Humble Book Bundle: 100 Years of Poul Anderson by Open Road Media
A century of stories
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A Midsummer Tempest
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Nebula Award Finalist
After Doomsday
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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The only survivors of an annihilated human race must unite to destroy the alien aggressors who destroyed Earth in this classic science fiction… The only survivors of an annihilated human race must unite to destroy the alien aggressors who destroyed Earth in this classic science fiction adventure. After a three-year mission, the American starship Benjamin Franklin and its all-male crew have returned to Earth, only to discover the planet is dead, a blackened shell devoid of life. It is clear that one of a trio of alien species engineered the holocaust, but which? When the captain of the Franklin falters, engineer Carl Donnan is forced to take command of the ship. The future of what remains of the human race is in his hands. Donnan's first priority is to escape with his crewmates; the second is to find out if there are other human survivors somewhere among the stars—unbeknownst to Donnan and the three hundred men now under his charge, the female crew of the Europa also survived the genocide—and the third is to seek vengeance, for the alien annihilators will not rest until their task is completed. If the last men and women in the galaxy do not identify and destroy their enemy, there will be no place in the universe to hide. The winner of three Nebulas, seven Hugos, and numerous other awards over the course of his illustrious career, science fiction Grand Master Poul Anderson has written a magnificent adventure of courage and survival in the wake of the unthinkable, demonstrating once again why he is considered one of the brightest literary lights to shine during the Golden Age of Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury.
Brain Wave
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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From the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author: “A panoramic story of what happens to a world gone super intelligent” ( Astounding Science… From the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author: “A panoramic story of what happens to a world gone super intelligent” ( Astounding Science Fiction ). Grand Master of Science Fiction With “wonderfully logical detail . . . exciting storytelling and moving characterization” (Anthony Boucher), science fiction master Poul Anderson explores what happens when the next stage of evolution is thrust upon humanity and animals. As Earth passes out of a magnetic field that has suppressed intelligence for eons, the mental capacity for all mammals increases exponentially, radically changing the structures of society. A mentally impaired farm worker finds himself capable of more delicate and intelligent thoughts than he ever dreamed. A young boy on holiday manages to discern the foundations of calculus before breakfast. Animals that were seen as livestock and pets can now communicate clearly with their owners and one another. And an already brilliant physics researcher now uses his boundless intellect to bring humankind to the stars—even as his wife plunges into an existential crisis. For all of them, the world will never be the same . . . “An original idea . . . brilliantly carried out.” — Galaxy Science Fiction
Fire Time
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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In book three of the historical fantasy King of Ys series, Gratillonius's reign faces a deadly new threat from across the sea. A Grand Master of… In book three of the historical fantasy King of Ys series, Gratillonius's reign faces a deadly new threat from across the sea. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author For sixteen years Gratillonius has been the king of Ys, a position he has used to bring the once-teetering city-state back to stability as the Roman Empire continues to collapse around it. Rome would prefer a more malleable leader in Gratillonius's place and makes no secret of it. As pressure from Roman leadership increases, Gratillonius must also contend with Niall maqq Echach, the leader of Northern Ireland who holds the Ysan king responsible for the death of his son. Compounding these complications is the ever-present threat of retribution by the Ysan gods, should the kingdom's leadership make a misstep. But perhaps the greatest danger of all is unfolding from within Gratillonius's own household, where, following the death of one of his nine wives, the gods have named an unsettling replacement: Dahut, Gratillonius's own daughter.As treachery mounts from within and without, Gratillonius must hold to his principles in defiance of the gods while still protecting Ys from the destruction closing in on all sides. Poul and Karen Anderson's The King of Ys series Roma Mater (#1) Gallicenae (#2) Dahut (#3) The Dog and the Wolf (#4)
Fleet of Stars
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 4 of Harvest of Stars
Genesis
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Winner of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award
Harvest of Stars
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 1 of Harvest of Stars
Harvest the Fire
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 3 of Harvest of Stars
Hrolf Kraki's Saga
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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The virtual persona of a long-dead entrepreneur threatens to incite a revolution that could topple Earth's dictatorship in this science fiction… The virtual persona of a long-dead entrepreneur threatens to incite a revolution that could topple Earth's dictatorship in this science fiction classic. In the future, individual freedom is a thing of the past. North America is a police state controlled by the Avantist government, a despotic, techno-religious ruling order that promises an impending transcendence for the oppressed. Space, however, remains free, thanks to Anson Guthrie's powerful Fireball Corporation. Guthrie's corporeal self died many generations ago, but his essence lives on, preserved forever in a computerized state that enables him to inspire his loyal employees and adherents to keep reaching for the farthest stars. But now the totalitarian enemy, led by sadistic secret policeman Enrique Sayre, has gained possession of a Guthrie download, intending to subvert it to the Avantist cause, thereby breaking Fireball's hold on the cosmos. The corporation is doomed unless ace pilot Kyra Davis can smuggle a still-unreconstructed version of Guthrie out of enslaved America and rocket him to the moon and beyond, where Fireball's virtual creator can attempt to stoke the flames of revolution—and change the direction of his world. A truly remarkable work, Harvest of Stars might be the most ingenious and ambitious novel of Poul Anderson's acclaimed and prolific career. Thoughtful and adventurous, rich in imagination and integrity, it offers definitive proof of the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning, Grand Master of Science Fiction's unparalleled mastery in the field of speculative fiction. Harvest of Stars series Harvest of Stars (#1) The Stars Are Also Fire (#2) Harvest the Fire (#3) Fleet of Stars (#4)
Mother of Kings
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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In the far future, a conspiracy emerges against a powerful AI in a novel from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction. Many… In the far future, a conspiracy emerges against a powerful AI in a novel from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction. Many centuries in the future, no great destiny for humankind exists on Earth. The Lunarians, genetically engineered human adaptations bred to survive on the moon, have spread out toward the stars. But not even their colony on distant Proserpina is free from the suffocating influence of the Teramind, the vast network of intelligent machines that preserves order and logic in the universe. In his search for inspiration, poet and pilot Jesse Nichol discovers a new purpose when he reunites with his former lover, the mesmerizing Lunarian Falaire. Coerced into criminal hijacking, Jesse suddenly finds himself part of a bold anti-artificial intelligence conspiracy that could ultimately spell disaster, for nothing escapes the Teramind, especially humanity's desperate pursuit of freedom. And when human and machine are in conflict, the outcome will rock many worlds. The third volume in what ranks among SFWA Grand Master Poul Anderson's greatest creation, Harvest the Fire is a breathtaking continuation of the epic tale. A startling vision of a machine-dominated future, it is a story of courage and insurrection that celebrates the indomitable human spirit and the unconquerable restlessness of a race born to explore new worlds. “Fast, elegant, and visionary. . . . This is Poul Anderson at his best.” —Michael Swanwick, Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Harvest of Stars series Harvest of Stars (#1) The Stars Are Also Fire (#2) Harvest the Fire (#3) Fleet of Stars (#4)
New America
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Winner of the British Fantasy Award: The ancient legend of the Danish Viking king is retold in a tale of vengeance, battles, magic, and monsters. A… Winner of the British Fantasy Award: The ancient legend of the Danish Viking king is retold in a tale of vengeance, battles, magic, and monsters. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author In the court of the Anglo-Saxon king, a visiting storyteller regales the assembled nobles with the enthralling tale of her faraway land's most revered hero: the Viking Hrolf Kraki. Born of an incestuous union into a royal family with a history of violence, jealousy, usurpation, and murder, Hrolf assembled a loyal band of the mightiest champions in the realm and expanded his small kingdom through wisdom, courage, and conquest. Unbeaten on the battlefield, his great deeds and victories became legends throughout the North as he ushered in an era of peace and prosperity. But Hrolf's desire for vengeance was ever the warrior-king's driving force, as he sought the truth about his father's murder. This obsession would threaten Hrolf's life and his rule—and ultimately bring his great kingdom to ruin. Poul Anderson, one of the acknowledged giants of twentieth-century fantasy, employs his unparalleled storytelling talents to bring Denmark's great Viking king to life. A saga that predates the stories of King Arthur and his knights and Shakespeare's Hamlet , while echoing the Oedipus and Beowulf myths, the Norse legend of Hrolf Kraki takes on a new and breathtaking richness in this classic novel the Guardian described as “full of thrills.”
No World of Their Own
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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This epic tale based on Norse sagas by the Science Fiction Grand Master “proves that he is indeed a master!” (Robert Jordan, #1 New York Times… This epic tale based on Norse sagas by the Science Fiction Grand Master “proves that he is indeed a master!” (Robert Jordan, #1 New York Times –bestselling author). In Mother of Kings , Poul Anderson “brings to life the bloodthirsty Norse as they evolve into the looting, plundering Vikings of popular lore” ( Publishers Weekly ). During the tenth century, Gunnhild, the daughter of a Norse warlord, is sent to study sorcery under the auspices of two Finnish wizards. She is able to ensnare as a husband a man she has only seen in visions—the formidable Norse king Eirik Blood-Ax—and bears him nine children. Wielding her magic as a weapon, Gunnhild survives political intrigues and power struggles at Eirik’s side, forging a family dynasty that will cement its place in Scandinavian legend and lore . . . “An unquestionably great work.” — Kirkus Reviews “The genre’s guru blends mythology and history into a powerhouse of a tale that tells readers the story of Gunnhild, a real persona who has received legendary status over the last millennium. The gritty but vivid story line provides a powerful look at the tenth century as rarely seen by literature except perhaps [in] Beowulf and that is a few centuries earlier. The beginning of the end of the Age of the Vikings is fitting posthumous triumph from one of the greats.” —AllReaders.com
Operation Chaos and Operation Luna
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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From a Grand Master of Science Fiction, this sequel to Orbit Unlimited continues the story of colonists pursuing freedom on a world far from Earth… From a Grand Master of Science Fiction, this sequel to Orbit Unlimited continues the story of colonists pursuing freedom on a world far from Earth tyranny. Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author Civilization on Rustum has come a long way since its early days, when a few brave colonists traveled twenty light-years from Earth to found a society, New America, on the principle of personal liberty. Some call themselves Constitutionalists, others Jeffersonians, but whatever the title everyone can agree: Rustum has a problem. With one-and-a-quarter times the gravitational force of Earth and a host of inedible flora, Rustum is most habitable on its highlands, leaving the lowlands sparsely populated and creating a great imbalance on the planet. Dan Coffin, an original settler of Rustum, agrees to join an expedition back to the lowlands, where he is one of the rare individuals who can survive in the dense air without a helmet. New America follows Coffin's endeavors to build a new life with a wife, children, and an effective governing body that can help give the lowlanders not only survive, but thrive.
Orbit Unlimited
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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After millennia of exploring space, astronauts return to an Earth facing intergalactic war in this adventure from the Grand Master of Science Fiction.… After millennia of exploring space, astronauts return to an Earth facing intergalactic war in this adventure from the Grand Master of Science Fiction. Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author Five thousand years have passed since the interstellar spacecraft Explorer left Earth, and now Edward Langley and his two crewmates are returning home. The faster-than-light mission that took only a year for Langley, Matsumoto, and Blaustein has cost them the only world they ever knew. This future Earth is unrecognizable, its global society ruled by a benevolent, all-powerful computer and divided into a strict class structure of masters and slaves. Though war has been eradicated for generations, tensions between the powers on Earth and colonists on Centaurus over mineral mining are rapidly reaching a violent breaking point. The homecoming of three astronauts from the distant past should have no bearing on the present political situation. But the crewmembers did not come back alone—and the alien visitor who accompanied them holds the key to victory or total defeat. One of the most acclaimed of the Golden Age science fiction masters, Poul Anderson has written a provocative and enthralling tale of the future that incorporates his trademark blend of hard science, sociology, and humanism. At once thrilling and thought provoking, No World of Their Own is classic speculative fiction at its page-turning best, as only the incomparable Anderson could imagine it.
Orion Shall Rise
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Werewolf Steve Matuchek and witch Ginny Graylock defend America in this fantasy duology from the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author. A… Werewolf Steve Matuchek and witch Ginny Graylock defend America in this fantasy duology from the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Operation Chaos : In a world where magic is real, werewolf Steve Matuchek and powerful witch Virginia Graylock are paired together in the war to stop the invading Caliphate forces from taking over America. Their mission: stop the enemy from unleashing their superweapon—a genie in a bottle. And that is only the beginning of an adventure that will take them quite literally to Hell and back . . . ”One of the truly fine fantasies of the 1970s, a fantasy whose magic was so splendidly engineered that you felt it was as logical—and as likely—as our real technology.” —Harry Turtledove, New York Times –bestselling author Operation Luna : Now married with three rambunctious children, Steve and Ginny once again find themselves fighting for their country as they try to stop a plot to sabotage America's first manned mission to the moon (in an alternate history timeline, that is). But they will need help from a loyal cadre of magical allies if they hope to avert a catastrophe . . . “An enjoyable tale by a veteran writer who knows exactly what he's doing.” — Publishers Weekly
Starfarers
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Seeking freedom from their oppressive Earth government, a ragtag group of idealists embark on a perilous journey to find a new world light-years from… Seeking freedom from their oppressive Earth government, a ragtag group of idealists embark on a perilous journey to find a new world light-years from home. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author On a future Earth, gone are the halcyon days of the early space program, when the universe held endless promise and excitement. Overcrowded, ruled by a corrupt autocracy, and plagued by vast economic inequalities, life on Earth has become nightmarish, and the promise of a world beyond the planet is diminishing rapidly as the government begins shuttering its interstellar efforts. But for a small band of rebels called Constitutionalists, escaping into the vast universe beyond is the only hope. And so off they set for a distant planet where they can start over, building a new society on the principle of liberty, testing the very limits of human capability. Their years-long trip is not without its tribulations, from internecine conflict on the ship to ambiguous pleas from Earth to return. Their destination, an Earth-like planet called Rustum, is twenty light-years away, and through every treacherous moment of the journey they know that their most harrowing trials are yet to come when they finally reach their new home. The story of Rustum and the Constitutionalists who settled there continues in New America .
Tales of the Flying Mountains
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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On a post-nuclear Earth, visionaries who dream of reaching for the stars attempt to revive the forbidden technology that destroyed their world. A… On a post-nuclear Earth, visionaries who dream of reaching for the stars attempt to revive the forbidden technology that destroyed their world. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Centuries ago, humankind was nearly destroyed in a nuclear apocalypse. Many generations have passed since that terrible time, and the remnants of civilization have re-formed into separate, vastly different societies. The dominant culture of a widely diminished Earth, the ecologically sensitive Maurai hold fast to their belief that “non-green” science is an unacceptable evil. But the reborn dream of space flight harbored by a forward-thinking few could herald the revival of the nuclear technology that once ravaged the planet and its people—and the powerful Maurai Federation will take every step necessary, no matter how drastic, to prevent doomsday from dawning again. An enthralling work of speculative fiction from a winner of the Nebula and Hugo Awards, Orion Shall Rise is a feat of world-building and a sobering view of tomorrow by one of the twentieth century's most revered science fiction masters. Poul Anderson's monumental tale combines science, anthropology, philosophy, and global politics with breathtaking action and adventure, offering an ingeniously unique and provocative vision of humankind's all-too-possible destiny. This ebook includes the bonus story “The Sky People.” Praise for Poul Anderson “One of science fiction's most influential and prolific writers.” — The Daily Telegraph “Anderson has produced more milestones in contemporary science fiction and fantasy than any one man is entitled to.” —Stephen Donaldson “Anderson, far more than many newer science fiction writers, takes the trouble to envision a genuinely strange, complex future for mankind.” — The Washington Post
Tau Zero
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book one of the King of Ys series: Blending fantasy, history, and adventure, this epic story begins as the Roman Gratillonius claims a mythical… Book one of the King of Ys series: Blending fantasy, history, and adventure, this epic story begins as the Roman Gratillonius claims a mythical kingdom. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, Magnus Maximus sends his prefect Gratillonius to western Gaul and the faraway land of Ys, a place shrouded in legend and ruled by a cruel and tyrannical king. When the sovereign challenges Gratillonius to a duel, the envoy from Rome emerges victorious and claims the throne as the new king of Ys, inheriting a land whose religion, culture, and history are entirely foreign. He also gains the former king's nine wives, the Gallicenae, a powerful group of women to whom he must appear equally devoted despite his growing feelings for one in particular. As he adjusts to his new role as ruler of Ys, Gratillonius must fight to keep his strange new country on its feet while the rest of the Roman Empire begins to crumble around him. Poul and Karen Anderson's The King of Ys series Roma Mater (#1) Gallicenae (#2) Dahut (#3) The Dog and the Wolf (#4)
The Avatar
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Space explorers embark on a mission to make contact with alien races light years away, while the Earth they leave behind ages twelve hundred… Space explorers embark on a mission to make contact with alien races light years away, while the Earth they leave behind ages twelve hundred centuries. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author It's the most exciting discovery since humankind first began watching the skies: SETI scientists detect starship “trails” in a galaxy many light years from Earth, and at long last the dream of human-to-alien contact is attainable. But the courageous crew of starfarers assembled to take on the monumental endeavor must sacrifice the only lives they've ever known and the people they love; the Earth will have aged many thousands of years when—and if—they are finally able to return. Still, their hunger for knowledge of the universe and the extraterrestrial races that inhabit it is too great to deny, and the Envoy rockets off into the vast unknown. It's a perilous mission that will profoundly change everyone it touches—even as the passing millennia transform the Earth in ways no one could ever have imagined. Of all the science fiction extrapolators to emerge in the twentieth century, none were more visionary and few as prolific as the great Poul Anderson. Starfarers , his ingeniously imagined space exploration adventure, still stands tall among the most intelligent, enthralling, and unforgettable science fiction novels ever written. This ebook includes the bonus stories “Ghetto” and “The Horn of Time the Hunter.”
The Corridors of Time
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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This science-fiction story collection explores a volatile future when Earth's colonies throughout the galaxy attempt to break free from home-world… This science-fiction story collection explores a volatile future when Earth's colonies throughout the galaxy attempt to break free from home-world rule. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author On a spaceship rocketing toward the stars, an official council meets to discuss how to censor history for the benefit of a new generation in space—which stories to preserve and which ones to discard forever . . . Golden-age hard science fiction luminary Poul Anderson approached the future with a mixture of excitement, hope, and skepticism. Tales of the Flying Mountains offers stories from a new war of independence and beyond—portending a time when a North American government on Earth will take up arms against its own rebellious children colonizing the cosmos, then exploring the shape of the universe in the war's aftermath. Firmly based in hard science and human nature, here are seven excursions into a distant tomorrow, from the tense saber rattling preceding the hostilities to the establishment and growth of the independent Asteroid Republic. Whether he's spinning an imaginative yarn about the courageous crew of an unarmed state-of-the-art commercial space station using every resource at hand to battle a military incursion from the home world or chronicling a space colony's desperate gamble to thwart a government takeover by moving an entire asteroid, Anderson builds truly breathtaking worlds and imagines astonishing yet eminently credible future scenarios while infusing his unforgettable tales with intelligence, compassion, surprise, and humanism.
The Dancer from Atlantis
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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This Hugo Award finalist, “justifiably regarded as a classic,” is the tale of an epic space voyage where time dilation goes horribly wrong ( SFReviews… This Hugo Award finalist, “justifiably regarded as a classic,” is the tale of an epic space voyage where time dilation goes horribly wrong ( SFReviews ). A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author Aboard the spacecraft Leonora Christine , fifty crewmembers, half men and half women, have embarked on a journey of discovery like no other to a planet thirty light-years away. Since their ship is not capable of traveling faster than light, the crew will be subject to the effects of time dilation and relativity. They will age five years on board the ship before reaching their destination, but thirty-three years will pass on Earth. Experienced scientists and researchers, they have come to terms with the time conditions of their space travel. Until . . . the Leonora Christine passes through an uncharted nebula, which damages the engine, making it impossible to decelerate the ship on the second half of their trip. To survive, the crewmembers have no choice but to bypass their destination and continue to accelerate toward the speed of light. But how will they keep hope alive and maintain order as they hurtle deeper into space with time passing more and more rapidly, and their ultimate fate unknown? With its combination of mind-blowing hard science and compelling human drama, Tau Zero is “the ultimate hard science novel” (Mike Resnick).
The Enemy Stars
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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A monumental epic tale of space exploration and alien contact from the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction. In the… A monumental epic tale of space exploration and alien contact from the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction. In the future, humankind has taken only limited advantage of a miraculous gift left for it in the far-distant past. A beneficent and inscrutable alien race called the Others has provided “gates” that enable passage to all corners of the galaxy. But after the colonization of a single star system, a repressive government on Earth has forbidden all further explorations, seizing the returning starship Emissary and taking its crew captive along with an alien passenger the vessel encountered on its voyage. A wealthy entrepreneur and off-world rebel incensed by the prevailing antiexpansionist politics, Daniel Brodersen decides to take matters into his own hands. Commandeering one of his company's spaceships, he travels to Earth to pull off a daring rescue of the prisoners and the extraterrestrial Betan visitor, then rockets off with them to points unknown. But before long, a lack of proper preparation has left Brodersen, his crew, and his lover, the remarkable Caitlín Mulryan, irretrievably lost in the vastness of uncharted space—and their only hope of finding their way back home again will be in doing the seemingly impossible: making contact with humanity's elusive ancient benefactors, the Others.
The Makeshift Rocket
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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New York Times Notable Book and Hugo and Nebula Award Finalist: An epic chronicle of ten immortals over the course of history from an SFWA Grand… New York Times Notable Book and Hugo and Nebula Award Finalist: An epic chronicle of ten immortals over the course of history from an SFWA Grand Master. The immortals are ten individuals born in antiquity from various cultures. Immune to disease, able to heal themselves from injuries, they will never die of old age—although they can fall victim to catastrophic wounds. They have walked among mortals for millennia, traveling across the world, trying to understand their special gifts while searching for one another in the hope of finding some meaning in a life that may go on forever. Following their individual stories over the course of human history and beyond into a richly imagined future, “one of science fiction's most revered writers” ( USA Today ) weaves a broad tapestry that “succeeds admirably” ( The New York Times ). “A searing ride through our human past and future.” —David Brin, New York Times –bestselling author “The book we've all been waiting for.” —Joe Haldeman, Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author
The Merman's Children
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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This acclaimed fantasy classic of men, elves, and gods is at once breathtakingly exciting and heartbreakingly tragic. “One of the most influential… This acclaimed fantasy classic of men, elves, and gods is at once breathtakingly exciting and heartbreakingly tragic. “One of the most influential fantasies I have ever read.” —World Fantasy Award–winning author Michael Moorcock Published the same year as The Fellowship of the Ring , Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword draws on similar Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon sources. In his greed for land and power, Orm the Strong slays the family of a Saxon witch—and for his sins, the Northman must pay with his newborn son. Stolen by elves and replaced by a changeling, Skafloc is raised to manhood unaware of his true heritage and treasured for his ability to handle the iron that the elven dare not touch. Meanwhile, the being who supplanted him as Orm's son grows up angry and embittered by the humanity he has been denied. A pawn in a witch's vengeance, the creature Valgard will never know love, and consumed by rage, he will commit a murderous act of unspeakable vileness. It is their destiny to finally meet on the field of battle—the man-elf and his dark twin, the monster—when the long-simmering war between elves and trolls finally erupts with a devastating fury. And only the mighty sword Tyrfing, broken by Thor and presented to Skafloc in infancy, can turn the tide in a terrible clashing of faerie folk that will ultimately determine the fate of the old gods. Along with such notables as Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction Poul Anderson is considered one of the masters of speculative fiction. This edition contains the author's original text.
The Road of the Sea Horse
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 2 of The Last Viking Trilogy
The Sign of the Raven
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 3 of The Last Viking Trilogy
The Stars Are Also Fire
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 2 of Harvest of Stars
The Unicorn Trade
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Four explorers from different backgrounds are marooned in space—and must unite to escape their floating prison—in this science fiction adventure. A… Four explorers from different backgrounds are marooned in space—and must unite to escape their floating prison—in this science fiction adventure. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author In the twenty-third century, when humankind has spread itself throughout the cosmos, with many intergalactic colonies teetering on the brink of open revolt against the hated ruling Protectorate, a team of four is transported by a miraculous technology onto the deep-space vessel Southern Cross . Hailing from vastly different backgrounds, philosophies, and worlds, Ryerson, Nakamura, Sverdlov, and Maclaren have been entrusted to explore a long-dead star located light-years beyond where humanity has previously traveled. But venturing too close to the target proves disastrous when the black sun's magnetic field permanently obliterates their only means of returning home. Suddenly, four strangers, two hailing from a privileged Earth and two from oppressed galactic colonies, must put aside their differences and work together to somehow find a way out of an impossible situation before time runs out, or die together at the farthest edge of a cold and merciless universe. A remarkably thoughtful and profoundly moving novel of survival in the darkest reaches of outer space, The Enemy Stars is a work of great power and insight by multiple award winner Poul Anderson, one of the legendary greats of golden-age science fiction.
There Will Be Time
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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A novel of the fierce Norse warrior who would become the lusty and powerful Viking king Harald Hardrede from a Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author.… A novel of the fierce Norse warrior who would become the lusty and powerful Viking king Harald Hardrede from a Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author. At seventeen, Harald Sigurdharson—one day to be called Hardrede—tastes the bitter nectar of blood and battle for the first time, and from that day forward he will forever crave the intoxicating brew of war. Though he knows it is his destiny to conquer and to rule, he is still young and the throne he covets is beyond his grasp. In the meantime, the wide world beckons. Setting out from Norway after a great series of mercenary adventures in Sweden and Russia, the now towering seven-foot-tall Harald arrives at Constantinople on the Golden Horn. In the heart of an empire choking on its own intrigues and excesses, as a member of the Varangian Guard—the foreign warriors entrusted with the safety of the Byzantine emperor—and a tireless suitor to an enticing beauty from a powerful clan, Harald carves out his legend in flesh, bone, and blood. But his true path stretches to the other side of the world, for he must ultimately return to Norway, his homeland, to claim his royal birthright. Grand Master of Science Fiction Poul Anderson begins an epic trilogy of historical fiction with this novel, bringing to life the eleventh-century conqueror who was known as the last Viking. The Last Viking Trilogy The Golden Horn (#1) The Road of the Sea Horse (#2) The Sign of the Raven (#3)
Three Hearts and Three Lions
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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A spaceship engineer held captive by would-be revolutionaries plots a daring escape in a rocket powered by beer in this hilarious science fiction… A spaceship engineer held captive by would-be revolutionaries plots a daring escape in a rocket powered by beer in this hilarious science fiction romp. “A comic masterpiece.” — Wall Street Journal The last thing the crew of the Mercury Girl expected to find on the terraformed worldlet known as Grendel was a band of Irish revolutionaries. As far as the ship's engineer, Knud Axel Syrup, is concerned, being taken prisoner by the more-than-slightly-nutty Shamrock League Irredentist Expeditionary Force could be a lot worse. At least there's plenty of cold brew available to keep him occupied . . . and more than a little tipsy. But these crazed Fenians are spoiling for a fight, and the last thing Syrup needs is to get caught in the middle of a war between the Shamrocks and their sworn rivals, the Anglians. Luckily Syrup has a plan. With the help of a somewhat-ditzy dancer named Emily and an alien in six-legged lederhosen, he intends to pull off a daring escape from the mini-planet in a spaceship constructed of pretzel boxes, old bicycle parts, and anything else he finds lying around, trusting their liftoff to the considerable propulsive power of beer. Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction Poul Anderson displays another side of his creative genius with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. Hilarious, outrageous, and delightfully imaginative, The Makeshift Rocket is a wonderfully wild and wacky romp through a very different cosmos with one of the genre's best pilots at the controls.
Two Novels of Far-Future Apocalypse
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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In this historical fantasy from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction, the last of the merfolk scour Earth for a new home.… In this historical fantasy from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grand Master of Science Fiction, the last of the merfolk scour Earth for a new home. The underwater city of Liri has thrived off the coast of Denmark for generations. But now, as Europe's medieval age comes to a close, the efforts of zealous priests and the destructive ringing of church bells are causing the city to crumble. An ageless people who thrived apart from the cruelty of human existence on land, the merfolk are poetic speakers, loving and loyal, nearly impervious to death but with one great deficiency: They lack souls. Their numbers dwindling, the merpeople scatter. Some abandon their home for the coast of Dalmatia in the Adriatic Sea, while others—the half-human, half-seaborn children of the great merfolk king Vanimen—decide to scout alien territory on land for adventure, treasure, and clues to their lost human heritage.
Vault of the Ages
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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The giant Norse warrior-king Harald Hardrede strives to forge a mighty empire by conquering the North in the second volume of the epic Last Viking… The giant Norse warrior-king Harald Hardrede strives to forge a mighty empire by conquering the North in the second volume of the epic Last Viking Trilogy. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author He is a savior to the hordes of loyal Norsemen who would gladly give their lives battling at his side and a dreaded scourge to anyone who resists his dreams of empire. Now, Harald Hardrede—who, legend has it, has never been defeated in battle or sport—has returned to Norway, the land of his birth, after years of serving foreign rulers in faraway realms. The lessons of Constantinople are not lost on the giant Viking warrior, as he sets out to unite the northlands under his sole rule and create an empire to rival the great powers of Europe. Harald's task will not come easily and will demand great sacrifice, for the resisting Danes love their current king, and the proud people of the Throndheimsfjord would rather die than relinquish their cherished independence. But the fabled “Lightning of the North” will not be deterred, for he is determined to carve his place in history—or die in the process. Multiple-award-winning author Poul Anderson's thrilling three-volume series, the Last Viking Trilogy draws from Norse legend and lore to prove he is as adept at epic historical fiction as he is at science fiction and fantasy. Norway's most glorious hero comes alive in The Road of the Sea Horse , a magnificent tale of war, adventure, bloodlust, and loyalty. The Last Viking Trilogy The Golden Horn (#1) The Road of the Sea Horse (#2) The Sign of the Raven (#3)
War of the Gods
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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The saga of Norway's greatest hero concludes as the legendary Viking conqueror-king Harald Hardrede pursues his dreams of empire to the shores of… The saga of Norway's greatest hero concludes as the legendary Viking conqueror-king Harald Hardrede pursues his dreams of empire to the shores of England. A Grand Master of Science Fiction Hugo and Nebula Award–Winning Author Young Norseman Harald Hardrede eagerly followed the hand of destiny around the world, learning much of the methods of conquerors and kings. Throughout history there have been great and lauded champions who achieved far less than the towering Viking who now rightly rules Norway. But the crown sits heavily upon Harald's head, for the throne he occupies rests on shaky ground: Treachery is brewing in the lands of a one-time ally in the North and the conquest of Denmark remains an elusive dream. The enduring sadness of his beloved wife pains him, and the sons he sired with his tempestuous mistress remain to him perplexing mysteries. As the middle years take their toll on the greatest of all Norse champions and a magnificent era approaches its end, destiny once again summons the “Lightning of the North.” Ahead lies the king's final adventure, one last opportunity to man the dragon-prowed ships and sail across an ocean for the prize he has coveted above all others: the fortified island called Britannia.Employing his exceptional storytelling skills to create a masterwork of historical fiction, Poul Anderson brings the eleventh-century to breathtaking life, blending action and color, poignancy and power in his chronicle of the glorious and tragic final years of Norway's most illustrious hero. The Last Viking Trilogy The Golden Horn (#1) The Road of the Sea Horse (#2) The Sign of the Raven (#3)
Dahut
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 3 of The King of Ys
Gallicenae
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 2 of The King of Ys
Roma Mater
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 1 of The King of Ys
The Dog and the Wolf
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 4 of The King of Ys
The Golden Horn
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 1 of The Last Viking Trilogy
The Star Fox
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Nebula Award Finalist
The Boat of a Million Years
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Nebula Award Finalist
The Broken Sword
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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“Readers bored with Tolkien-clone fantasies will be enthralled by the intricately detailed world and characters Anderson brings to life here .” —… “Readers bored with Tolkien-clone fantasies will be enthralled by the intricately detailed world and characters Anderson brings to life here .” — Publishers Weekly , starred review The Grand Master of Science Fiction delivers “a Dark Age saga based on Old Scandinavian mythology and the exploits of the legendary Danish King Hadding . . . A brilliantly accomplished yarn” ( Kirkus Reviews ). In a scheme arranged by the god Odin, Hadding is born to King Gram Skjoldung of Denmark but is sent to be raised by giants for his own safety. After his father is murdered, Hadding must claim his destiny. Prey to the follies of humans and gods, he rises to the challenges of war, fate, and love in a mythic adventure “episodic in character, gory in detail, fatalistic in atmosphere, and spiked with sinister, chthonic Norse magic” ( Interzone ). “ War of the Gods struck me like a hammer-bolt out of the sky.” — Black Gate Praise for Poul Anderson “Anderson has produced more milestones in contemporary science fiction and fantasy than any one man is entitled to.” —Stephen Donaldson “One of science fiction’s most revered writers.” — USA Today “The great canvas of interstellar space comes alive under Anderson’s hand as it does under no other.” —Gordon R. Dickson “One of science fiction’s most influential and prolific writers.” — The Daily Telegraph
World Without Stars
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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A far-future tale of marooned space travelers, a near-immortal hero, and a universe-spanning love from a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning… A far-future tale of marooned space travelers, a near-immortal hero, and a universe-spanning love from a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author. In a far-future era, death is virtually no more, banished except in the case of severe, violent trauma, enabling mankind to spend what were once entire lifetimes exploring the farthest reaches of the vast universe. When the interstellar vessel Meteor is dispatched to investigate a distant orb circling a giant red sun, an error in calculations sends the ship crashing into a different world altogether, casting its surviving crew into the heart of a savage, planetwide war of primitive alien tribes. With no means of escape and hostiles on every side, the situation appears hopeless for Captain Felip Argens. But for the mission's true leader—crewman, adventurer, and ship's bard Hugh Valland—impossible is not an option. If necessary, he will alter destiny to end the terrible conflict and bring his men safely back home, even if it takes decades, or centuries, or longer—for a remarkable love patiently awaits Valland's return to Earth. It is she who sustains him, who inspires his actions, his courage, his song, with a love that is a miracle, a memory, a tragedy, and a dream. One of the most thoughtful and lyrical works by the incomparable Grand Master of Science Fiction, Poul Anderson—winner of seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards over the course of his acclaimed career— World Without Stars is a thrilling deep-space adventure and a magnificent feat of world building by a luminary of science fiction's golden age.
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Dahut
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 3 of The King of Ys
Gallicenae
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
Book 2 of The King of Ys
Roma Mater
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
Book 1 of The King of Ys
The Dog and the Wolf
Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 4 of The King of Ys
The Golden Horn
Poul Anderson, Open Road
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Book 1 of The Last Viking Trilogy
The Star Fox
Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
Nebula Award Finalist
The Boat of a Million Years
Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
Nebula Award Finalist
The Broken Sword
Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
“Readers bored with Tolkien-clone fantasies will be enthralled by the intricately detailed world and characters Anderson brings to life here .” —… “Readers bored with Tolkien-clone fantasies will be enthralled by the intricately detailed world and characters Anderson brings to life here .” — Publishers Weekly , starred review The Grand Master of Science Fiction delivers “a Dark Age saga based on Old Scandinavian mythology and the exploits of the legendary Danish King Hadding . . . A brilliantly accomplished yarn” ( Kirkus Reviews ). In a scheme arranged by the god Odin, Hadding is born to King Gram Skjoldung of Denmark but is sent to be raised by giants for his own safety. After his father is murdered, Hadding must claim his destiny. Prey to the follies of humans and gods, he rises to the challenges of war, fate, and love in a mythic adventure “episodic in character, gory in detail, fatalistic in atmosphere, and spiked with sinister, chthonic Norse magic” ( Interzone ). “ War of the Gods struck me like a hammer-bolt out of the sky.” — Black Gate Praise for Poul Anderson “Anderson has produced more milestones in contemporary science fiction and fantasy than any one man is entitled to.” —Stephen Donaldson “One of science fiction’s most revered writers.” — USA Today “The great canvas of interstellar space comes alive under Anderson’s hand as it does under no other.” —Gordon R. Dickson “One of science fiction’s most influential and prolific writers.” — The Daily Telegraph
World Without Stars
Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
A far-future tale of marooned space travelers, a near-immortal hero, and a universe-spanning love from a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning… A far-future tale of marooned space travelers, a near-immortal hero, and a universe-spanning love from a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author. In a far-future era, death is virtually no more, banished except in the case of severe, violent trauma, enabling mankind to spend what were once entire lifetimes exploring the farthest reaches of the vast universe. When the interstellar vessel Meteor is dispatched to investigate a distant orb circling a giant red sun, an error in calculations sends the ship crashing into a different world altogether, casting its surviving crew into the heart of a savage, planetwide war of primitive alien tribes. With no means of escape and hostiles on every side, the situation appears hopeless for Captain Felip Argens. But for the mission's true leader—crewman, adventurer, and ship's bard Hugh Valland—impossible is not an option. If necessary, he will alter destiny to end the terrible conflict and bring his men safely back home, even if it takes decades, or centuries, or longer—for a remarkable love patiently awaits Valland's return to Earth. It is she who sustains him, who inspires his actions, his courage, his song, with a love that is a miracle, a memory, a tragedy, and a dream. One of the most thoughtful and lyrical works by the incomparable Grand Master of Science Fiction, Poul Anderson—winner of seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards over the course of his acclaimed career— World Without Stars is a thrilling deep-space adventure and a magnificent feat of world building by a luminary of science fiction's golden age.
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The Boat of a Million Years
Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
Nebula Award Finalist
The Broken Sword
Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
“Readers bored with Tolkien-clone fantasies will be enthralled by the intricately detailed world and characters Anderson brings to life here .” —… “Readers bored with Tolkien-clone fantasies will be enthralled by the intricately detailed world and characters Anderson brings to life here .” — Publishers Weekly , starred review The Grand Master of Science Fiction delivers “a Dark Age saga based on Old Scandinavian mythology and the exploits of the legendary Danish King Hadding . . . A brilliantly accomplished yarn” ( Kirkus Reviews ). In a scheme arranged by the god Odin, Hadding is born to King Gram Skjoldung of Denmark but is sent to be raised by giants for his own safety. After his father is murdered, Hadding must claim his destiny. Prey to the follies of humans and gods, he rises to the challenges of war, fate, and love in a mythic adventure “episodic in character, gory in detail, fatalistic in atmosphere, and spiked with sinister, chthonic Norse magic” ( Interzone ). “ War of the Gods struck me like a hammer-bolt out of the sky.” — Black Gate Praise for Poul Anderson “Anderson has produced more milestones in contemporary science fiction and fantasy than any one man is entitled to.” —Stephen Donaldson “One of science fiction’s most revered writers.” — USA Today “The great canvas of interstellar space comes alive under Anderson’s hand as it does under no other.” —Gordon R. Dickson “One of science fiction’s most influential and prolific writers.” — The Daily Telegraph
World Without Stars
Poul Anderson, Open Road
download, epub
A far-future tale of marooned space travelers, a near-immortal hero, and a universe-spanning love from a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning… A far-future tale of marooned space travelers, a near-immortal hero, and a universe-spanning love from a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author. In a far-future era, death is virtually no more, banished except in the case of severe, violent trauma, enabling mankind to spend what were once entire lifetimes exploring the farthest reaches of the vast universe. When the interstellar vessel Meteor is dispatched to investigate a distant orb circling a giant red sun, an error in calculations sends the ship crashing into a different world altogether, casting its surviving crew into the heart of a savage, planetwide war of primitive alien tribes. With no means of escape and hostiles on every side, the situation appears hopeless for Captain Felip Argens. But for the mission's true leader—crewman, adventurer, and ship's bard Hugh Valland—impossible is not an option. If necessary, he will alter destiny to end the terrible conflict and bring his men safely back home, even if it takes decades, or centuries, or longer—for a remarkable love patiently awaits Valland's return to Earth. It is she who sustains him, who inspires his actions, his courage, his song, with a love that is a miracle, a memory, a tragedy, and a dream. One of the most thoughtful and lyrical works by the incomparable Grand Master of Science Fiction, Poul Anderson—winner of seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards over the course of his acclaimed career— World Without Stars is a thrilling deep-space adventure and a magnificent feat of world building by a luminary of science fiction's golden age.