I've been very unkind about Larry Niven's more recent work. He's just not what he used to be. But he's always kicked ass with his short stories and still does.
"The Draco Tavern" is a collection of very short stories that take place in a bar called "The Draco Tavern". Some years from now, about 10 years from whenever you happen to be reading the story, an alien craft parks near the moon and sends landers to a good landing point in Siberia. Many more have come and gone since then. The ships are owned by a race known as the Chirpsithra. But there's lots of other aliens who have booked passage on their ships.
Sometimes when talking to the aliens a person can learn something that will make him a fortune. Rick did so and earned his fortune early on. He spent his money to open a bar near the landing area. A bar that caters to aliens of all kinds. Most of his staff are researchers who volunteer to work there just to be able to be close and study the aliens.
These are genuinely alien aliens, too. Being a book he's not restricted to people in costumes.
Most of the stories are thought provoking in some manner or other. And they're typically only about 5 pages long. More bathroom literature. You'll probably have to brush your teeth or rinse your mouth to get a story finished.
Great book.
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