Customer Reviews (1)

An Easy Reading Story About An Amazing Little Universe
This short novel brings a life a most unique world and imaginatively brings together a number of characters from a multitude of different generations as a result of a mysterious physical phenomenon that annually can capture visitors to the planet and makes them prisoners in time.While not terribly dense or detailed, it reads easily and wraps the reader up in a special universe with intriguing interactions between characters, especially between generations.It is a magical, light book that will have you chuckling and sighing with sadness.It is about power, greed, lost romantic relationships, about the joy of acceptance, and the collision between people of different time periods.A fascinating story that has few parallels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Saberhagen's Worst
Plotting and character wise, Octagon was decent.The novel didn't actually end.A final page of text, right in the middle of the action is followed by the back cover.I actually tracked down a second copy of this novel to verify it had no end, and it wasn't a strange printing error with my copy.

I hate novels without a resolution at the end, and Octagon was the first Science Fiction novel to bail on me.Don't let this happen to you.

Read anything else from Saberhagen (his Books of Swords were good), but avoid this.I liked the story, but hated the novel because you never know what happens to everyone in the end.This novel has no sequel I was able to find.

Not the Worst
This is certainly not the worst Science Fiction book.It may not win any awards, but the action is decent, the character development is so-so, and the story is mildly interesting.Octagon was the first Saberhagen book I read, and it made me think that I would like to read something else by him.

so insanely stupid
there's no description, so... it's about a computer and an RPG, and the guy who goes to stop the evil supercomputer. worst scifi book next to Dune (yes, i hate Dune. so kill me.) ... Read more

Product Description
This second novel in the Berserkers science fiction series is a space adventure in which the Berserkers use human history as a deadly weapon. They possess a new mode of attack in the form of a time weapon which destroys key figures of the past whose achievements ensured mankind's survival. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not Free SF Reader
Not too bad, couple of interesting articles.One long novella type tale about a hunt in the Cretaceous for dinosaurs, that goes pretty wrong due to a screwed up husband and wife.Also an article about writing by Poul Anderson.

Destinies v3 2 : Slices - Gregory Benford
Destinies v3 2 : Summertide - Charles Sheffield
Destinies v3 2 : Time Safari - David Drake
Destinies v3 2 : Sacrifice - David Langford
Destinies v3 2 : Where Thy Treasure Is - Fred Saberhagen








Sensational job.

3 out of 5


Runaway girls split permanently.

3.5 out of 5


Dino shooting not for wussbag dilettantes.

4 out of 5


Teleportation headlopping.

3.5 out of 5


Proper mental utilisation.

3 out of 5

... Read more

Product Description
A collection of sixteen gripping tales starring murderous mechanical devices features the work of Roger Zelazny, David Drake, Robert Silverberg, Robert Sheckley, Alfred Bester, Theodore Sturgeon, and others. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Wonderful Anthology Of Robots
In the broad range of this fine book you have a riveting story about a bulldozer who terrorizes a group of construction workers on a small island, an out-of-control kitchen robot who takes "dieting" a bit tooserious, a sentry robot who refuses a starving man reentry into camp untilhis understanding of logic is cleverly subverted and several others, alltogether providing a mixed and enjoyable read. I loved it. ... Read more

Product Description
book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Science fiction as fantasy, but from an engineer's perspective
"Here...we found a frieze, marvellously carved in stone, and some other artwork as well, showing some of the Bullheaded people in the act of bringing light to the poor human people of earth. Most of these in the picture stretched up their carven arms in gratitude. I supposed this must have been carved by the Bullheads themselves."
- Daedalus the inventor, herein

I first read THE WHITE BULL on the strength of an implied comparison on the front cover with PYRAMIDS and AFTER THE FACT (the two books making up Saberhagen's omnibus PILGRIM). Like PYRAMIDS, THE WHITE BULL shows someone from a starfaring civilization operating in a Bronze Age civilization that classifies him as a god.

Pilgrim's goals were self-centered and his means of accomplishing them rather dubious, though he himself often gave the impression of being a charming rogue at worst. The White Bull, on the other hand, is openly working for the betterment of humanity, but is quickly established as having somewhat disturbing means of achieving his goals (with the added benefit to the story of establishing his non-human perspective). Readers can decide for themselves which of Saberhagen's protagonists is the greater threat to those around him.

As Daedalus, the narrator - already a mature man and famed artisan even before encountering this strangest of strangers as a fellow exile at the court of Minos of Crete - says, "[W]henever I see someone approaching to do me a favour - be it man or woman, god or goddess - I generally do myself a favour and flee in the other direction. Through experience I have acquired this habit, and it lies near the root of whatever modest stock of wisdom I possess." As a man who has survived in more than one king's court despite disclaiming any skill at intrigue, Daedalus' distrust of a stranger bearing gifts is well in character.

Saberhagen uses a very free adaptation of various myths - not just the most obvious of those involving Daedalus and Crete, either - as Daedalus recounts his story from memory, long after the fact, allowing for reinterpretation of the myth not only as 'true' history versus what distorted legend (and chroniclers mindful of pleasing royal patrons) later came to say, but a personal perspective from someone more technically minded than most people of his day even before the Bull's teachings came into his life. Saberhagen is quite artful in presenting enough of the White Bull's background and aims to make him somewhat comprehensible while still leaving him both alien and mysterious, and in telling a complete story while making clear that still more stories could be told to illuminate the setting.

Daedalus' narrative slips occasionally into somewhat more scientific jargon than even his esoteric experience and education can justify. The presentation of Cretan culture and that of the surrounding nations isn't as well handled as Renault's THE KING MUST DIE, but on the other hand this is secret history, involving alien contact that has since been buried under millenia of myth and legend.

Worth reading, though it may not wear well for re-reading.

Greeks vs Aliens
In the THE WHITE BULL Fred Saberhagen again shows his prowess at giving a fascinating new spin to an old story. The narrator of this tale is Daedalus, the Greek inventor famous for the creation of human wings - in the legend his son Icarus perished while misusing them.

In Saberhagen's version, Daedalus has recently had a misunderstanding with the King of Athens, so flees to the court of King Minos of Crete. He has been working for the king for a short time when a white bull, subject of an old prophecy, comes out of the sea onto the shores of Heraklios.

This is an unusual bull - he walks on two legs, can speak, and is accompanied by a metallic companion. It is quickly apparent to the reader (but incomprehensible to the narrator) that the bull and his strange companions are visitors from outer space. At the bull's request, Daedalus builds a labyrinth where the bull sets up a school - which is destroyed by the brutish Athenian prince Theseus.

The bull's school is a clever parody of the ridiculous aspects of the university system; the book itself is divided into sections named after the various stages of study at university. An entertaining read even if this subtlety is lost on you, a good yarn about alien invaders in Greek times.

Deadalus and the Real Minotaur
THE WHITE BULL by Fred Saberhagen is an interesting twist on the story of Daedalus and his son Icarus.

A large white bull rises from the sea and enters the kingdom of King Minos.This bull is not quite like normal bulls.It walks upright and speaks like a man.It also comes from amongst the stars.The story sort of becomes a twist on Twain's CONNECTICUT YANKEE.Daedalus is commissioned to fashion a labyrinth, a welcome relief from the requests for terra cotta plumbing, and while helping the bull is given the knowledge he needs to fulfill his dream of flight (yes, wax has something to do with it).The bull sets up a university in an inspired parody of university administration that just has to be read.

All of the classic elements of the tale of the Minotaur are present but with a twist of science fiction.Like the original, this story involves tragedy as Daedalus just tries to be free.Based on a short story that I haven't read, I found this to be one of Saberhagen's better novels.If you can find a copy you should give it a look. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Characters and settings a bit 2D (or classic), but originality with Gods and swords, and cracker chaotic finish
- SPOILERS EVERYWHERE ALERT -

I remembered this series fondly from years ago, but was a bit disappointed at how slap dash some of the characters and settings felt for a lot of the ride. Then again, that's largely what this particular book is about - the very D & Dish ride through classic `Conan' type situations. I suspect Saberhagen would be fine with that - he probably likes Howard more than Tolkien. He's not quite as blithely lazy as Moorcock can be: I was amused by the way that when a contradiction would come up he wouldn't take the time to rewrite the previous chapters to fix or integrate it, but would throw in a post-script justification (such as- Radulescu's hard to swallow about face, or Barbara "...quickly explained how..." in a couple of sentencesshe and an entire army happened to turn up unbelievably providentially). He's savvy enough to on a reread realise where readers will go, "As if...", and concerned enough to come up with a usable (sort of) workaround, but planning and rewrites are not his core interests.

You can see that the he built the book around the central idea of a heist - a group working through several levels of security - and the early chapters are mainly the setup. I thought the way he gave Ben the knowledge of the vault was effective, although once `Wayfinder' turned up entirely unnecessary: why did Doon have any use for Ben and Mark? Why did Wayfinder require them: they did nothing essential to help him achieve his goal, and ended up doing the complete opposite.

But sometimes the chaos works well for Saberhagen. I like the way that, for example, Mitspeiler has poured all his craft and years into what turns out to be his dead end son. It's not just the usual calculating that turns many a character into a virtual machine, and makes goodies and baddies sometimes indistinguishable as each action is merely the logical one of achieving greater power. There's even some delightful philosophising:
'..tried m'best. Tried hard, for a hundred years and more. And there he is. There he stands. So why bother? Never become a father, lad. Never become a parent. It's a great ... a great sorcery, that's what. Turns your whole life inside out.'

And that's the real strength of this book. Instead of some vast unopposable destiny or prophecy ultimately driving events, in this universe some of the most momentous, cataclysmic, eon-shaking actions can come from the most petty or chance combination of factors. And it can work in a fantastically believable way. I loved the chaotic tumbling of the last few pages of the book as huge endeavours are so suddenly reduced to nothing, and then - and Saberhagen really pulls this off - there is a massive change out of nowhere.

It's also refreshing that the series structure, unlike so many fantasy series, is not abused here: it's a feature rather than a flaw. While Jordans, Feists and Eddings' milk something well beyond dry, Saberhagen's universe and the central idea of the swords is robust enough to happily entertain many books. They relate to each other, but each is free to either develop the series' central story or to meander off into entirely different self-contained ones.

Bridging the gap
Usually the second book in a trilogy - the book to "bridge the gap" - tends to be ... shall we say, not quite up to the par of the first and third books.This is not the case in this instance.In "The Second Book of Swords," five years have passed, and while Barbara has been traveling with a carnival, Ben has chosen to sign up with the Blue Temple for service and Mark has wandered off who-knows-where in his quest to find ways to help fight against the Dark King.Early in the book they all reunite and, with Ben's urging, they decide to try to rob the Blue Temple's treasure hoard, which Ben guarantees has at least one Sword.Along the way they run across another treasure hunter - the Baron Doon - with whom they continue their quest, minus Barbara, who goes her own way.

While The First Book of Swords was a fairly simple plot with flat characters and brisk movement, Saberhagen took more care to building his characters in this text, while at the same time maintaining a fairly tough pace.I was personally pleased by this, as I like to know a bit about the characters in the stories I read.Overall I am pleased with the trilogy so far and have made a note to myself to go and seek the rest of the books set in this world (there are certainly a lot of them!).If you are a fan of the sword and sorcery genre of fantasy (with a bit of a twist), definitely spend the time it will take to find these very fun books.

slapdash
This is fifth-rate Tolkein involving magical swords, rapacious Templars, two wizards, the odd dragon, and a few intrepid adventurers.You've read it all before in better novels by more skilled authors.The whole book reads as if it were written at a furious pace in order to satisfy a book contract.If you have time to pass, really need some fantasy, don't mind an infantile plot and plodding dialogue and have no other choices, then pick up this book.If you want a more immersive and inventive fantasy epic, look elsewhere -- perhaps something by Feist, Eddings or Brooks.

a mixture of magic and mythology [no spoilers]
"The Second Book of Swords" is the second novel in "The Book of Swords" trilogy approximately five years following the prior book.It has an interesting storyline involving an assortment of deities supplemented with a variety of creative magical weaponry.

The book splits time between Ben, Mark, and Baron Doon.I find Mark a more engaging personality and am mildly disappointed Ben dominated the storytelling even though he is a decent character.The enigma of Baron Doon helps build suspense throughout but some of my favorite characters, Sir Andrew and Draffut, make only brief appearances.

An amazing ending, confirming if the swords can destroy a god or goddess, leads to what should be an exciting final novel.I do not care for the mixture of Greek and Roman names for the gods and goddesses, I would prefer to stick with one mythological theme.A detailed map of the significant terrains would have been useful.

I would recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

Part of one of my most favorite trilogies
This is the second book in Saberhagen's classic Swords Trilogy....I re-read this trilogy at least once every other year because I can never enough of it.Once you pick the book up, you won't be able to put it down, so plan on having many sleepless nights. ... Read more

Product Description
Saberhagen has brought together some of the best fantasy writers in the field to create their own stories within the universe of his Lost Swords series. This book features works by Walter Jon Williams, Sage Walker, and a new tale by the master himself--Fred Saberhagen's "Blind Man's Blade"--reveals how the Swords were originally thrust into the human realm. HC: Tor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Mediocre
A lot of what needs to be said has been said. Saberhagen had a great concept for the Swords, one that he executed adequately if not brilliantly.

His own story opens the book well, and "Woundhealer" is an excellent tale, concentrating on family dynamics and using its Sword in an appropriate way - as a way of developing the characters.

The other stories are of variable to weak interest. Most are fairly poorly written, surprisingly so, for what should be a first-rank anthology. "Luck of the Draw" and the one about the quest for Farslayer are particularly poor - ok concepts but florid overwriting.

"Stealth and the Lady", "Fealty" both have elements of interest.

"Dragon Debt" - is just weird.

Stick With The Novels
"An Armory of Swords", edited by Fred Saberhagen, is an anthology of novelettes and a novella all based on Saberhagen's Swords series and written by other authors.It was originally published in June of 1995.We learn fairly quickly that it isn't so easy to craft one of these stories, and that Saberhagen's style is an important part of the series.Though not horrible, this anthology of stories doesn't measure up to the rest of the series, and will be of interest mostly for the one story which Saberhagen wrote, and only for those people who love the series.

The first story is "Blind Man's Blade", a novelette which Fred Saberhagen wrote, and which gives the reader an interesting story about the start of the great game of the gods, and the role which mortals would have to play in it.This story is up there in quality with the rest of the series.

The next story is "Woundhealer", a novelette by Walter Jon Williams, and he does a decent job of putting together a story, but it is a bit nondescript.In the story, one of the Great Swords has fallen into the hands of a tyrannical Lord (Lord Landry), who is in the habit of using all those around him, including his family, for his own personal gain.

The next story is "Fealty", a novelette by Gene Bostwick, and this is my favorite non-Saberhagen story in this book.Bostwick creates an interesting story with interesting characters and fits them into Saberhagen's world.In this story, a Templar (Jarmon) has acquired one of the Great Swords, and decides it is much too dangerous in the hands of men.He decides to bury it inside the body of its former owner, but to do so he needs the help of a grave digger (Keaf) who falls prey to his own curiosity.

The next story is "Dragon Debt", a novelette by Robert E. Vardeman.The premise of this story is okay, but as the reader, I never believed that Dragonslayer could be held for such a long time by such a character.In addition, the story didn't really flow very well, but it is not the weakest story in this book.In short, a man (Kennek) claiming to have Dragonslayer, and thus to slay dragons by profession comes to a small town and is going to marry Trav's sister (Juliana).Trav is sure that he is lying, and when luck delivers some dragon eggs to him, he decides to raise some dragons to show everyone that Kennek is a fraud.

The next story is "The Sword of Aren-Nath", a novelette by Thomas Saberhagen, who is Fred's son.As with Williams' effort, the story is somewhat bland, but it is a decent attempt at writing a story for Saberhagen's world.In this story, a boyhood prank by Aron, Klin, and Tall Boy results in Aron's accidentally releasing a horror which seems unstoppable.The Vassal knows what to do though, and is resolved to protect the town from the evil creature.

The next story is "Glad Yule", a novella by Pati Nagle.The story is about three men (Trenton Greyson, Paethor of Mirador, and Echevarian of Verdas) who are sent by King Nigel to acquire Farslayer by using Wayfinder.After some initial trouble with Wayfinder switching directions, a final rewording of what they seek takes them nearly in the opposite direction from where they were going.This brings them into Highmass around the time of Yule.There they meet another traveler, Baron Carcham, who also carries one of the Great Swords.The story is interesting to read, but the ending didn't work for me, and I felt she broke some of the rules of the Swords.

The next story is "Luck of the Draw", a novelette by Michael A. Stackpole.In this story, Count Callisto finds himself in a dire situation, which seems to offer him nothing but death at the hands of the pirate Red Rinaldo.With little to hope for, the sudden appearance of Coinspinner suddenly seems to turn things around.Unfortunately, he still must face Red Rinaldo, and he holds Shieldbreaker.I would consider this to be the weakest story in the book.Stackpole breaks many rules with regards to Coinspinner, so while it is certainly readable, I was frustrated by some parts of the story.

The last story in the book is "Stealth and the Lady", a novelette by Sage Walker.This story was difficult to read for me.I felt she tried to put too much into a novelette length story.There is a lot of background detail about the characters and the political situation, and the story is non-linear, so I found myself flipping back through the story looking for information, which really shouldn't happen for a novelette.The story does finish stronger than it starts, but I can't say that it was worth it.I also felt the story was forced into the Swords' universe, rather than being a part of it.

All and all, this book really is only for Swords series fans, and even then it could easily be skipped.There is nothing here which impacts the rest of the series, other than the very first story, and that only gives the reader more information about the start of the game.

Armed, but not especially dangerous
This is a collection of stories about the Twelve Swords of Power by a variety of authors. To those of you who've read Saberhagen's series, this should be familiar ground. The most interesting aspect of this book is seeing other people's takes on the magical Swords. Close after that is seeing stories about Doomgiver and Townsaver, which recieve scant attention in the original series, both being destroyed in the third book.

Of the eight stories in this book, "Woundhealer" is definitely the most interesting. Oddly, the Sword (and magic in general) receive only marginal attention in this story. Mostly it is concerned with the in-fighting and intrigue of the family of the lord of a small mountain holding. "Stealth and the Lady" also shares this oddity. Sightblinder, the ostensible subject, is scarcely mentioned.

The book is a mixed bag. "Woundhealer", "Blind Man's Blade", and "The Luck of the Draw" are engaging and amusing tales. "Dragon Debt" is little more than annoying, especially the contrived choice of the hero at the end.

If you're already a fan of the series, you should definitely pick this one up, as it fleshes out a few details you've probably been curious about. If you've not read them yet, it would be better to start with some of the others and come back to this one. The Empire of the East, though only slightly connected to the later books, is an excellent book, almost epic in scale. That would be an excllent introduction to the rest. Then come back to this one.

The Swords from different viewpoints
"An Armory of Swords" is a collection of short stories by eight authors, including Fred Saberhagen, set in the world of the Twelve Swords.Saberhagen starts off the collection with a "What If?" story.Basically, the story of the Swords is rewritten and sets the stage for new stories regarding the Swords if the first story had actually happened.

The first five stories are excellent, especially the one by Robert Vardeman that dealt with a man's desire to prove the town "hero" a fraud.The story is an emotional one with an ending that is powerful.It makes the reader wonder whether they should be pleased with the story's resolution or hurt due to characters' actions which are simply innate ones.

While the first five stories are excellent, the last three tend to drag.It seems like the authors were all told they had to create a short story using one or more specific Swords as the anthology encompasses all but one of the Swords.The one Sword does receive a mention in the first story, but does not serve an integral part like the other eleven do throughout the anthology.Had the last three stories been as enthralling as the first five, this would be a five star book.However, due to their letdown, it is a four star book.Overall, it's definitely a worthwhile read to all fans of the Swords books.

Another fine addition
The Books of Swords are a great series, and this is another fine addition.It does a wonderful job exploring the possibilities of such unique items asthe God forged blades. With their staggering abilities, and equallyhindering disadvantages for exploitation. Definately recommended, if thefirst book of swords to read, or as part of the whole amazing series. ... Read more

Product Description
It happened long ago and far away. Perhaps in this galaxy, perhaps in one close by. Two war-maddened races fought-and though both are extinct, their legacy abides: the Frankenstein weapon that destroyed not only the enemy, but the creator. The Berserkers, robotic, asteroid-sized killers programmed to one purpose: to seek out and eradicate all life. The death machines have harried their way across our galaxy. Now they have come for us. But humans are anything but easy prey . . . Three complete novels set in this seemingly endless war against death itself.The Berserker Wars: Despatches, battles, setbacks, and victories in the millennium-long battle between humans and the killing machines, woven into a seeping saga, with heroes, cowards, villains and even a prankster sharing the stage in the desperate struggle for survival.Berserker: Blue Death: The colony on Shubra had been annihilated by the great blue Berserker that men called Leviathan, and Niles Domingo's daughter was on that colony. Obsessed with the need for vengeance at any cost, he set out, tracking Leviathan through the mists of the Milkpail Nebula. But his pursuit would be neither simple nor straightforward, and he had no suspicion of the strange turn his quest was about to take.Berserker Kill: Once again, a Berserker attacks-but instead of destroying all life in its path, this one steals an orbiting biological lab filled with human zygotes, then wipes out all pursuers. The Berserker's plan for using the lab is completely unknown-but the humans and a lonely Artificial Intelligence assigned to the case are certain that it can only be very bad news for the beleaguered human race. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Decent Collection of Early Berserker Tales
BERSERKER DEATH(2005) is a collection of three separate books, comprising 755 hard-cover pages.Up until now, it has been difficult to determine the best starting-off point for getting into the Berserker series of stories.BERSERKER DEATH provides a fairly good solution to this dilemna.Individual reviews of the three contained books follows:

BERSERKER WARS(1981) ** is itself a novella-sized(215 page) collection of eleven Berserker short stories that were first published in the late 60's and 70's.The older 60's stories were somewhat original in theme when published 40 years ago, but when compared to more modern SciFi, they are seen as generally plodding and sometimes pathetic (THE WINGED HELMET(1969)* is horrible), with poor character descriptions/development and hard to read prose - especially bad are the silly space battle "ramming tactics", the stereotypical 1960's "all-knowing" computers, and the poorly done stories with "time travel gimmicks".The late-70's stories are, on average, much better - notable is SOME EVENTS AT THE TEMPLAR RADIANT(1979)****, a quite good 30-page short story, with intrigue, interesting characters, and a good ending.

BERSERKER BLUE DEATH (1985) ** 1/2 is a 200 page (novella-size) story, based on the classic tale of THE WHALE.The main character Captain Niles Domingo, like Captain Ahab, is obsessed with the destruction of the Blue-tinted Berserker ship that was reponsible for the death of his wife and children, and indirectly responsible for the loss of his left leg.Many Berserker stories include nebula-based situations, and this story takes place mostly in the Milkpail Nebula.By the end of this story, we have a faily good idea of the personalities of the main characters, but we don't have a really good idea of what they look like physically.

BERSERKER KILL(1993) *** has a number of good space combat sequences, but bogs down at times with monotonous contemplations about the moral and ethical implications of raising human zygotes into adult humans for the sole purpose of implanting the memories of exiting adult humans... indeed the author must have grown tired of these contemplations, as the book suddenly changes tack halfway thru, and in Part 2 we find ourselves suddenly 300 years further into the future - and at least we get back into a more action-oriented mode.

COVER - The cover is quite good, but is really specific to the BERSERKER KILL story, depicting the two main characters from that story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

On a black throne reigns upright
I really enjoyed this book and its creative blending of the works of Poe. Not ground-breaking in any way, but fans of Poe would definitely enjoy seeing the his persona brought to life in such an interesting manner.

My First Disappointing Experience with Zelazny
This is by far the worst book I have read that was written by Zelazny.The story goes on and on without really getting anywhere and did little to hold my interest.The one redeeming aspect of this book and probably the only reason I finished it was the use of Edgar Allen Poe as one of the characters.Zelazny attempted to portray the true misery of Poe within the telling of this fictional story.The portrayal is good unfortunately the story itself does not live up to my expectations.

Brain candy for Poe and Zelazny fans
An enjoyable fancy playing on an explanation for Poe's behavior and his muses. This is not one of Zelazny's 10 best, but definitely worth a read.

Turgid and dull
This is the only one of Zelazny's books I have not found brilliant.I just could not get going with it, it seems to be an attempt to recall the work of Edgar Allan Poe.The action seems slow and Victorian.I have read good Victorian era stuff but this ain't it. ... Read more

Product Description
Bestselling science fiction author Fred Saberhagen reveals the untold tale behind the birth of the human Resistance and the beginnings of the final conflict. In a time of secrets and mysteries, Jonathan Doors remains one of the biggest enigmas. When the Taelons arrive on Earth and take their place as humanitys Companions, Doors is one of the first to welcome them with open arms. Using his power and influence, he helps introduce the aliens to our world. Then he suddenly fakes his own death and goes underground to lead the Resistance as the Companions greatest enemy. Why? In the days following the Taelons arrival, the story of the secretive multibillionaire is finally told and the truth is exposed. Working at first to ensure peaceful relations between the human race and newly landed aliens, Doors also hopes to find something in the aliens technology that will free his wife from the grip of a terrible disease. But when his father reveals the secrets of his own past, Jonathan Doors will discover the true price of a cure, and the Taelons dark plans for Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Great Series, BAD Book
I have enjoyed catching up with this interesting, though sometimes uneven, series now that SciFi is showing it.Turning to the books in order to flesh out some of the back story, I had high hopes.Unfortunately, after beginning well, this book drowns in repetitious and annoying writing.It's as if Saberhagen said, "Well, I have to write a certain number of pages, so I'll just have the same event occur a few times, modifying it slightly, to fulfill my duty."Of the 300 or so pages, about 50 are worth your time.

Hard to get into
I am a big fan of Earth Final Conflict and I was looking forward to the book but I got a little bored with it.It seems to drag on in sections but its a good book.I recommend it if you are a fan of the series.

For the MONEY?!!
I've probably read over a million pages of Sci-Fi in my 49 years,including just about every word written by Heinlein and Clarke. I haven't read much by Saberhagen, but I'll bet he spends more time and effort on his own material.AS a dyed in the wool E:FC Fan, this is a real stinker that drags all the way through and has none of the appeal and action of the T.V. series. Maybe the teen set love it because it's something from the show, but, in my opinion, the publishers waisted their money,because it seems that is all Mr.Saberhagen was interested in. I'd almost bet that he hadn't even read the E:FC "Bible".

And if you really like the word "and" you'll love this book.
And I thought this book was really disappointing. And instead of being about how the Taelons came to Earth and it's mostly about Doors father in the 1930's. And there's more about Errol Flynn fooling around with David Niven than anything with Taelons. And Lilly Marguette is on the cover and she's not even in the book. And the author started so many sentences with "and". And it was really annoying, considering I don't think you're supposed to start a sentence with "and". And it got so bad, I couldn't help thinking every sentence started with "and".

Earth Final Conflict:The Arrival
I enjoyed "EFC: The Arrival."I expected the story line of the book to be somewhat different than the television series and was proven correct. There are technical errors throughout the book, many detailsthat do not match from the television series.The mistakes will providegood trivia, faqs, topics, and related material questions that will betalked about in internet news groups and chat rooms.I have also read"EFC: The First Protector" by James White, very enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description
            Mike Gabrieli's brother Tom has always had one talent: getting into trouble. But this time, Tom has disappeared after mysteriously gaining possession of a priceless Aztec artifact. Mike sets out to find Tom, never suspecting that he is about to be shuttled back and forth in time, and between alternate universes. The descendants of the Incas have a plan to keep Pizarro and his conquistidors from overthrowing their ancestors’ empire. In spite of Mike’s sympathy for their cause, he faces the possibility that, instead of creating an alternate world with the Incas ascendant, he may be wiping out the world he was born into, and himself along with it.

            In addition to Fred Saberhagen’s novel, The Mask of the Sun, seven top writers have contributed stories set in the same universe. The contributors include New York Times best-selling authors David Weber and Harry Turtledove, as well as Walter Jon Williams, John Maddox Roberts, Jane Lindskold, and more, expanding on Fred Saberhagen’s concept and bringing their own perspectives to this volume of exciting alternate universe adventure. ... Read more

Product Description
Dracula didn't spend all of his time in London stalking Mina Harker. He occupied his days exploring the teeming city-and meeting the likes of actress Ellen Terry, the Prince of Wales, and even a young author named Abraham Stoker...

These brand new stories follow the legendary count through the gaslit streets of historic London-with the biggest names in vampire fiction as your tour guides:Fred Saberhagen * Chelsea Quinn Yarbro * Tanya Huff * Elaine Bergstrom * Roxanne Longstreet Conrad * Nancy Kilpatrick * P.N. Elrod and Nigel Bennett * Brad Sinor* Gary Braunbeck * Jody Lynn Nye * Gene DeWeese * Bill Zaget * Judith Procter * Julie Barrett * K.B. Bogen * Amy L. Gruss * and Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Can stand alone... but better a pair
This book did what no other Vampire tale has done before. Make me want to read the original.So much so, that I downloaded Dracula (another surprise a high rated version for free) to read, before I finished this book, in order to enhance my enjoyment of the references in this anthology.

Great Vampire Short Story Collection
Most short story collections have a few gems, several average, and a lot of below average stories in them. This collection is mostly all gems. The stories really capture the theme of Dracula in London. My favorite is Box Number Fifty by Fred Saberhagen. There is also a rare second-person short story called Berserker by Nancy Kilpatrick. If you enjoy vampire fiction this is a great book for your collection.

Some stories are good
Some stories are really good and i agree with one reviewer's comment about multiple personality problems due to multiple authors.
Stories where Dracula rewards the poor lady for hiding his coffin from dracula hunters is very touching.
Overall a good 1 hour read.
Not much thrilling like original Dracula or even Dracula's Guest... but OK.

A not-too-bad book
Not much to say than if you like this book check out Nigel Bennett's books with P.N. Elrod, Keeper of the King His Father's Sonand Siege Perilous

An enjoyable read
I read this around halloween.I enjoyed having some short stories to read.I thought they were all inventive & interesting.This book is worth a read. ... Read more