Showing results by author "Randall Garrett" in All Categories

We've all heard of the wonderful invention that the Big Corporation or the Utilities suppressed? The one that would revolutionize society with it's simplicity? Well usually, that Wonderful Invention won't work, actually. But what if there really was one or two like that? Would the oil industry, or the power conglomerates, or the auto monopolies actually be nasty enough to suppress something that would help the rest of the world just so they could go on making profits? Well of course they would, silly! But then there is another possibility, one that is explored in the uniquely wonderful way of ...

Sci Fi Shorts is a collection of classic science fiction stories from the "Golden" age of space stories. This group of nine unabridged short stories by seven authors covers such adventures, as hidden aliens on earth, a conquered humanity, super villains made by super science and time travel.

Published in 1959, this is a classic and extremely funny sci-fi story by Randall Garrett. The FBI learns that the Russians have a sensationally brilliant and dangerous spy who can read minds! So they search for someone who can detect the telepath and find a crazy old lady who thinks that she's Queen Elizabeth Tudor... Get ready for a perfect mix of laughter and nail biting.

This second collection of great sci-fi stories includes the following: "A Sense of Wonder" by Stephen Marlowe, "Seller of the Sky" by Dave Dryfus, "The Shining Cow" by Alex James, and more.

The title may come off as obscure and somewhat unsettling, but therein lies its intrigue. Randall Garretts story had me blissfully misled until he dramatically pulled the rug out from under me, leaving me both irritated and amazed. I loved and hated the ending‚Aîunexpected yet undeniably fitting. The richly imagined society and culture of the galaxy he crafted is as captivating as the narrative itself, and I can only hope he explores it further in his other works. As noted by the publisher, R. Phillip Dachboden adds another layer of thought, highlighting the complexity of freedom and belief...

Twenty-four of the greatest science fiction stories of all time in this fourth sci-fi short story collection, including works by Jerry Dunham, Emmett Dowell, James Causey, Gordon Randall Garrett, James A. Cox, Phyllis Sterling Smith, Richard A. Sternbach, Robert Sheckley, E. G. Von Wald, Keith Laumer, Jerome Bixby, Frederik Pohl, Roger Dee, Arnold Marmore, James H. Schmitz, Lester del Rey, Cordwainer Smith, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick.

This is a fine military science fiction novelette with a treason scenario. The tale has a unique premise, and is certainly one of Garrett's best stories. In the distant future, forced equality of all human beings has become the highest social priority. Earth's involvement in an interstellar war with this type of society leads to major problem. One intelligent man, stuck in a military where everyone is forced to be equal, comes up with a unique solution to that problem. The story may be an accurate prophecy of where we may be heading as a society.

In a future where humanity has achieved its utopian dream of absolute equality, material poverty is a relic of the past. However, this new social order comes with its own set of chains‚Aîclass distinctions are now horizontal, and advancement is dictated solely by seniority, not talent. What is an intelligent and ambitious man to do when shackled by a society that stifles his innate abilities? For Colonel Sebastian MacMaine, a military officer caught in the throes of war and a true believer in the very principles that bind him, the choice to betray his own side may be the only way to break ...

In a world where iron bars cant truly imprison a man‚Aîonly his body‚Aîthere lie deeper, more insidious forms of confinement. As police embrace cutting-edge technology, they must still confront the age-old struggle of human nature, perpetually capable of committing unspeakable acts. Will the hypo-gun replace the nightstick, and is prison the ultimate solution? Immerse yourself in this captivating tale by Randall Garrett and explore the complexities of justice and freedom.

An alien crash lands on Earth, and for ten years terrorizes the planet, hiding, periodically killing and eating people, and stealing materials for some unknown purpose. The only hope is Bart Stanton, a medically-engineered superman, designed for the sole purpose of confronting the “Nipe”.

Introducing Leland Hale, who will steal your heart - and all your money! Fraud, larceny, and murder are all in a day's work for this master interstellar confidence man. Leland thought the universe owed him a living - and he was collecting on the installment plan! He is about to descend on the planet Cardigan's Green with a planetary scam designed to make him rich at the population's expense. What this scoundrel doesn't know is that he is about to become a savior! And if he survives this misadventure, he has two more brilliant schemes in mind.

"Nor Iron Bars A Cage"... focuses on a very serious subject; the question of what best to do with criminals in prison, and criminality overall. Is physical imprisonment best? What about mind altering practices? Even at the risk of damaging psyches permanently?

When a super-robot named Snookums discovers how to build his own superbombs, it becomes obvious that Earth is by no means the safest place for him to be. And so Dr. Fitzhugh, his designer, and Leda Crannon, a child psychologist acting as Snookums’ nursemaid, agree to set up Operation Brainchild, a plan to transport the robot to a far distant planet. Mike the Angel has devised the power plant that is to propel the space ship Branchell to its secret destination, complete with its unusual cargo.

In a society where telepathy and teleportation shape everyday life, FBI agent Kenneth Malone faces a bewildering challenge. As he navigates a tangled web of psionic powers, Malone discovers that confusion reigns across the U.S. Government, labor unions, the Mafia, and beyond. His task? To uncover the source of this chaos before it spirals out of control. With each twist and turn, Malone wrestles with an elusive FBI Director who keeps him guessing about his true mission. Will he decode the mysteries that threaten national stability? This gripping science fiction tale explores the intersection ...

The irrepressible Science Fiction author Randall Garrett wrote a wide array of short stories for the SF magazines of his day poking fun at many of the then current cherished beliefs, but he had a habit of writing under many different names. These three stories were all published in the 1960's and no matter what the by-line may look like, be assured they were all written by him in his quirky, imaginative and very entertaining style. The three here for your enjoyment are: With No Strings Attached; The Destroyers and In Case of Fire

The Alien did not intend to crash land on earth, but he did. The alien tried to communicate with humans, but he could not. The alien did not wish to be captured, and so he wasn't. For over 5 years he roamed, looting and killing as necessary. Why could the combined forces and brains of all the nations on earth not deal with him or it? Well, Earth was faced with a strange problem indeed. They had to have a superman. And there weren't any available. So perhaps one had to be made.... - Summary by preface and phil chenevert

The title is obscure and a bit unsettling I admit; what could it possible mean? Randall Garrett wrote a story here that had me blissfully going in the wrong direction until he quietly yanked the rug from under my feet and made me fume a bit with irritation and amazement. I loved it and hated it because it did not end the way I wanted it to but the way it obviously should. The society and culture in the galaxy he has presupposed is as fascinating as the story itself and I can only hope he expanded on it in other books somewhere. The publisher quotes another story by R. Phillip Dachboden to ...

This is a follow up story to Randal Garrett's original story, A Spaceship Named McGyer. The intrepid protagonist, now that he has become the completely unintended and unwilling master of the robot spaceship McGyer, is called in by the owners, very reluctantly. to see if he can help their experts fix the problem. Since he is the only human McGyer will listen to they must have him there to get the ship to comply with any request at all. But there are rival corporations that wish the ship and the project, robot spaceships, to fail so he is indeed in great danger. But the real question of this ...

These two famous sci-fi authors, who, together wrote the best-selling Brain Twister have another incredibly imaginative science fiction/fantasy story with Pagan Passions. As they describe it, this book is "Adult Science Fiction, with the supernatural making complete sense." The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome had returned to Earth - with all their awesome powers intact, and Earth was transformed almost overnight. War on any scale was outlawed, along with boom-and-bust economic cycles, and prudery....

Can a spaceship go crazy? Well, yes it can if it has a brain. And the new MG (magnetogravitic drive) experimental robot space ship does indeed have a 'brain'. Completely bewildered as to why the first six models of their supposedly perfect new ship model, the MG-YR, nicknamed the McGuire, have gone totally bonkers after activation and before they could ever be used, the company has called in the services of Daniel Oak.