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Pioneer 1990
by John Russell Fearn Vargo StattenFrom the ether came mysterious messages announcing that a hitherto unknown Englishman had conquered space, flown to Venus, and is now on his way back to Earth. The fact that science's most highly developed range and frequency finders are unable to pinpoint the actual source of the voice is looked upon as absolute proof that they are hearing from outer space. The aggressive and autocratic quality about the way in which the eccentric Ardath Steele makes his proclamations not only annoys Betty Travers, ace reporter on the Daily Searchlight, but also deciders her to embark on a one-woman vendetta to prove that Steele is an impostor. Even when the spaceship finally lands she remains the only sceptic in a country full of pride in its first space explorer.
Planetoid Disposals Ltd
by E.C. TubbTubb, originally writing as Volsted Gridban, bridges the gap between physics and metaphysics, conceiving speeds superior to that of light, transport by dematerialisation and re-assembly of atoms in a remote sector of Space-time - practical, possible, occult and mysterious.
Pre-Gargantua
by Denis Hughes Neil CharlesMan is established on Kliron XIV, a dark, bleak, barren little globe used solely as a base for spatial patrol ships. Life on Kliron is no bed of roses, but it is only when faced by perils that seem at first too incredible to believe that the best - and worst - is revealed in men. Here in Kliron XIV just such a peril materialises. For the first time in their lives men find themselves confronted by an enemy against which no weapon can prevail. Worse even than the Master Entity, the Gargantua are its slaves, evil Flowers of Darkness that bloom where no life can exist . . .
The Price of Freedom
by E.C. TubbWhen his wife is murdered, victim of an assassin's bullet, businessman Dell Weston finds his life falling apart. Betrayed by his partner, he loses control of his company, and descends into the lower strata of a dog-eat dog society. Somehow, Dell manages to survive long enough to question the very fabric of civilization, and the role played by the mysterious figures in grey - the Arbitrators.
Purple Islands
by Denis Hughes Dee CarterTo leave the earth in a vessel designed to ride the emptiness of outer space would certainly demand of its crew the very highest qualities of courage and determination. But if the journey was to be a one-way trip with the objective of establishing an offshoot of humanity on a distant world, then every mortal quality would have to be considerably strengthened. Such was the project launched by Doctor Helenus Smith. He selected his crew with apparently small regard for the obvious essentials, his motivations for doing so kept close to his chest. The trouble began when a nameless world interposed itself on their course, appearing from nowhere, and upon which they were unexpectedly forced to land . . .
The Rapparee
by Jack VanceThe Rapparee is Jack Vance's preferred title for the novel previously published as The Space Pirate and The Five Gold Bands.Five gold bracelets imprinted with cryptic messages were the clues that set Paddy Blackthorn off on a riotous galactic treasure hunt. But Paddy found himself not only the hunter but also the hunted for the armbands had been left to him by his would-be killers, the Rulers of the Five Planets.All Jack Vance titles in Gateway use the author's preferred texts, as restored for the Vance Integral Edition (VIE), an extensive project masterminded by an international online community of Vance's admirers. In general, we also use the VIE titles, and have adopted the arrangement of short story collections to eliminate overlaps.
Ray Bradbury 3-Book Collection: Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man
by Ray BradburyA collection of three of Ray Bradbury’s finest science fiction novels: FAHRENHEIT 451, THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES and THE ILLUSTRATED MAN.
Research Opta
by Denis Hughes Neil CharlesFrom the unplumbed depths of new and startling fields of research a man, groping after the truth, contrived a group of life-forms of microscopic size. It was a daring experiment, made possible through the medium of advanced instruments and techniques which offered scope in the realms of micro-dissection. In that respect, then, the operation was successful: life-forms had been created by means of chromosomic manipulation. But the impact of the resulting entities was to have a disturbing effect on the man who made them...
Scourge of the Atom
by John Russell Fearn Volsted GridbanMartin Bond had an intriguing theory of Cosmic Descent, believing that the first intelligent life in the solar system evolved on the Moon, with the Selenites later migrating to Mars, after they had destroyed their civilization and the Moon following the discovery of atomic power. The Martians had subsequently fallen victim to the same cycle of events, and their survivors had fled to Earth. There is something inherent in the atom which is released along with nuclear energy that stirs the baser passions of living beings. And now, humanity stands on the brink of atomic warfare...
Secret of the Towers
by E.C. TubbBy order of the World Council, a vast chain of towers was being constructed across the globe. The people were told that the towers would provide free universal power from broadcast energy. When Statander, a member of the World Council, questioned their construction, he was assassinated to ensure his silence.But there was one other who shared Statander's suspicion - Altair the Thief, whose father had also been killed for a similar reason. Just one man, a criminal and a fugitive, but a man determined to uncover the monstrous secret that had led to their deaths . . . the secret of the towers!
Space Tug (Unabridged Start Publishing Llc Ser.)
by Murray LeinsterSpace Tug by Murray Leinster is an independent sequel to the author's popular Space Platform.Joe Kenmore heard the airlock close with a sickening wheeze and then a clank. In desperation he turned toward Haney. "My God, we've been locked out!"Through the transparent domes of their space helmets, Joe could see a look of horror and disbelief pass across Haney's face. But it was true! Joe and his crew were locked out of the Space Platform.Four thousand miles below circled the Earth. Under Joe's feet rested the solid steel hull of his home in outer space. But without tools there was no hope of getting back inside. Joe looked at his oxygen meter. It registered thirty minutes to live.
Space Void
by John Glasby Victor La SalleThey came out of the void, from Venus, only to find there was no answer to their radio signals. Earth seemed dead. And on the Moon, Man's greatest achievement, the Lunar Military Base was a mass of rubble and blasted wreckage.Here, the crew of the Stellar Polaris, led by Commander John Forrest, discovered one sole survivor. He was mad! To their questions he could only answer that the children had destroyed the armed might of the Military Base.When they finally reached Earth, they found that what he had said was true. The children had taken over control of the world. But then, these were no ordinary children - and their little weapons were almost enough to overthrow the armed superiority of the Stellar Polaris herself!
Three Hearts & Three Lions (FANTASY MASTERWORKS)
by Poul AndersonThe gathering forces of the Dark Powers threaten the world of man. The legions of Faery, aided by trolls, demons and the Wild Hunt itself, are poised to overthrow the Realms of Light. Holger Carlsen, a bemused and puzzled twentieth-century man mysteriously snatched out of time, finds himself the key figure in the conflict. Arrayed against him are the dragons, giants and elven warriors of the armies of Chaos, and the beautiful sorceress Morgan le Fay. On his side is a vague prophecy, a quarrelsome dwarf and a beautiful woman who can turn herself into a swan, not to mention Papillon, the magnificent battle-horse, and a full set of perfectly fitting armour, both of which were waiting for him when he entered the magical realm. The shield bears three hearts and three lions - the only clue to Holger Carlsen's true identity. Could Carlsen really be a legendary hero, the only man who can save the world?
The Tritonian Ring and Other Pusadian Tales
by L. Sprague deCampThe gods of Poseidonis - or Atlantis - were powerful and real. Now they were determined to destroy the kingdom ruled by the father of Prince Vakar, the one man whose mind they could not read. The only way to save the kingdom was to discover that thing which the gods feared most.To find it, Prince Vakar set out across the largely unknown world where dangers multiplied with every league. There he found savage countries and strange people - the wild Amazons; a voluptuous, ensorcelled queen; a too-charming girl who was half-horse, half-woman; dangerous magicians who ruled hordes of headless slaves; and the Gorgons, who could paralyze their victims at a glance.Behind was his ambitious brother, determined that Vakar must fail. Even closer were unknown enemies set on his trail by the suspicious gods.And to add to his troubles, Vakar had no idea of what he sought!
Uller Uprising: Terro-human Future History Novel (Mobi Classics Ser.)
by H. Beam Piper"ZNIDD SUDDABIT!"So the Ulleran challenge begins, with the rantings of a prophet and a seemingly incidental street riot. Only when a dose of poison lands in the governor-general's whiskey does it become clear that the "geeks" have had it up to their double-lidded eyeballs with the imperialist Terran Federation's Chartered Uller Company. Then, overnight, war is everywhere.How it will end is in the (merely) two Terran hands of the new governor-general, a man shrewd enough to know that "it is easier to banish a habit of thought than a piece of knowledge." The problem is, the particular piece of knowledge he needs hasn't been used in 450 years. . . .
Ultra Spectrum
by John Russell Fearn Vargo StattenUnder the cover of darkness and a violent storm, electrical engineer Sidney Cassell thought he'd committed the perfect murder. But immediately after pushing his rival to his death from atop a pylon, he himself is struck by a live high-voltage cable. Cassell survives the accident, only to discover that the electrical shock has affected his body, causing him to glow with a strange inner light. Soon he becomes sucked into a vortex of murders and treachery, hunted by the police and unscrupulous scientists seeking the secret of his weird affliction.
Valley of Terror
by Denis Hughes Russell ReySpatial Body 232: Zone K, because of its valuable strategic position as a satellite of Zennor, was the goal set by the exploratory expeditions from the Earth controlled ports of Zennor itself. A base on 232 offered many advantages for defence of the spaceways, and establishing a settlement there was a must lest rival races in the Galaxy gain a foothold on it first. But though successive ships blasted off with the avowed intent of claiming the cheerless grey satellite none had ever been heard of again, save one whose crew had returned to report fantastic storms of unknown origin. It was not until Tony Wayne and John Reece crash-landed their ship on 232 that they learnt its incredible secrets - and found there a fellow whose story was akin to a nightmare . . .
Vandals of the Void
by Jack VanceIn the Foreword, writing fifty years ago, the author describes his vision of a new space age; he predicts that by 1985 the age of space piracy will begin and that a Space Navy will be established, speculating that some of his younger readers might participate: "I hope that none of you serve with the pirates. The pay might not be so good in the Space Navy, but you'll live longer."
Venusian Adventure
by E.C. TubbVenus was a goldmine, a planet rotten with mineral wealth and unexploited resources, and tales filtered back to Earth and Mars, were whispered in the Domes of Mercury and wondered at in the dives of the outer planets. Venus was new and strange and a man, with luck and a little ruthlessness, could make his pile and retire to terrestrial luxury.But what if a man didn't have any luck? What if everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, and left him stranded on a strange alien world? What then?
The Virgin of Zesh
by L. Sprague deCampWelcome back to the planet Krishna - a wilderness of blue woods under three moons, where square-riggers sail the treacherous inland seas, where fierce humanoid natives with feathery antennae cross swords in endless war, and where a Terran outside the confines of the spaceport is strictly on his own!The Virgin of Zesh is the fifth of L. Sprague de Camp's Krishna book - interplanetary romance in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Martian Tales.
The Wall
by E.C. TubbKerron and his business associates, Chang and Forrest, were three of the richest men on Earth. Now old and approaching the end of their days, they were desperate to prolong their lives. And there was one man who seemed to possess the secret of immortality-the mysterious Brett, a tall adventurer who had apparently lived for centuries. So the three men paid a fortune to the one man they believed could help them, But Brett had a dark secret, and he in turn made a bargain with them, They had to accompany him on the strangest and most dangerous journey ever undertaken - to the very centre of the Galaxy - beyond the Wall!
The Well of the Worlds (Prologue Bks.)
by Henry KuttnerWhen the curiously exotic millionairess Klai Ford started telling him about ghosts in a uranium mine, Sawyer knew he'd better be ready for anything in his investigations. But he didn't count on being drawn into a passage between dimensions and tossed adrift in a world of islands floating in the sky, where strange brute-like creatures were attacking the cities in a vast struggle for power. Lost in this new world, Sawyer realised that the key to everything lay in the mysterious Well of the Worlds - and that the future of the universe lay in its secret.
World in Torment
by E.C. TubbAtomic war! Men had started the war, overriding the desires of their women and plunging the world into an orgy of destruction. Finally, when the vast armies of men had finally been shattered, women took over as rulers. Under successive Matriarchs, the world was slowly recovering, diverting the vast war potential to peaceful purposes. To keep the world free of war, the Matriarch employed official assassins under the chief of Security Police. It was felt that the death of one person was an acceptable price to preserve the lives of many. But when the Matriarch ordered the assassination of Don Burgarde, an apparently harmless young man, her personal secretary, Lyra, decided to intervene. The seeds of rebellion had been sown...
World Out of Mind (Gateway Essentials)
by J. T. McIntoshThey had conquered Mars! Earth was next.And in the council chambers at Washington, Earth's leaders gathered to face the peril.Mars had gone down to defeat in one hour and thirty-four minutes. And now a fleet of creatures from outer space was headed towards Earth.All eyes turned to Eldin Raigmore, President of the United States - the one man to be trusted above all others. One by one the elite were dispatched on missions of last-minute strategy. They went with confidence, inspired by the swift, sure mind of Raigmore.Civilization rested in his hands. And he was a secret member of the invader race!
Z Formations
by John Russell Fearn Bryan ShawUsing the secret motive power of a lost a lost flying saucer, physicist Micael Arnott, three companions and an escaped convict are flung into the void at eight times the speed of light to eventually land, after the oblivion of acceleration, upon a world that is both extraordinary and terrifying.Their machine disappears and they themselves also vanish one by one, Michael Arnott going first when he is on the verge of explaining the mystery of this far-flung world.That the planet is inhabited seems obvious from queerly designed spaceships glimpsed at intervals, all of them blazoned with a "Z", which is not so much an alphabet letter as a symbol of a master-race of scientists.In their efforts to solve the riddle of the world and system to which they have been hurled, the perplexed travellers gradually realise they are not only involved in an odyssey of space, but in a problem of Time as well. They are forced to the conclusion that, just as the first supersonic airmen paid a penalty of mental blackout for breaking the barrier of sound, so there is also a penalty for exceeding Fitzgerald's Law - namely that 186,000 miles per second is the ultimate possible speed.