Dickson's future history of humankind and its ultimate destiny. Now one of its central novels return to print in a two-volume corrected edition.In The Final Encyclopedia the human race is split into three Splinter cultures: the Friendlies, fanatic in their faith; the truth-seeking Exotics; and the warrior Dorsai. But now humanity is threatened by the power-hungry Others, whose triumph would end all human progress.Hal Mayne is an orphan who was raised by three tutors: an Exotic, a Friendly, and a Dorsai. He is the only human capable of uniting humanity against the Others. But only if he is willing to accept his terrifying destiny...as savior of mankind.A towering landmark of future history, The Final Encyclopedia is a novel every SF fan needs to own.

    They were thought to be the ruins of an invading force of space monsters that men had defeated during the Dark Ages centuries before. Butthe ruins were visibly getting newer — rebuilding themselves. The militarists who had reconstructed society after the supposed invasion were getting panicky. Until they found a complete invader vehicle -- and learned it travelled through time. But what was Time? What was Now? Could there be more than one Time Front — one going forward, one in reverse? And what would happen when two such fronts met in the inevitable COLLISION COURSE?

    In most of Norton's works, alienated outsiders undertake a journey through which they realize their full potential. Many planets in the books are Earth-like places, where humans can live without special protection, and have extensive flora and fauna which are described in considerable detail and often have substantial bearing on the plot.On February 20, 2005, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, which had earlier honored her with its Grand Master Award in 1983, announced the creation of the Andre Norton Award, to be given each year for an outstanding work of fantasy or science fiction for the young adult literature market, beginning in 2006. Nobody today is telling better stories of straight-forward interstellar adventure.Included in this volume:Book One: Storm Over Warlock - Stranded on the alien world of Warlock, Shann Lantree's expedition camp has been wiped out by the Throgs, beings so alien that humans have yet to communicate with them. Lantree must quickly learn how to survive under harsh conditions while being chased by the Throgs -- and how to distinguish the real from the dreamed when he meets the mysterious Wyverns. A satisfying and mature novel which readers will seize upon if they want to enjoy a good adventure story...Book Two: Star Born - When the oppressive global dictatorship of Pax took over Earth they put a stop to space exploration. Still, a few rebels escaped in the sleeper ships to found free new colonies -- or perish in the attempt. Those few colonists that reached inhabitable worlds were cut off for centuries, and in that isolation and freedom they developed the mysterious mental powers that "civilization" had all but destroyed...Book Three: Star Hunter - Somewhere on the jungle world of Jumala, there was a man in hiding--a man whose mind had been reconditioned with another's brain pattern and for whom there was a fabulous reward. Star Hunter is a thrill-packed account of that other-worldly game of hide-and-seek between a man who did not know all his own powers and an interstellar safari that sought something no man had a right to find...Book Four: Plague Ship - A fast-moving suspense tale, full of unusual detail and unexpected turns. Several highlights make the book really shine: the sunset gorp hunt on the reefs of an oily sea; a raid on an asteroid's emergency station; and a landing in the Big Burn, resulting in an encounter with the mutant life-forms that reside there...Book Five: Voodoo Planet - Dane Thorson of the space-trader 'Solar Queen' found himself embroiled in a desperate battle of minds between the rational science of the spaceways and the hypnotic witchcraft of the mental wizard that ruled the Voodoo Planet...Book Six: The Gifts of Asti - Varta, the last priestess of Asti, lives alone with Lur, a telepath of the lizardfolk, in Asti's isolated mountain retreat. Decadent Memphir has long since drifted away from the austere paths of Asti, and now the barbarians of Klem are sacking the city, and the smoke of its burning drifts up to the temple...Book Seven: The People of the Crater - "Send the Black Throne to dust; conquer the Black Ones, and bring the Daughter from the Caves of Darkness." These were the tasks Garin must perform to fulfill the prophecy of the Ancient Ones--and establish his own destiny in this hidden land!This are the original and unabridged versions of these tales.

    Carr · in 14 · He Walked Around the Horses · nv Astounding Apr ’48 39 · Police Operation [Verkan Vall] · nv Astounding Jul ’48 77 · Last Enemy [Verkan Vall] · na Astounding Aug ’50 149 · Time Crime [Verkan Vall] · n. Astounding Feb ’55 (+1) 261 · Temple Trouble [Verkan Vall] · nv Astounding Apr ’51

    . .

    But he was no soldier in the military sense, for the enemies he fought were disease, corruption and the warped psychology that spread in the isolation of mankind's lost planetary colonies. Encountering double-dealing, mutation and the unexpected, Ole Doc and his unique, multi-armed companion Hippocrates share a series of astonishing adventures in their unending journey through the trackless galaxies.Contents:· Ole Doc Methuselah [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Oct ’47 · Her Majesty’s Aberration [as by René Lafayette] · ss Astounding Mar ’48 · The Expensive Slaves [as by René Lafayette] · ss Astounding Nov ’47 · The Great Air Monopoly [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Sep ’48 · Plague [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Apr ’49 · A Sound Investment [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Jun ’49 · Ole Mother Methuselah [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Jan ’50

    The organ banks are the centre of this world. To them the subservient colonists contribute living limbs, and from them the overlords obtain the vital parts that keep them alive.

    Contents:7 · Foreword · fw 11 · The Spider · ss Rogue Jan ’63 24 · Monsters and Monster Lovers · ar Fantastic Mar ’65 37 · A Hitch in Space · ss Worlds of Tomorrow Aug ’63 48 · Hottest and Coldest Molecules · ar Science Digest Mar ’52 52 · Kindergarten · vi F&SF Apr ’63 55 · Those Wild Alien Words: I · ar * 64 · Crazy Annaoj · ss Galaxy Feb ’68 70 · Debunking the I Machine · ar, 1949 72 · When the Last Gods Die · ss F&SF Dec ’51 79 · King Lear · ar, 1934 85 · Yesterday House · nv Galaxy Aug ’52 115 · After Such Knowledge · ar, 1974 118 · Knight to Move [“Knight’s Move”; Change War] · ss Broadside Dec ’65 128 · Weird World of the Knight [“Topsy-Turvy World of the Knight”] · ar California Chess Review Jan ’60 131 · To Arkham and the Stars · ss The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces, Sauk City: Arkham House, 1966 143 · The Whisperer Re-Examined · ar Haunted Dec ’64 148 · Beauty and the Beasts [Fafhrd & Gray Mouser] · vi * 151 · Masters of Mace and Magic · br 157 · Cat’s Cradle · ss *

    What most of the inhabitants don't realize is that their world of Urba is actually a giant spacecraft, an ark built more than a thousand years ago to save as much of the Earth's population as possible before the sun went nova. The Elite were originally the ship's crew, but as the centuries passed, they became decadent, corrupt, and cruel, and the truth about Urba became hidden. And now Jad and the courageous Prince are about to find out what happened to the Elite—and what's happening to the people of Urba.

    But it was also understood that when a really dangerous job had to be done, a scout-pilot was the man to do it.So for John Leeming, a couple of months of dodging death in a one-man ship, zipping in and out of the enemy Combine's rearguard, was just another one of those jobs. And there was no man in the Universe more surprised than Leeming when his heretofore indestructible ship just gave up the ghost smack in the middle of a Combine-held prison planet!It was then that the spirit of the Scout Corps had its chance to shine. With self-confidence as his only weapon, Leeming had only two choices: give in to the enemy and be captured...or quick-talk them into a real case of THE SPACE WILLIE!

    Once the Empire had ruled the galaxy, linking thousands of worlds with a network of commerce, culture and law... Now, with the Empire gone, only isolated planets remained and they were rapidly sinking into oblivion. Then came Mass, a man driven by a dream of rediscovering the Empire... but to achieve that dream he must find and control the space skimmer, one of the miraculous vessels that had first made the Empire possible...

    As Queen Amelyor's powers decline, Keiris, her son, decides he must find his long-lost twin sister, and the secret of his heritage

    The only problem is that the Confederacion needs him as one of its twelve Prime Operators for its secret service, the TBII. The TBII wants him as a spy, thief & assassin. It's not, of course, a problem for the Confederacion, which simply uses immersion therapy & hypnotic personality overlay for Otto's training, then sends him out in deep cover, encased in plastiflesh, on a variety of dangerous missions on a number of bizarre worlds. But for him, it's a different matter: what he has to witness & what he's forced to do take a terrible toll. Always he returns to his original self--his conscience stabbed by the memory of all those he'd killed in the service of interstellar harmony.

    based on some real, honest, practical ethical thinking. It is an idea book.' - Groff Conklin in Galaxy Science FictionAsher Sutton has been lost in deepest space for twenty years. Suddenly arrives a warning from the future, that he will return- and that he must be killed. He is destined to write a book whose message may lead to the death of millions in centuries to come. For this reason Sutton is hounded by the sinister warring factions of the future who wish to influence or prevent the writing of this book he has not yet begun to write.Yet already a copy has been found in the burnt-out wreckage of a space-craft on Aldebaran XII.

    He wreaks havoc and destruction as surely as a hurricane wherever he goes. Commando Central has planted an electrode transmitter-receiver deep inside his brain and infiltrated him into the Destroyer Spacefleet to prevent it from gaining absolute mastery of the galaxy. But Bron's own brand of chaos is lethally unpredictable. And when whole planets are annihilated by monster hellburner bombs set on course seven hundred million years ago from distant Andromeda, aimed directly at Bron himself, both sides realise that something more colossal, more threatening and infinitely more powerful is taking a hand in Bron's weird destiny...The Patterns of Chaos is SF in the grand style-a mighty tale of galactic intrigue and destruction.