Classic tales of science fiction adventure from the bestselling author of The Boat of a Million Years. From Earthman, Beware! to Flight to Forever , here are vigorous, fast-paced, spectacular tales from the Golden Age of Science stories full of startling ideas and swashbuckling adventure--as only Poul Anderson could tell them.Tell Me a StoryFlight to ForeverTerminal QuestThe Star BeastEarthman, Beware!Son of the SwordBallade of an Artificial Satellite (Poem)
Armchair Fiction presents extra large paperback collections of the best in classic science fiction short stories. "Science Fiction Gems, Vol. Four" features works by Jack Sharkey, Poul Anderson, Walt Sheldon, Frank Belknap Long, Hugh Cave, Kris Neville, Fritz Leiber, Ben Bova, Randall Garrett, and others. This is another fine collection of classic science fiction. It’s a barrage of yesteryear’s greatest authors who will entertain, challenge, and enlighten the world of any Science Fiction fan—young or old.
Featuring a curated selection of twenty-two exceptional novellas from the golden age of science fiction, this compilation showcases influential works published between 1895 and 1962. Each story highlights the genre's evolution and the creativity of its authors, making it an essential collection for enthusiasts looking to explore the foundations of science fiction literature.
On a distant planet far from Earth, a young human boy and his Hoka tutor are destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy that could have unexpected--and deadly--consequences
"This volume, the first of a two-volume set gathering the best American science fiction from the tumultuous 1960s, opens with Poul Anderson's immensely popular The High Crusade, in which aliens planning to conquer Earth land in Lincolnshire during the Hundred Years' War. In Clifford Simak's Hugo Award-winning Way Station, Enoch Wallace is a spry 124-year-old Civil War veteran whose lifelong job monitoring the intergalactic pit stop inside his home is largely uneventful--until a CIA agent shows up and Cold War hostilities threaten the peaceful harmony of the Galactic confederation. Daniel Keyes's beloved Flowers for Algernon, winner of the Nebula Award and adapted as the Academy Award-winning movie Charly, is told through the journal entries of Charlie Gordon, a young man with severe learning disabilities who is the test subject for surgery to improve his intelligence. And in the postapocalyptic earthscape of Roger Zelazny's Hugo Award-winning . . . And Call Me Conrad (also published as This Immortal) Conrad Nomikos reluctantly accepts the responsibility of showing the planet to the governing extraterrestrials' representative and protecting him from rebellious remnants of the human race. Using early manuscripts and original setting copy, this Library of America volume restores the novel to a version that most closely approximates Zelazny's original text."-- Provided by publisher
The Interbeing League had been formed to make contact with new intelligent races in the galaxy and offer them membership. But when the League encountered the Hokas, furry creatures strongly resembling the teddy bears of Earth, the League's agent, Alexander Jones, could have been excused for wishing he had a simpler assignment than making sense out of the Hokas-such as singlehandedly stopping an interstellar war
THE SECRET OF THE SIGMAN Skip Wayburn, artist drifter, sigaroon, gulped down his food with nothing on his mind but a long evening of lovemaking. Far above him, the first emissary from interstellar space continued to orbit the globe. For three years it had been there, and still there were nothing but questions. What had lured the voyager from Sigma Dacron's to Earth? How did the creature plan to use its incredible power? And most important, why was it waiting...and for what? Then, in a blinding flash of insight, Skip Wayburn suddenly knew the answers... knew with dead certainty why the Sigman had come, who "he' was, and precisely what the Earthmen must do. But who would listen to the far-out ideas of a mere sigaroon? Skip didn't know. But someone had to listen—and fast.
Set in a fantastical universe steeped in Northern legends, the narrative follows Cappen Varra, a character from an enigmatic past that feels eerily close to the present. The story explores themes of memory and the enduring influence of pagan traditions, immersing readers in a world where ancient tales and modern reflections intertwine. Poul Anderson weaves a rich tapestry of myth and history, inviting readers to discover the shadows of a bygone era that still resonate today.
Dominic Flandry, a key figure in Poul Anderson's "Technic History" series, is a resourceful and cunning intelligence agent navigating a future filled with political intrigue and interstellar conflict. Introduced in 1951, Flandry's adventures explore themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the complexities of power in a decaying galactic empire, showcasing his wit and strategic mind as he confronts various challenges across the cosmos.