Christopher Anvil
Author
Series
Formats
Description
Humans on the space frontiers may have enough problems with befuddled bureaucrats, rules that don't fit the realities of very dangerous situations, and general rear-echelon incompetence without bringing in unfriendly aliens, but it's that kind of universe. On the other hand, as master satirist Christopher Anvil makes clear, the aliens are anything but omnipotent and have plenty of problems of their own.
Here for the first time the stories and short...
Author
Description
A new collection of stories by the master of humorous science fiction adventure, including the full-length novel The Day the Machines Stopped-and what happens, not just to civilization, but to humanity and its chances of survival when all the machines stop working at once?
A man is captured by aliens who are investigating the Earth as a possible target for colonization. The aliens have science and technology far in advance of humans-but, unfortunately...
Author
Series
Description
Science and technology have made our lives easier, cured diseases, with achievements that an earlier age would have considered impossible. But once in a while, the law of unintended consequences breaks loose. Christopher Anvil considers the two faces of technological innovation: Sometimes the result is a literal life-saver; but at other times a breakthrough may not break quite the way it was supposed to.
A new wonder drug has the unexpected side...
5) War Games
Author
Series
Description
War is a serious business-or is it? Christopher Anvil turns his sardonic sense of humor loose on the subject and considers what might happen if:
• Someone devised a computer war game so realistic and addictive that the people in charge of battle on both sides didn't have time or inclination to start a real war.
• Another device gave every homeowner the power to block off his property from any inxursion, even by nuclear weapons.
• A secret...
Author
Description
After peacefully and complacently expanding for centuries, the Centran Empire comes face to face with their first major obstacle, the stubborn and warlike inhabitants of Earth, and decides to use Earth warriors to pacify difficult planets throughout the galaxy, but they soon discover a new problem-the humans could end up running the Central Empire itself.
Author
Series
Description
Humans-there's no understanding them, and no dealing with them either. Or even their planet. Pity the poor aliens, whose shape-changing ability should let them take over the planet Earth before the humans even know they're there-if it weren't for all that omnipresent pollution.
Or consider another set of invaders, from a planet where the weather is always mild and the changing of the seasons is hardly noticeable. They land in force and their weapons...
Author
Series
Description
Vaughan Roberts and his two companions had been trapped on a crime-ridden, chaotic planet until they bamboozled the population with a gigantic hoax-which brought them to the attention of the Interstellar Patrol, who were looking for a few good con men, capable of ingenious improvisation and adept at playing dirty tricks on the bad guys. The new recruits acquitted themselves admirably, so they naturally were given more tough nuts to crack, including:
•...
Author
Series
Description
A FEW GOOD CON MEN . . .
The starship crew was stuck on a planet where the well-meaning schemes of ivory tower social engineers had created a nightmare of battling gangs. So they pretended to be the "Royal Legions" from a distant star kingdom in hot pursuit of an unspeakably evil and nearly all-powerful villain who was hiding somewhere on the planet.
Things went even better than they had hoped, and the planet was rapidly becoming civilized . . ....
Author
Description
A baker's dozen of futuristic and space travel tales await you in this audiobook of short stories, originally published in the science fiction magazine, IF (1960–61). These stories are both a sign of their times and a testament to the imaginative powers of writers in the era between Sputnik and Neil Armstrong's steps on the moon. Death and Taxes are inevitable, of course, but you'll also find a (Mind)snake, and maybe even a Garden of Eden within.
The...