist (a burly, Steve Jobs type), rubbed me the wrong way. I'......more