Nicholas Van Rijn is the protagonist of all three novellas in Trader to the Stars. Although obese, he is strong, with a powerful sexuality and an alert and clever mind. In the first noveella "Hiding Place," he solves the mystery of the missing crew of a zoolike spaceship and wins the affection of a young woman who at the novella's end is sitting in Van Rijn's lap while wearing a "slit and topless blue gown which fitted like a coat of lacquer." The rugged Captain Bahadur Torrance of Van Rijn's own ship ends up with bruises after a brief battle with Van Rijn over the affections of the young woman.

Van Rijn is typical of Anderson's entrepreneurial heroes. Their dedication to commerce and to opening up new markets is accompanied by sturdy bodies and tremendous sex appeal. The women in their lives usually have to be content to...