The Star Pit

The Star Pit by Samuel Delany is bound together with Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo in a double. That's a common thing to do with novellas--they are too short to publish by themselves, but too long to be included in a magazine or a short story collection.

The Star Pit is kind of confusing, and Delany isn't my favorite author. However, it is full of interesting ideas. Faster than light space travel is a reality, but only certain special "golden" people can pilot these craft through interstellar space without going stark raving mad. These golden are elevated to an elite status as their services are in so much demand. So they get away with anything. That's not the story, just the backdrop. The story is pretty interesting too, but you should read it just for the ideas, not for the plot.

I don't recommend this story for casual readers of SF. Casual readers should pick up something more easily digestable, like an Asimov or an Anderson or a Clarke novel.