A review by gengelcox
The Only Neat Thing to Do by James Tiptree Jr.

5.0

This story has some similarities with the famous SF short, [a:Tom Godwin|276133|Tom Godwin|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]'s “The Cold Equations,” in that it involves a spaceship hitchhiker and an extremely tough decision. The story starts out all happy and light, made even more so by Tiptree telling the story using present tense instead of past. Coati Cass is a rich 16-year-old with dreams of exploring the stars, a real Heinleinesque hero, all self-sufficient and wonderment. And she does extremely well in her plans, getting herself out to a far FedBase, refueled and supplied, and off on adventure. And that’s when she picks up the hitchhiker and things get a bit more serious. This story is what science fiction was meant for—it portrays both the excitement and danger of such an unlimited frontier full of surprises, and then it stays true to itself in evaluating what such things cost. Highly recommended, on my list of the best SF short stories written.