Product Description
"Una excepcional investigación sobre las causas institucionales y psicológicas de la guerra, y una sólida y convincente extrapolación socioeconómica." Rusell Letson en LOCUS. En la Tierra, el Primer Mundo ha alcanzado un bienestar inconcebible mediante la nanotecnología, en especial con la llamada "nanofragua", una máquina que consigue todo lo que uno desea siempre que disponga de las materias primas. El Tercer Mundo sólo accede a ella a cambio de seguir una política dócil y amistosa. Así, este enorme desequilibrio económico y de poder es causa de que más de cien países se hallen en guerra. Julián, un joven científico, ha sido apartado de su mundo e introducido en una máquina bélica que actúa según órdenes ajenas y no según la voluntad del joven.Una versión actualizada de La guerra interminable, planteada como una interesante exploración del tema de la guerra unido a las nuevas tecnologías. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Peace May Have a Huge Cost!
Ediciones B has "Nova", a sci-fi collection with many interesting titles & authors in Spanish version.
Since 2004 Ediciones B has launched a pocket book collection "Byblos" with no specific genre defined. Fortunately for us, sci-fi buffs, some volumes pertain to this genre, allowing us to access a very inexpensive and high quality product.

Joe Haldeman (1943) wrote two "Hugo" & "Nebula" awarded novels: "The Forever War" (1975) and the present one "Forever Peace" (1997).
This is not a minor achievement. He produces high quality sci-fi as his "Worlds" trilogy, his also "Hugo" & "Nebula" awarded novella "The Hemingway Hoax" (1990) and a number of excellent short stories.
Both novels show Haldeman's war experience, he saw action at Vietnam where he was seriously wounded. Joe shows his intimate knowledge of suffering and senseless killing and the devastating effects they produce on combat personnel.

The story centers on Julian Class who's a complex character.
His vocation and main interest is physics, researching & teaching. He is Afro-American and maintains a serious relationship with his white mentor & elder colleague Prof. Blaze Harding.
On top of all that he is a military "mechanic" with ten days service and twenty days leave allowing his academic activities. Being a "mechanic" means he control and operate a "soldierboy" a mechanical soldier remotely droved with an almost telepathic connection. Even if "mechanics" suffer no physical injuries, they feel the pain of any damage on their "soldierboy".

The first half of the book describes Julian everyday life and the world backdrop reflecting an endless war between First World vs. Third World nations, with lots of innocent casualties on both sides of the line. In this part of the story there are some very interesting meditations about war, justice, human nature, economic inequality and some other serious topics.
The second half of the novel focuses on two axis: the danger of universe extinction due to a mega-project trying to recreate the Big Bang situation and a conspiracy to attain endless peace for Humankind (at a high price to be sure).

"Forever Peace" is a high quality sci-fi novel deserving the awards obtained.
Do not let it pass by!
Reviewed by Max Yofre. ... Read more

Product Description
Set in America, this novel raises questions on the subjects of mortality and immortality. The author won the Hugo and Nebula Awards for his novel "The Forever War" and another Hugo Award for his short story "Tricentennial". His books also include "Mindbridge" and "Tool of the Trade". ... Read more

Product Description
Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise face a foe of incredible power and intelligence--a nightmare image from humanity's past. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

From Back Cover
THE MENACE OF CHATALIA

Chatalia...a fantastic artificial world, inhabited by furry winged creatures with awesome powers.Here Kirk, Spock and their Enterprise mates, trapped , face terrifying death.And if by some miracle they escape, they will confront the roving killers of the dread Klingon Empire!

WORLD WITHOUT END

Early TOS novel.
Short novel detailing the TOS experience with a strange new world ... Read more

Product Description
This collection contains eleven of the author's finest stories, ranging from faraway planets beyond human comprehension to a nightmare future Earth. By the author of The Forever War. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Far from his best
Haldeman is strongest in his novels and his non-fictional essays, and in the occasional shorter story that really Hits It.The stories in this volume aren't the ones that really Hit It.They're perfectly passable, but not much more than that.

The two novelettes are too long for the ideas they contain (or in some sense too short; "You Can Never Go Back" is more powerful embedded within "The Forever War" than it is on its own here), and the short stories are nothing to write home about.The poetry would probably not have been published if it hadn't had Haldeman's name on it, and his description of how he came to write it is much more interesting and evocative than the verses themselves.(Caveat: I have a very high bar for poetry for some reason; maybe you'll love these, I dunno.)

In general the mini-essays between the stories are the best part of this book, but they're such a small part that they aren't enough to redeem it from the category of the relatively uninteresting.If you read it you probably won't regret it afterwards, but there are better things (many by the same author) to spend your time on.

One of the best SF Short story collections I've ever read
Joe Haldeman is one of those treasures you stumble upon... Wow, I wish he 1/4 as prolific as Asimov because I've already run out of his writings to read. This is a fantastic book.

You will not put it down.
Firstly I will admit my bias, Mr Haldeman is gifted, his best book is beyond my ability to describe accurately enough to do it justice, and his worst book is fantastic. He never fails to entertain and has again with every story in this book. Do yourself a big favour, buy this and all of Mr Haldeman's work, you will not be disappointed.

Ian

First Rate Short Story Collection
Joe Haldeman is an excellent short story writer, as he proves in "Dealing in Futures."The book opens with the chilling novella "Seasons," about an outer space anthropological study gone horribly wrong.Another lengthy item is "You Can Never Go Back," which was originally intended to be the middle portion of Haldeman's best novel "The Forever War," and was actually included in later versions of that book.The best of the shorter stories include "More Than the Sum of His Parts," a graphic outer space horror story, the humorous "A !Tangled Web," an excellent historical story "Manifest Destiny," as well as several poems by the author.This work is nearly as good as Stephen King's short story collections.Any sci-fi fan or lover of a good tale should enjoy it.

Worth Reading Even Though Some Stories Are Minor
Haldeman's second short story collection has not only science fiction butalso horror, poetry, and Haldeman's only sword-and-sorcery tale.

Itstarts off strong with two stories set in Haldeman's Confederacionuniverse, most notably used in his novel ALL MY SINS REMEMBERED.A team ofanthropologists are unpleasantly surprised when their seemingly peacefulalien subjects become murderous.Haldeman constructs a grim, suspensefulstory from the first person narratives of people fleeing for their livesacross an alien world.Much less serious is "A !Tangled Web"about linguistic and cultural confusions during a trade negotiation withaliens.These aliens have an elaborate and hilarious repertoire ofself-deprecating phrases.

Haldeman's prose often has wit and irony ineven his most serious novels but that aspect of his work really livens up"Seven and the Stars" despite its worn plot of a science fictionwriter meeting a real alien.

Horror of the traditional and supernaturalsort is featured in "Manifest Destiny", an interesting talemostly set in Mexico during the Mexican-American War, and "Lindsay andthe Red City Cross".The latter is set in the unpleasant, sinisterbazaar of Djemaa El Fna in Marrakesh.The story was inspired by anunpleasant trip Haldeman took to Morocco though his luck there wasobviously better than his protagonist.

Though inspired by Poe and, in aroundabout way Daniel Keyes' classic "Flowers for Algernon, "MoreThan the Sum of His Parts" is high-tech, rather than traditional,horror.The narrator's body is mostly replaced with cybernetic substituteswhich help him realize his egomaniac and increasingly lethal fantasies. Haldeman's alternate title, "Tom Swift and His Electric Penis"should give you some idea where this story goes.It's one of the highpoints of the collection.

Pastiches of other genres show up twice. "Blood Sisters" is a Mickey Spillane type story with the Mafiaand clones and, of course, lots of sex and gunplay."BloodBrothers" is Haldeman's sole entry into the sword-and-sorcery field. Written for Robert Asprin's Thieve's World universe, it's a minor storyabout a villainous tavern owner.

For Haldeman fans, the most interestingstory will probably be "You Can Never Go Back".It's Haldeman'sfirst draft of the story that eventually became the Sergeant Mandellasection of his most celebrated work, THE FOREVER WAR.It's not only longerthan the novel version but features a violent, more depressing America anddifferent family details for Mandella and Potter.Haldeman likes thisversion better though he admits that it would have slowed the novel downtoo much.

Unfortunately, the last two stories in the collection areminor."No Future in It" is a gimmicky alternate history/timetravel story which leaves out the meat of an alternate history story:whythings changed."The Pilot" is about a cyborg starship that getsreally annoyed with tv interviewers.

As with his most recent short storycollection, NONE SO BLIND, Haldeman finishes the book off with some of hisaccomplished verse, here three science fiction story poems.Each entry inthe collection features an introduction and afterword by Haldemanexplaining the origins and inspirations of the stories. ... Read more

Product Description
A chronology of landmarks in Arthurian history, archealogy, literature and art. A map showing major sites in Arthurian legend and history. More than 1,300 entires made by over 130 contributors. 92 photographs and illustrations. More than 90 entries on Arthurian characters. ... Read more

Product Description
LEAP INTO THE FUTURE, AND SHOOT BACK TO THE PAST

H. G. Wells’s seminal short story “The Time Machine,” published in 1895, provided the springboard for modern science fiction’s time travel explosion. Responding to their own fascination with the subject, the greatest visionary writers of the twentieth century penned some of their finest stories. Here are eighteen of the most exciting tales ever told, including

“Time’s Arrow” In Arthur C. Clarke’s classic, two brilliant physicists finally crack the mystery of time travel–with appalling consequences.

“Death Ship” Richard Matheson, author of Somewhere in Time, unveils a chilling scenario concerning three astronauts who stumble upon the conundrum of past and future.

“A Sound of Thunder” Ray Bradbury’s haunting vision of modern man gone dinosaur hunting poses daunting questions about destiny and consequences.

“Yesterday was Monday” If all the world’s a stage, Theodore Sturgeon’s compelling tale follows the odyssey of an ordinary joe who winds up backstage.

“Rainbird” R.A. Lafferty reflects on what might have been in this brainteaser about an inventor so brilliant that he invents himself right out of existence.

“Timetipping” What if everyone time-traveled except you? Jack Dann provides some surprising answers in this literary gem.

. . . as well as stories by Poul Anderson • L. Sprague de Camp • Jack Finney • Joe Haldeman • John Kessel • Nancy Kress • Henry Kuttner • Ursula K. Le Guin • Larry Niven • Charles Sheffield • Robert Silverberg • Connie Willis

By turns frightening, puzzling, and fantastic, these stories engage us in situations that may one day break free of the bonds of fantasy . . . to enter the realm of the future: our future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Really?
It's called The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century and yet it does NOT include Robert Heinlein's "All You Zombies...", or as someone else pointed out, his "By His Bootstraps" - two essential time travel stories.

Sorry. It fails to live up to its title. Other than that gaping hole, it's a better than average collection. By still, not the best.

Classic Tales of Time Travel
I'm not sure I would pick the same 16 stories Harry Turtledove and Martin Greenburg did as my favorites from the twentieth century.But they have selected some very good ones to share with us.They hit the mark on an important feature of story collections, too--the introductions.Each intro in this anthology is a well-crafted balance between a brief author bio, overview of primary works, and a story set-up that whets expectations without spoiling.Nicely done!

The offerings are of two kinds: great stories and classic stories.While a few fall into both camps, the reader does get a sense that most were selected to fit only one category.The great stories speak for themselves, with interesting ideas, unexpected twists and memorable characters.The classic stories are sometimes less complex or polished, but have important places in the historical development of time travel fiction.They are the good-for-us vegetables to be eaten along with the tastier main course items.

My favorite two classics are:

Henry Kuttner's "Time Locker" has the feel of a mid-twentieth century detective story told from a criminal's viewpoint.Its mystery is complicated by an uncalibrated time machine in a nondescript piece of office furniture.

L. Sprague de Camp's "A Gun for Dinosaur" is one version of the now-cliché hunting expedition to the prehistoric past story.It's still an enjoyable trip, with one or two surprises for first-time readers.

My favorite two "great" stories:

Robert Silverberg's "Sailing to Byzantium" introduces us to a man from the 1980s who must cope with society tens of thousands of years in the future.We learn this new world along with him as he slowly discovers who and what is real.And what can be done about it.

Ursula K. Le Guin's "Fisherman of the Inland Sea" follows a man who gives up much in his quest for other worlds--and finds that his regrets both drive him forward and draw him backward.This is good writing, imaginative anthropology, and innovative technical speculation all in one.It's a good introduction to this talented author, in case you've been needing one.

The collection is highly recommended.Fans of good time travel shorts may also enjoy Time Twisters and Time Pieces.

Excellent variety of time travel stories, with few weak spots
When I read a collection of short stories, I generally start not at the beginning, but with the shortest stories first. If those first few "really short" stories whet my appetite, I'll move up to the longer stories.

This collection grabbed me from story #1. Just about every one of them held my attention and my imagination. Granted, some of them read like episodes of "The Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits" (in fact, several were adapted for TV). This only adds to their appeal, in my opinion, especially if you've seen the episodes - you get to see just how much was left out (even from a short story).

Perhaps the weakest (or most incoherent) story was "Timetipping", but it is overloaded with great stories. I think the best thing about this collection is that it spans the range of *ways* of time traveling: machine, magic, aliens, future visitors, and even just leaving it mysterious about what is happening or why. There's even suggestions in the forward for other yet-to-be-written stories. In other words, it's not all "Back to the Future" "butterfly effect" stories, and that makes it fun.

Good Stories but Missing One
This book does have some of the best time travel stories of all time.But the title is a lie. It does not have the best time travel stories of the 20th Century.Robert Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps" would have to be included for it to truthfully claim such a lofty title.

Good, Not Great, and Hardly The Best
Like most short story collections, "The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century" is uneven.There are classic Twilight Zone-like tales such as Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" and Richard Matheson's "Death Ship."There are also a few stories that I found almost unreadable and yet here they have been included in this anthology with the word "best" in the title.

This is not a great collection of stories, but it is a great collection of writers.Maybe by reading this book you'll get acquainted with a writer you haven't come across or maybe you'll enjoy a true classic like "Sailing to Byzantium" for the first time.
... Read more

Product Description
A volume of visions of future wars, fought with weapons out of nightmare, by today's top writers of military science fiction, as well as some writers who are not usually associated with military SF, such as best-selling writer Gregory Benford, and award-winning author Kristine Katherine Rusch. Also present are Michael Z. Williamson, author of the strong selling novels "Freehold" and "The Weapon", award-winning author of "Bolo Strike", William H. Keith, and more. Through the centuries, weapons have changed radically, but the soldier has remained much the same. But in the future, soldiers, too, may undergo radical changes. As editor Joe Haldeman puts it, 'Weapons are an extension of the soldier, and also an extension of the culture or species that produced the soldier. And they are sometimes more dangerous to the soldier than the enemy...' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

a mixed bag is a mixed bag
I'm not a huge Sci-fi reader, but this collection was a fun read.Like any compilation, it's a mixed bag; a wide range of style and subject-matter (other than the unifying theme of war).There were some good, some great, and a few I could do without...worth picking up.

Okay, not great
While the stories were not of the usual military-oriented variety, by and large the whole book was unfulfilling.

Excellent Compilation of Short Stories:Not Typical Military Science Fiction
Joe Haldeman views writing as a craft, so its no surprise that an anthology of short stories edited by Haldeman would be chosen for their quality and originality.Although Haldeman may be best known for his Science Fiction works such as The Forever War, he has also written about his personal experiences in Vietnam ( War Stories ).The short stories in this collection are not "shoot'em up" stories, but thoughtful discussions of the future and philosophies of war.Haldeman and Greenberg have chosen their authors well and developed an excellent collection of short stories.Well worth reading!

Not Free SF Reader
The cover here looks like space soldiers out of a computer game, or something like that.However, this is not, given Haldeman as an editor, a kill-'em-all marines in space sort of thing.Only one story really has military geek technobabble to the max, otherwise it is is all pretty good, and Rusch's story is excellent and chilling.

Future Weapons of War : Craters - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Future Weapons of War : David In the Lion's Den - Geoffrey A. Landis
Future Weapons of War : Rocket Boy - Paul J. McAuley
Future Weapons of War : Jade Angel - Dena Bain Taylor
Future Weapons of War : Broken Bits - Mark L. VanName
Future Weapons of War : The First Cup of Coffee War - James H. Cobb
Future Weapons of War : The Soldier Within - Michael A. Burstein
Future Weapons of War : Spec-Ops - L. E. Modesitt
Future Weapons of War : The Weapon - William H. Keith
Future Weapons of War : The Looking Glass War - Brendan DuBois
Future Weapons of War : The Humans Call it Duty - Michael Z. Williamson
Future Weapons of War : Casualty - Brian Stableford


Mandatory babychipping has horrendously explosive terrorist consequences, reporter finds.

4.5 out of 5


Pork, it's what's for dinner. Cleverly used as a weapon against those for whom it ain't.

3 out of 5


Smartgun revolution overkill.

4 out of 5


Chimese dragon defence.

3.5 out of 5


"Not much call for fruit drinks"

3.5 out of 5


Near earth orbit warpron geekery.

2.5 out of 5


Telepathic rifle rejection subversion strategy.

3.5 out of 5


This war is for the birds, bats, gators, snakes, cockroaches...

3.5 out of 5


Long term social engineering.

4 out of 5


Leopardmanslaughter.

4 out of 5


Biosoldier up the duff drafting.

3.5 out of 5

... Read more