Showing results by author "Poul Anderson" in All Categories

The gathering forces of the Dark Powers threaten the world of man. The legions of Faery, aided by trolls, demons, and the Wild Hunt itself, are poised to overthrow the Realms of Light. Holger Carlsen, a bemused and puzzled twentieth-century man mysteriously snatched out of time, finds himself the key figure in the conflict. Arrayed against him are the dragons, giants, and elfin warriors of the armies of Chaos and the beautiful sorceress Morgan le Fay.

This science fiction novel describes the epic voyage of the spacecraft Leonora Christine. From practically the very first minute, Tau Zero sets scientific realities in dramatic tension with the very real emotional and psychological states of the travelers, exploring the effect of time contraction due to traveling at near-light speed on the human psyche. This tension is a dynamic that Anderson explores with great success over the course of the novel, as 50 crewmembers settle in for the long journey together.

As Sir Roger Baron de Tourneville is gathering an army to join King Edward III in the war against France, a most astonishing event occurs: a huge silver ship descends through the sky and lands in a pasture beside the little village of Ansby in North East Lincolnshire. The Wersgorix, whose scouting ship it is, are quite expert at taking conquering planets, and having determined from orbit that this one is suitable, they initiate standard procedure. Their ship carries guided missiles and nuclear weaponry—but they have long since lost the art of hand-to-hand fighting.

This volume contains a variety of imaginative stories from both famous and not-so-famous science fiction writers.

Forget minor hazards like nuclear bombs. The discovery of time travel means that everything we know, anyone we know, might not only vanish, but never even have existed. Against that possibility stand the men and women of the Time Patrol, dedicated to preserving the history they know and protecting the future from fanatics, terrorists, and would-be dictators who would remold the shape of reality to suit their own purposes.

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.

These stories are set in the familiar quasi-medieval worlds to which modern listeners are accustomed, and also stories rooted in the authentic myth-constructs of high antiquity, along with several that depend for their power on the juxtaposition of fantastic situations and terribly contemporary aspects of modern life on Earth. Together these stories make up a collection which provides reassuring proof of fantasy's eternal power in this technological age.

In 100 B.C., the Cimbrian hordes thunder across the dawn of history, clashing violently with the formidable Roman legions. Under the leadership of Chief Boierik and his son Eodan, these desperate pagan tribes battle fiercely for a land to call their own. Despite their relentless spirit, the Cimbri face devastation at the hands of the Romans, culminating in a crushing defeat at Vercellae that leaves only a handful of survivors. Among them is Eodan, a proud young chieftain who finds himself thrust into a life of slavery after losing everything his infant son murdered and his beloved wife, Hwicca...

Embark on a perilous journey aboard a black galleon to the fabled, fear-haunted Citadel of the Xanthi wizards. Corun, the condemned pirate of Conahur, embraces the challenge with a daring laugh. For him, this treacherous quest offers a slim chance to escape the headsmans axe and savor a few more moments of life and love—even if his heart belongs to a witch!

In Sensitive Man, Poul Anderson takes us on a thought-provoking journey into the depths of human potential. What if we could harness the power of psychology to gain control over our automatic reactions—those instinctive responses driven by anger, fear, and our very biology? Imagine a world where our emotions, hormones, and even our blood pressure could be influenced by our reason and intellect. In this gripping tale, one extraordinary man stands against a power-hungry cabal bent on world domination, armed with talents that defy the norm. Join us as we explore these profound questions and...

Join the adventure of a lifetime with Star Ship, where the most peculiar space castaways embark on a thrilling journey! The Terrans have left their magnificent interstellar vessel in a precarious orbit around the mysterious planet Khazak, only to descend in a lifeboat to explore its bizarre, Iron Age civilization. But fate has other plans, and their lifeboat meets with disaster! Experience Poul Andersons storytelling at its finest as you traverse the galaxy and uncover the wild escapades that await. - Summary by Paul Harvey

On the planet Scotha, the arrogant, horned aliens have meticulously plotted to conquer the Terran Empire. But Captain Dominic Flandry, Terras master saboteur, unexpectedly finds himself in a prime position to disrupt their plans. How will he do it? Every conqueror has a vulnerability, and in this thrilling tale, the Scothanis Achilles heel may just be their downfall. Experience this captivating story by the legendary Poul Anderson! - Summary by author

In the haunting world of Lost Terra, Kery of Broina roams like a restless spirit, driven by a desperate quest to reclaim the powerful resonant pipes of Killorn—an ancient weapon of the gods. As he approaches the citadel of Earths forsaken, he must confront the echoes of madness that threaten to consume him. Experience a gripping tale from the masterful Poul Anderson, as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

The way we feel about another person or about objects is often bound up in associations that have no direct connection with the person or object, at all. Often, what we call a "change of heart" comes about sheerly from a change in the many associations which make up our present viewpoint. Now, suppose that these associations could be altered artificially, at the option of the person who was in charge of the process.

The way we feel about another person, or about objects, is often bound up in associations that have no direct connection with the person or object at all. Often, what we call a "change of heart" comes about simply from a change in the many associations which make up our present viewpoint. Now, suppose these associations could be altered artificially, at the option of the person who was in charge of the process.

By the end of the 21st century, a deep-state human-systems organization, the Psychotechnic Institute, has begun melding neuroscience and psychoanalytics to create the foundation for generations of more peaceful, more powerful, more "sensitive" human beings. In Poul Anderson's 1954 science-fiction thriller, The Sensitive Man, one such human, Simon Dalgetty, is on the trail of brutal men who kidnapped Michael Tighe, keeper of the keys to the Institute's secrets, and, thus, to the fate of world order.

Terre. XXIIIe siècle. Cinquante astronautes. Vingt-cinq femmes, vingt-cinq hommes, parmi les meilleurs dans leurs domaines : astrophysiciens, mathématiciens, biologistes, astronavigateurs... partent pour un impressionnant voyage : rejoindre l'étoile Beta Virginis à trente-deux années-lumière de la Terre. Ils disposent pour ce faire du plus stupéfiant des vaisseaux, le Leonora Christina, dernier né de sa génération, un navire capable de puiser son énergie au cœur même de l'espace et d'évoluer à des vitesses relativistes.

Sci Fi Shorts is a collection of classic science fiction stories from the golden age of space stories. This group of five unabridged short stories by various authors covers such adventures as space-going disasters, culture-shocked Martians, minds being stolen, alien flying cities and ancient artefacts being discovered in the far future.

Riordan, a ruthless and wealthy hunter, needs one more kill to fill out his bucket list. He's faced down and brought home the wildest beasts on Earth, Venus, and even Neptune. But what he really craves is the hide of a Martian, and he'll pay any price, endure any obstacle, to hang that trophy on his wall.

Valgolia, a planet in the Epsilon Eridani star system, conquered Earth generations ago, but their conquest was incomplete. While Valgolians made possible greater prosperity, universal health, and interstellar trade for all Earthlings, the factional frictions of Earth - race against race, religion against religion, culture against culture - continue to bedevil the Valgolian's vision of a peaceable world for all mankind.