Battlestations


David DrakeMercedes Lackey - 1992
    and the overstressed crew prepares for a direct assault by a deadly insectoid race. But the pressures of combat and close quarters have taken their toll, threatening to turn the crew to the enemy's prime advantage.

The End of the World: Stories of the Apocalypse


Martin H. GreenbergRobert Silverberg - 2010
    No longer relegated to the fringes of literature, this explosive collection of the world’s best apocalyptic writers brings the inventors of alien invasions, devastating meteors, doomsday scenarios, and all-out nuclear war back to the bookstores with a bang.The best writers of the early 1900s were the first to flood New York with tidal waves, destroy Illinois with alien invaders, paralyze Washington with meteors, and lay waste to the Midwest with nuclear fallout. Now collected for the first time ever in one apocalyptic volume are those early doomsday writers and their contemporaries, including Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, Lucius Shepard, Robert Sheckley, Norman Spinrad, Arthur C. Clarke, William F. Nolan, Poul Anderson, Fredric Brown, Lester del Rey, and more. Relive these childhood classics or discover them here for the first time. Each story details the eerie political, social, and environmental destruction of our world.

SNAFU: Future Warfare


Geoff BrownSteve Lewis - 2016
    See far-flung worlds, they said. Meet interesting creatures, and kill them all. Soldiers fighting aliens in unforgiving landscapes, where every breath could be their last. Featuring stories by Weston Ochse, Mike Resnick, and others. From near-future to far-future, featuring some of the best writers working in the field today.

There Will Be War


Jerry PournelleEric Frank Russell - 1983
    But millennia passed and techniques improved. By the time of the Romans a lucky bolt might impale a file of infantry. By the dreadful 20th century the very existence of the race - we still were earth-bound, then - was at risk. But somehow, even though the weapons grew ever more terrible, that risk was averted and humanity gained first the planets and then the stars. And still the weapons grew, until the very universe has cause to fear the wrath of Man...Contents:Reflex by Larry Niven and Jerry PournelleSpanish Man's Grave by James Warner BellahMarius by Poul AndersonThe Threat by Advisory CommissionEnder's Game by Orson Scott CardA Death in Realtime by R.S. McEnroeOverdose by Spider RobinsonSaul's Death by Joe HaldemanHigh Frontier by Robert A. Heinlein and Lt. General Daniel GrahamTwo Poems by Jon PostDiasporah by W.R. YatesHis Truth Goes Marching On by Jerry PournelleTHOR by Weapons Committee of the Citizens' Advisory Coucil on National Space PolicyThe Defenders by Philip K. DickUnlimited Warfare by Hayford PierceThe Battle by Robert SheckleyMilitary Virtue by Jerry PournelleRanks of Bronze by David DrakeI Am Nothing by Eric Frank RussellCall Him Lord by Gordon R. DicksonQuiet Village by David McDanielStrategy of Technology by Jerry PournelleWidow's Party by Rudyard Kipling

At the Helm, Volume 2


Rhett C. BrunoNick Cole - 2017
    Epic battles. Artificial Intelligence's longing for meaning. Life as we know it, ending... Sci-Fi Bridge is thrilled to present its second collection from bestselling authors and newly emerging writers. These stories span the near and far future. They transport you to worlds unknown. They examine today's fears amid tomorrow's technologies. From the far corners of the galaxy to the inner reaches of the human heart, the exciting stories in At the Helm will thrill, inspire, and make you wonder--do humans have what it takes to build a better future? Or are we doomed by our own failings? Foreword by Jay Allan. "Scout" by Will McIntosh. "Gelassenheit" by Chris Pourteau. "Rubbish with Names" by Felix R. Savage. "Galaxy's Edge" by Jason Anspach and Nick Cole “A God Among Us” by Rhett C. Bruno "Just An Old Fashioned Lust Story" by Christopher J. Valin "The Quarium Wars" by E. E. Giorgi "Death-Life on Kepler 452b" by Hall & Beaulieu "The Tunnel" by Andreas Christensen "Caterpillar" by Isaac Hooke "The Null" by Vincent Trigili "The Machine" by Mark R. Healy "Bottled Lightning" by Philip Harris "The Gambit" by Rysa Walker "Control" by Will Swardstrom "The Greatest Serial Killer in the Universe" by Robert Jeschonek "Magnet" by David Adams "Stasis Dream" by Josi Russell

SNAFU: Unnatural Selection


Amanda J. SpeddingLee Murray - 2016
    Anacondas, piranha, giant crocodiles/alligators/lizards, mutated bears near nuclear power stations, prehistoric sharks. All featured heavily in books and films of the 70s and 80s, when bio-horror was at its modern peak. This anthology of military-bio-horror stories takes you back to those classic days. Think Greg McLean’s Rogue, Lake Placid, Eight-legged Freaks, Anaconda, Meg, Prophecy, Deep Blue Sea, and other films/books where people (in this case soldiers) are fighting against mutated or ultra-dangerous animals. Join some of the best writers working today, along with some SNAFU favourites, for an unnaturally good time. TOC: 1. Here There Be Monsters - Dave Beynon 2. Unborn - Justin Bell 3. The Weavers in Darkness - James A. Moore & Charles R. Rutledge 4. Kill Team Kill - Justin A Coates 5. Restless - Lee Murray 6. A Hole in the World - Tim Lebbon & Christopher Golden 7. Cargo - B. Michael Radburn 8. Vermin - Richard Lee Byers 9. The Valley of Death - David W. Amendola 10. Venom - Michael McBride

The Man-Kzin Wars


Larry Niven - 1988
    But the Kzinti learned the hard way that the reason humanity had given up war was that they were so very, very good at it. Thus began the Man-Kzin Wars.Contents:1 · Introduction · Larry Niven · in * 5 · The Warriors · Larry Niven · ss If Feb ’66 27 · Iron [Part 1 of 2] · Poul Anderson · n. Far Frontiers Vol. VII, ed. Jerry Pournelle & Jim Baen, Baen, 1986 116 · Iron [Part 2 of 2] · Poul Anderson · n. New Destinies, Vol. 1, ed. Jim Baen, Baen, 1987 179 · Cathouse · Dean Ing · na New Destinies, Vol. III, ed. Jim Baen, Baen, 1988

Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea


Sarah Pinsker - 2019
    The journey is the thing as Pinsker weaves music, memory, technology, history, mystery, love, loss, and even multiple selves on generation ships and cruise ships, on highways and high seas, in murder houses and treehouses. They feature runaways, fiddle-playing astronauts, and retired time travelers; they are weird, wired, hopeful, haunting, and deeply human. They are often described as beautiful but Pinsker also knows that the heart wants what the heart wants and that is not always right, or easy.

Those in Peril


Chris KennedyRob Howell - 2019
    Fourteen worlds that never were. Throughout the human experience, historians have wondered, “What if?” What if Japan had been on the side of the U.S. in World War II? What if things had been just a little different in the Falklands? What if Russia had started World War Three? Wonder no more, for these questions, along with many others, are answered within the pages of this book. Told by a variety of award-winning authors, like Sarah Hoyt, the 2018 Dragon Award Winner for Alternate History, and Kacey Ezell, the winner of the 2018 Baen Reader’s Choice Award, “Those in Peril,” deals with naval warfare that never happened in our world…but easily could have. The first book in the exciting new “Phases of Mars” anthology series, there is something for everyone inside! From sailing ships, to steam, to today’s modern aircraft carriers, “Those in Peril” traces several centuries of naval warfare…that wasn’t. From adding a psychic…to making a different choice of friend or foe…to something insignificant toppling a kingdom, this book has it, so come aboard and find out “what if” all of these things had changed history…just a little. You’ll be glad you did! Inside you'll find: Naked by Kacey Ezell Captain Bellamy’s War by Stephen J. Simmons A Safe Wartime Posting by Joelle Presby Beatty’s Folly by Philip Wohlrab Martha Coston and the Farragut Curse by Day Al-Mohamed The Blue and the Red: Palmerston’s Ironclads by William Stroock Far Better to Dare by Rob Howell Off Long Island: 1928 by Doug Dandridge For Want of a Pin by Sarah Hoyt Nothing Can Be Said Sufficient to Describe It by Meriah Crawford Corsairs and Tenzans by Philip S. Bolger For a Few Camels More by Justin Watson Per Mare Per Terram by Jan Niemczyk Fate of the Falklands by James Young

Ominous Realities: The Anthology of Dark Speculative Horrors


Anthony RiveraBracken MacLeod - 2013
    But with dire consequences.ANGIE by John F.D. Taff - A divorced couple tries to ensure their survival after society collapses. Navigating the treacherous back roads of America, they realize the horror of true devotion.ON THE THRESHOLD by William Meikle - How far is science willing to go to prove we're not alone and possibly find the terrifying dangers that exist beyond the threshold?DOYOSHOTA by Ken Altabef - One by one the residents of a Nevada town are succumbing to the debilitating effects of a strange hum. Many believe it’s a black ops program others are convinced of its far darker origins.THIRD OFFENSE by Gregory L. Norris - In an oppressive society where creativity is banned and advertising is all-pervasive, a factory worker attempts to escape enslavement with horrifying results.METAMORPHOSIS by J. Daniel Stone - Together, a brother and sister discover the unique bond has the ability to affect humanity in the darkest of ways.WE ARE HALE, WE ARE WHOLE by Eric Del Carlo - Global climate change has reshaped the world, and multi-national corporations control every aspect of life. To what horrifying lengths will they go in the struggle to maintain profit?PURE BLOOD AND EVERGREEN by Bracken MacLeod - Victims of ethnic cleansing, two boys share a painful struggle for survival. Their actions start events that leave the lives of everyone they know hanging in a dangerous balance.JOHN, PAUL, XAVIER, IRONSIDE AND GEORGE (BUT NOT VINCENT) by Hugh A.D. Spencer - Earth is under attack by mysterious biomechanical entities. With the end near, one man spends his last days with an enigmatic client who is of great import to those in charge.AND THE HUNTER, HOME FROM THE HILL by Edward Morris - Could it be that accounts of superheroes are actually based in reality? It could be that the old man living down the street is hiding his own dark secrets.BORN BAD by Jonathan Balog - Raised by the church, Lucien harbors a frightening secret that may prove to have dire circumstances for mankind.THE LAST BASTION OF SPACE by Ewan C. Forbes - Privatization has run amok and simple pleasures come at a premium price. For one young couple there is no choice but to turn their minds over to insidious corporate control.EVERY SOUL IS A GRIMOIRE by Allen Griffin - Harvey works for a shadowy government and is responsible for a man with dangerous knowledge. Being near him is blurring his reality and opening the door to terrifying evil.FROM THE EAST by Alice Goldfuss - After global cataclysm, a scientist struggles to determine the cause. Driven by professional convictions, she finds herself in a struggle for the existence of humanity.DECIDING IDENTITY by Paul Williams - Faced with the collision of two worlds, the citizens of each are given the choice to decide who shall live and who shall die.THE LAST ELF by T. Fox Dunham - The fate of humanity rests with a sociopathic concentration camp commander. Having spent a lifetime chasing the enemies of Germany, he finds himself on the verge of his crowning achievement—ultimate extermination.

Body Armor: 2000


Joe HaldemanThomas A. Easton - 1986
    As technology advances, the tools of battle - the strategies, the weaponry, the scope of destruction - also advance.Here are eleven riveting tales of the future's battlefields - the high-tech hardware of tomoorow's wars, the bare emotions of tomorrow's warriors - from the celebrated masters of science fiction.Contents: Contact! by David DrakeThe Warbots by Larry S. ToddThe Scapegoat by C.J. CherryhThe Last Crusade by George H. SmithHired Man by Richard C. MeredithEarly Model by Robert SheckleyIn the Bone by Gordon R. DicksonThe Chemically Pure Warriors by Allen Kim LangRight to Life by Thomas A. EastonOf Battle's Sound by Harry HarrisonHero by Joe Haldeman

Thor's Hammer


Reginald Bretnor - 1979
    Heinlein• Defending the Third Industrial Revolution • by G. Harry Stine• Interior artwork by David Egge• Old Woman by the Road • (1978) • by Gregory Benford• Encased in the Amber of Eternity • poem by Robert Frazier• Moon Rocks • (1973) • by Tom Purdom• Lasers, Grasers, and Marxists • (1976) • by Jerry Pournelle• Fixed Price War • (1978) • by Charles Sheffield• Marius • (1957) • by Poul Anderson• Weapons in Future Warfare • essay by Roger A. Beaumont and R. Snowden Ficks• Scenario for the Fall of Night • by Roger A. Beaumont• The Spell of War • [Lord Darcy] • (1978) • by Randall Garrett• Military Vehicles: Into the Third Millennium • essay by Dean Ing• Interior artwork by Stephen Fabian• The Man in the Gray Weapons Suit • by Paul J. Nahin• Just an Old-Fashioned War Story • (1977) • by Michael G. Coney• The Private War of Private Jacob • (1974) • by Joe Haldeman• One Foot in the Grave: Medicine in Future Warfare • essay by Alan E. Nourse• Shark • (1973) • by Edward Bryant• Training • by David Langford• Final Muster • (1961) • by Rick Rubin

Manhattan In Reverse


Peter F. Hamilton - 2011
    Peter Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a story featuring Paula Myo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth's Serious Crimes Directorate.

Total Conflict


Neal Asher - 2015
    Tales of humanity pushed to its limits, of striving, ingenuity, brilliance, desperate action, violence, and resolution, . Eighteen tales of Conflict, of Science Fiction at its absolute best.Contents:1.Introduction – Ian Whates2.The Wake – Dan Abnett3.Psi.Copath – Andy Remic4.Unaccounted – Lauren Beukes 5.The New Ships – Gareth L Powell6.The Harvest – Kim Lakin-Smith7.The War Artist – Tony Ballantyne8.Proper Little Soldier – Martin McGrath9.The Maker’s Mark – Michael Cobley10.Brwydr Am Ryddid – Stephen Palmer11.Occupation – Colin Harvey12.Sussed – Keith Brooke13.The Soul of the Machine – Eric Brown14.Extraordinary Rendition – Steve Longworth15.The Legend of Sharrock – Philip Palmer16.The Cuisinart Effect – Neal Asher17.The Ice Submarine – Adam Roberts18.War Without End – Una McCormack19.Welcome Home, Janissary – Tim C Taylor

Citizens


John Ringo - 2010
    Thomsen. Legendary science fiction writers, and citizen warriors, deliver science fiction military adventure tales on a grand scale. Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Laumer, Wolfe, and other greats. Giants of science fiction. Plus all new fiction by recent vets who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military veterans all. Gritty takes on future combat. Penetrating looks into the warrior’s character, the harsh reality of a life under arms, and how society deals with those it desperately needs and often fails to honor as it should.Contents: Nature and Nurture (2010) • essay by John Ringo Field Test [Bolo] (1976) / short story by Keith Laumer Allamagoosa (1955) / short story by Eric Frank Russell Exploration Team [Colonial Survey] (1956)/ novelette by Murray Leinster Superiority (1951) / short story by Arthur C. Clarke The Horars of War (1970) / short story by Gene Wolfe Fireproof (1949) / short story by Hal Clement Peace with Honor [Falkenberg's Legion] (1971) / novelette by Jerry Pournelle Under the Hammer [Hammer's Slammers] (1974) / short story by David Drake Time Piece (1970) / short fiction by Joe Haldeman [as by Joe W. Haldeman] Neither Sleet, Nor Snow, Nor Alien Invasion ... (2010) / short fiction by Dave Freer Light (2010) / short fiction by Kacey Grannis The Question (2010) / short fiction by Patrick A. Vanner The Price [Freehold] (2010) / novelette by Michael Z. Williamson Earth's First Improved Chimp Gets a Job as a Janitor (2004) / short story by John Ringo The Long Watch [Future History] (1949) / short story by Robert A. Heinlein About the Authors (Citizens) (2010) • essay by uncredited About the Editors (Citizens) (2010) • essay by uncredited.