Campbell's Lost Fleet series got me through a bout with Covid-19 last summer, and I say this with a lot of kindness, but that series is distinctly mid. Decent action, strong moral foundations, and a lot of generic space opera with the good moments spread out over too many books.

This short story collection is a lot of the same mid space opera vibes, but instead of being spread out over too many pages, they're boiled down to a sticky sludge of scifi dank. The opening story, "Lady Be Good" is a genuine classic of a hardluck tramp freighter trying to make do. The other stories don't rise quite to that level, but even the weakest ones, a pair of NASA satires, at least don't overstay their welcome.