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I finished The Seedling Stars (1957) by James Blish. It is a series of thematically linked novellas and one short story as follows:
Book 1: "Seeding Program" introduces the main linking concept--"Pantropy": the ability to genetically modify humankind so as to make it possible to live on planets which would normally be completely inimical to human life. Set on Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the story skillfully blends a number of motifs particularly the danger posed by of power-hungry corporations.
Book 2 "The thing In the Attic" sounds like a horror story, but it's really just another clever variation on the adapted man theme. It is nicely done until the contrived ending.
Book 3 "Surface Tension" This; the longest piece, is the gem of the entire book--brilliantly imaginative. it is often anthologised as a stand-alone. If you haven't read this story read it. You're missing something.
Book 4 "Watershed" is rather a coda to the first three. Only about 10 pages long, it deals with a significant theme--a variation on racism--and is quite effective. Still, it seems an anticlimax coming after the brilliant "Surface Tension".
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