Jerry Pournelle's writing is characterized by its deep engagement with military themes, often exploring fictional mercenary forces with a grounded approach to technology. Drawing on his background in aerospace and strategic projections, his narratives offer realistic insights into tactics and probabilities. Pournelle consistently advised aspiring writers to prioritize consistent writing and completing their projects. He also held a leadership role as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Recognized as a Prometheus Award Hall of Fame finalist, this novel is celebrated as one of the top 100 science fiction works from 1949 to 1984, according to critic David Pringle. Its significance in the genre is underscored by its innovative ideas and enduring themes, making it a must-read for science fiction enthusiasts.
Set in 1977, the narrative explores the early dreams and ambitions of future tech moguls Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos against the backdrop of a pivotal time in space exploration. With the space shuttle's launch on the horizon and the Apollo program in the past, a quirky aerospace engineer and professor poses critical questions about humanity's return to space and its purpose beyond Earth. The book delves into the vision and challenges of space travel during a transformative era in aerospace history.
"NO REST FOR THE WEARY! Rick Galloway's still not sure what inspired him to volunteer to fight Cubans in Angola, and he certainly never expected to end his African adventure shanghaied by a flying saucer when his CIA superiors cut him and his men adrift as the Cubans overran their final position. He didn't expect to end up on the planet Tran, God only knew how many light-years from Earth, raising drugs for an alien cartel under the auspices-more or less-of a galactic civilization administered and run by a slave class of humans for their alien masters, either. But he did. And since then, he's survived mutinies, civil wars, battles against Byzantine "Romans," medieval knights, and Mongol raiders on a world where catastrophic "climate change" races unchecked through a 600-year cycle. Along the way he's found love, lost it, found it again, and become a great noble . . . all the while knowing his alien "employers" will probably nuke his people back into the Stone Age when they're done. He's managed his impossible balancing act for 13 years. He's lost people he cared about, been forced to do things he's hated, and tried along the way to make life better for the people trapped on Tran with him, and he's tired. So tired. But now, everything has changed . . . again. New Starmen have arrived on Tran, with dangerous gifts and star weapons of their own. Everything Rick Galloway thought he knew about his mission on Tran is about to be turned on its head. And everyone expects him to fix it"-- Provided by publisher
"An unexpected sequel from the universe of The mote in God's eye and The gripping hand by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle"--Cover
The people of Tep's Town are desperate. Monstrous invaders have emerged from the desert, and people are being slaughtered. Danger on the roads means no trade. No trade means that Tep's Town itself will die. The fire god Yangin-Atep has retreated into myth, leaving the town's residents unprotected for the first time in its history - and they now face an army of fearsome birds with blades for wings, consumed by an inexorable lust for blood. Lord Sandry and his beloved, Burning Tower, must travel far beyond the walls of their home to discover the origin of these terror birds. They enter a world where magic is still strong - and someone or something has been waiting to destroy them ...
Nach dem Tode von Chuut-Riit (vgl. NEANDERTAL Bastei-Lübbe-Band 24 251) verstricken sich die Kzinti in Machtkämpfe. Richtig kompliziert wird die Lage allerdings erst, als die Partisanen in einem Asteroiden ein hochinteressantes Artefakt finden: ein Slaver-Schiff, hundert-tausende von Jahren alt. An Bord: ein lebender Slaver! Und damit sind der Entdeckungen nicht genug. Robert Saxtorph bricht nach dem Markham-Desaster (vgl. KATZENHAUS, Bastei-Lübbe-Band 24 244) zu einer gefährlichen Mission auf. Die Suche gilt einem bedeutenden Wissenschaftler, der von den Kzinti entführt wurde. Dabei stößt er auf ein Raumschiff der Tnuctipun, jener Spezies, die vor langer Zeit die Slaver und in der Folge beinahe alles Leben in der Galaxis vernichteten. An Bord: die mächtigste Waffe des Bekannten Weltraums.
Válku proti lidskému impériu vedl národ z planety Sauron, geneticky vyšlechtěný v dokonalé vojáky. Když boje skončily, byl Sauron naprosto mrtvý, rozbombardovaný z kosmu do té míry, že se jeho kontinenty zhroutily do vroucího jádra. Avšak jedna loď plná Vojáků unikla zničení domovského světa a vypravila se hledat nové útočiště. Od doby, kdy tyto zbytky Sauronců uprchly v tajnosti na Haven uplynulo tři sta let. Jeho původní lidští obyvatelé, zdevastovaní nukleárními zbraněmi jsou bezmocní proti útokům geneticky vyprojektovaných démonů, chodících jako lidé, ale bojujících jako bitevní počítače. Na Havenu však stále hlasitěji zaznívá nová výzva - hlas nelítostné vzpory proti silám zuřivého Kyborga Bitevního mistra. Nastává čas šílenství - a kruté krevní msty! J.Pournelle, J. Tarr a S.Shwartz
"The two hundred colonists on board the Geographic have spent a century in cold sleep to arrive here: Avalon, a lush, verdant planet lightyears from Earth. They hope to establish a permanent colony, and Avalon seems the perfect place. And so they set about planting and building. But their very presence has upset the ecology of Avalon. Soon an implacable predator stalks them, picking them off one by one. In order to defeat this alien enemy, they must reevaluate everything they think they know about Avalon, and uncover the planet's dark secrets"-- Provided by publisher
Negramotní absolventi. Učitelé v roli "fackovacích panáků". Lidé s předem nalinkovanou budoucností. To vše jsou odvrácené stránky do extrému dovedeného práva na ochranu osobnosti a přebujelého sociálního systému. Šestnáctiletý Rick Luban měl ale smůlu. Nemohl tušit, že oběť jeho výtržnictví není obyčejný začínající učitel, ale příbuzný vlivné kongresmanky. Náhle se stal ze dne na den vyděděncem a nezbývá mu nic jiného, nežli boj o holý život. Poslední Rickova naděje leží v pásmu asteroidů, ale šance jsou mizivé...
Locklear befindet sich noch immer auf dem rätselhaften Planeten Zoo. Was erwartet ihn in dem neuen Gehege? Findet er dort Menschen, und wer hat das Sammelsurium unterschiedlicher Lebensräume angelegt? Wunderland ist die einzige Kolonie der Menschen, die von den Kzinti besetzt wurde. Ihr Gouverneur ist Chuut-Riit, eine Schlüsselfigur im ersten Kzin-Krieg. Wenn die Menschen Wunderland zurückerobern wollen, müssen sie Chuut-Riit beseitigen. Keine leichte Aufgabe, denn Chuut-Riit ist eine hochintelligente Raubkatze ...
