Showing results by author "H. Beam Piper" in All Categories

Sci-Fi Shorts is a collection of classic science fiction stories from the golden age of space stories. This group of five unabridged short stories by various authors covers such adventures as crazy scientists stealing souls, time traveling miners, trouble behind enemy lines, gambling for the future of a world, and gateways through space.

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

New Texas: its citizens figure that name about says it all. The Solar League ambassador to the Lone Star Planet has the unenviable task of convincing New Texans that a s'Srauff attack is imminent, and dangerous. Unfortunately it's common knowledge that the s'Srauff are evolved from canine ancestors - and not a Texan alive is about to be scared of a talking dog. But unless he can get them to act, and fast, there won't be a Texan alive, scared or otherwise.

Dr. Martha Dane is the linguist in an archeological expedition of an ancient Martian city. She is dedicated to the monumental task of understanding the meaning of the wall writings, despite the discouragement of the other team members. With nothing solid to refer to, finding a "key" is paramount to the success of her mission. When the team uncovers an ancient university building, they discover more than just a Martian Rosetta stone.

In this volume of the series of short science fiction stories we discover robot lawmen, psionic aliens, evil scientists and alien super weapons. The stories are: 'Arm of the Law' by Harry Harrison, 'Graveyard of Dreams' by H Beam Piper, 'Survival Type' by JF Bone, 'The Black Lamp' by SP Meek, 'The Bluff of the Hawk' by Anthony Gilmore and 'Third Planet' by Murray Leinster.

In this volume of the series of short science fiction stories we discover assassins, the dangers of centralisation, escapes through time, evolving AI’s and the depths of reality. The stories in this collection were written by J. F. Bone, H Beam Piper, Fritz Leiber and Fitz-James O’Brien.

In this volume of the series of short science fiction stories we discover new sapient races, a race to Mars, planets disintegrating, psionic interlopers, hidden ancient worlds, explosive exploits and time travel. The stories are: 'Atom Drive' by Charles Louis Fontenay, 'Hot Planet' by Hal Clement, 'Nobel Redman' by Jesse Franklin Bone, 'Seed of the Arctic Ice' by H. G. Winter, 'Silver Dome' by Harl Vincent, 'The Vortex Blaster' by Edward Elmer Smith and 'Time and Time Again' by H. Beam Piper.

The Edge of the Knife, by H Beam Piper is one of the pivotal not felt was by Piper in his "Terra-Human Future History". Piper wrote this novella in 1957 at the height of the Cold War between the Soviet Union, and the United States of America, and seeing into the future could get you locked up in the sanitarium for dissolution all thinking. The protagonist, Charmers, a modern history professor has just such a problem.

In the far future, The Company has taken up the franchise for planet Uller and are employing the saurian natives. However, some native Ulleran leaders don't like how life is changing and seek to destroy the human company agents. There are desperate times ahead for the humans on Uller, with no one coming to help, they're surrounded and cut off.

Poictesme is known as the junkyard planet. A poor, sparse population ekes out a meager existence by scavenging the remains of abandoned military bases left behind after the last interstellar war. Young Conn Maxwell returns from school on Terra with the news that Merlin, a military super-computer, may be among the spoils, which they think might be their ticket out of poverty. But is Merlin just a myth? And if they find it, will it make them rich, or tear them apart?

A wounded soldier is transported back in time to the days of his childhood. Based on a story by H. Beam Piper, this episode of Dimension X originally aired on July 12, 1951.

In this story a galactic empire of thousands of planets has been at peace for hundreds of years. Production all across the empire is regulated to keep markets and economies stable. With this kind of system in place, why is there suddenly a plot to overthrow the current emperor, and who is behind it?

"Space Viking" is a sci-fi novel set in his Terro Human future history. It tells the story of one man's search for his wife's murderer and its unexpected consequences. Ten thousand refugees from the losing side of The Big War (The System States War of The Cosmic Computer) fled far beyond the boundaries of the Terran Federation and colonized the planet Excalibur.

X Minus One premiered in April 1955 on NBC and ran until January 1958. Like its predecessor series, Dimension X, X Minus One featured stories by the greatest names in modern science fiction: Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Clifford Simak, Robert Bloch, and many more.

In the far future the ruler of the world is losing as the rebels fight their way into his palace. He retreats upwards to the room where his newly developed time machine sits waiting. His plan is to jump back in time to recruit an unstoppable army which he’ll use to take back the entire world. Of course, plans don’t always come off without a hitch.

The planet Fenris has an extremely slow rotation rate, causing days and nights lasting 1000 hours each! This makes its population live underground but for sunrise and sunset. The story unfolds around a conflict between corrupt local politicians and the equivalent of earthly whale hunters. A robust and action-packed sci-fi tale by H. Beam Piper, published in 1961.

"There are incredible things still undiscovered; most of the important installations were built in duplicate as a precaution against space attack. I know where all of them are. But I could find nothing, not one single word, about any giant strategic planning computer called Merlin!" Nevertheless the leading men of the planet didn't believe him. They couldn't - the search for Merlin had become an abiding worldwide obsession. Merlin meant everything to them: power, pleasures and profits unlimited.

"Naudsonce" is a science fiction classic about the first contact between humans and non-humans. Here, it's not really violence or weapons that will decide things - its communication, plain and not so simple! The work is written by H. Beam Piper, published in 1962.

H. Beam Piper wrote many short stories and several novels. He is best known for his extensive Terro-Human Future History series of stories and a shorter series of Paratime alternate history tales. This short story is the first of his Paratime tales. Verkan Vall is investigating the death of Gavran Sarn, a First Level noble who was killed in an auto accident on a Fourth Level timeline that might well have been our own....

"Omnilingual" is a sci-fi short story written by H. Beam Piper. The story was originally published in 1957 in magazine-form. The work is unusual in focusing on the problem of archaeology on an alien culture... An expedition from Earth to Mars discovers a deserted city, the remains of an advanced civilization that died out 50,000 years before! The human scientists recover books and documents left behind, and are puzzled by their contents. Earnest young archeologist Martha Dane deciphers a few words.