Customer Reviews (1)

Keith Laumer Shorts
The Big Show (1972)

John Keith Laumer (June 9, 1925 - January 23, 1993 (aged 67)) was an American science fiction writer.Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and a U. S. diplomat.This collection contains seven short stories, including:


In The Queue ((1970)

A Relic Of war ((1969)

The Big show (1968)

Message To An Alien (1970)

The Plague (1970)

Test To destruction (1967)



Recommend for Launer fans.

GubberJanuary, 2009
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Customer Reviews (3)

My Introduction to Bolos
Picked up this old collection by chance in a public library.I believe that this is the first collection of Bolo stories.

The first story - "The Night Of The Trolls" - is a little slow.

Then comes a Retief story with "Courier."Not much Bolo action in this one but Retief is hilarious.

The third story, "Field Test" hooked me on Bolos.If the end of this story hits you in the gut - you are a Bolo fan.If not, find something else to read.

The rest of the stories are strong and will leave you looking for more Bolo adventures.

I read this on a friends recommendation...
I enjoyed the different short stories that represented different times in the future. On one of the short stories I was really wanting that to be an entire novel instead of just a short story (Retrief was awesome!).

Similar to my review on Theives' World the stories are great but there are very thin threads tying it all together and no real following of a select group of characters.

A good read and I hear that the rest of the books in the series are the same and just as enjoyable as the first.

Bolo & Artificial Intelligence
A collection of stories that represent the future of AI as implemented by massive war machines that are used to conduct war on a planetary scale... ... Read more

Product Description
The saga of the first completely automated bolos --- and perhaps the beginning of the end for the human race. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Bolos rock
You got to love a thinking tank.The machine that is more loyal than the familyt dog.Every story is a moral.Always an enjoyable read

Tank of a Story (or two)
Well, I had read a 'Bolo' book when I was in my teens, and I remembered enjoying it decently. And I found this one in a freebie bin outside a used bookstore - just couldn't refuse that!So my pile of unread fiction grew smaller and smaller, and so I finally picked this little book up. Interestingly enough, this is actually two different stories, both taking place in different times and places. The first, "Rogue Bolo", is where the book gets its title and concerns the most advanced Bolo ever built, the second, "Final Mission", is about an outdated, decommissioned Bolo who gets a second chance to live and fight like he was designed to.

The first book, "Rogue Bolo", is written in a very interesting manner. Rather than go for straight narrative, Laumer strings together many different articles, briefings, overheard conversations, interviews, and even stream of conscious from the Bolo itself. Though the reading is slightly disjointed, it actually creates a slight sense of mystery, because you're learning of the action and story second-hand. It was a little disconcerting at first, but after I got used to it, it was actually quite enjoyable.

In "Final Mission" the story is straight narrative, but just as engaging as the first. The setting is different, but Laumer manages to create pretty engaging characters.

Overall, both were not hard reads, and were quite enjoyable. I wouldn't put this book at the top of my list of recommendations, but it's an enjoyable read and I wouldn't necessarily discourage anyone from reading it.

story of the first MK XXX bolo.
the first of the Mk XXX bolos.it is a story of intrigue, terrorism, and final showdown with the Axork.many of the weapons used are recycled into later stories.it has been very interesting reading, and watching the story line grow into what it is today! must read. ... Read more

Product Description
A huge volume of edge-of-the-seat science fiction adventure, including: * The Long Twilight: Grayle and Falconer met in relentless combat with no quarter in prehistoric ages past, their endless battle now remembered only as dark myths and legends. Now their long battle is nearing its climax-and the final battleground is an uncontrolled experimental power plant that threatens the Earth itself! * Night of Delusions: A detective is hired by men claiming to be government agents and given an assignment that may lead to his being hailed as the savior of the nation-or executed for treason. His mysterious clients also give him devices to use in the assignment, devices which seem to be far beyond anything of which human technology is capable. And as he doggedly pursues the case, he finds that the very fabric of reality seems to be changing around him, even to the point that he himself seems never to have existed! * Plus three short novels of equally stunning concepts and breathtaking action. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Strangely disappointing
Although I love Keith Laumer's lighter work, especially his stories of interplanetary diplomat Jaime Retief, I found this collection of his more serious sf unsatisfying.It's not that the writing isn't good or the concepts uninteresting, and the capstone story, "Night of Delusions," features a tough PI-narrator with a sardonically amusing voice.But several of the images were disturbing to me, and I couldn't seem to get really involved in the characters' problems.If you don't care for Retief, you might well profit from having a look at this other side of the author; but if it's Laumer's lightness that has always floated your boat, it's not the book for you.

Weird Tales
The Long Twilight and Other Stories (2007) is an omnibus edition of two short novels and four short stories.These tales are not related to any of the major story cycles by the author.

The Long Twilight (Putnam, 1969) is a short novel.Two members of an offworld civilization have been fighting each other for millennia.They have a final collision at a time when the USA is building its first beamed power unit.It is thematically similar to A Trace of Memory, but has a very different ending.

Birthday Party (Asimov's, 1978) is about a couple on the day of their child's fiftieth birthday.The child has been modified to have an extended lifespan.

The Half Man (IF, 1969) tells of a half-breed male who returns to the planet of his mother as an adult.His father is onplanet and learns of his presence.

The Lawgiver (The Year 2000, 1970) recounts the story of a Senator who sponsors a bill on population control that mandates first trimester abortions for fetuses conceived without a birth permit.Then a highly pregnant young woman appears in his suite carrying the illegitimate child of his son.

The Plague (Analog, 1970) relates the troubles of a pioneer family when a bureaucratic agency starts settling poverty victims on their land.Naturally, the head bureaucrat appropriates their home as headquarters of the colonization effort.

Night of Delusions (Putnam, 1972) is a short novel.It is a film noir detective story that turns into a nightmare.Florin is hired to bodyguard an insane Senator while his associates use technological illusions to shock him into reality.But events start out bad and go downhill.Then things get really weird.

These stories illustrate several major themes that appear in many of the author's writings.One is the loner with extraordinary physical ability and a quick wit.Another is the incompetence and arrogance of bureaucratic agencies.Others include the importance of camaraderie, patience and knowledge.

Highly recommended for Laumer fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of weird events, human perversity, and heroic action.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Foes Through Time
The Long Twilight (1969) is a standalone short SF novel.It starts in the far past and carries through to the near future.

Captain-Lieutenant Gralgrathor is stranded on Terra far in the past.He is captured by primitives and carried to their home on a sailing ship.In a fight with their leader, Gralgrathor is the winner and is accepted into the tribe.

Over the years, Gralgrathor becomes the leader of the tribe and takes a wife.Then Commander Lokrien disobeys orders to rescue him.Lokrien takes Gralgrathor to his ship and asks if he is ready to leave.

Gralgrathor states that he is not willing to leave his wife and child.After more discussion, Gralgrathor goes for a walk to think about the offer and returns to find his family dead and Lokrien gone.He vows vengeance upon Lokrien.

In this novel, many centuries have passed.Grayle has been imprisoned for murder.He has been a model prisoner for many years, but then he runs amok and is transferred to another prison.On the way, he escapes by extraordinary feats of strength and agility.

Grayle acquires a companion during his escape.Anne Rogers came to live near the prison after her brother was confined there.Her brother died a few months ago, but she is still living nearby.She volunteers to drive him out of the area.

Falconer is living in Princeton.At an all-night diner, he hires John Zabisky -- a cab driver -- to drive his car.Although the new man is unaware of the purpose, they set out on a search for a lost spaceship.When they are stopped by a military cordon, Falconer steals a half track and continues cross country.

Grayle and Falconer converge on the buried spaceship.Xix is hidden by a pile of rocks, but is still partially functional.Xix considers Gralgrathor to be a traitor and wants to kill him, but Lokrien forbids the ship to execute Gralgrathor.

In this story, the government has built a prototype of a beamed power station.The media and VIPs are present for the switchover of several governmental facilities and public utilities to the new power system. After the station is functioning, the technical staff start monitoring its efficiency.They find losses in the system.

Meteorologists on the weather satellite notice an anomalous formation centered west of Somerset Island in the Bermudas.Despite being located in a high pressure area, it is now three miles wide and steadily growing larger.It swallows a thirty-five foot cabin cruiser and then sucks in a Navy plane.

The technicians at the beamed power station detect two unauthorized drains on the system.One is located in the nearby mountains, but the major drain is dead center on the huge conical weather pattern off the Bermudas.

This tale is an adventure through time.Gralgrathor was probably stranded among the ancestors of the Norse clans.Lokrien seems to have come looking for his lost comrade several decades later.The conflict between these two was eventually incorporated into Norse mythology.

The novel is thematically similar to A Trace of Memory and other works by the author, but has a very different ending.Gralgrathor and Lokrien are warriors from an ancient galactic civilization.They fight against each other for more than a millennium and now face one another for the last time.

This novel is not among the best works of the author.Yet it is a very interesting story.Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Laumer fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of close combat, delayed vengeance and personal charisma.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Gripping pleasant suprise
The novel is episodic - you will have to keep reading to see them together.I had to go back and re-read many sub chapters - its just that kind of book.But it will grip you.Also, it doesn't spell everthing out for you - requires a good imagination.

Really good, I wish I had the rest
This book tells the tale of a civilization that has been taken over by machines, where humans and other biological constructs are grown by machine and programmed with memories from the past. One man learns the truth and disobeys the "orders" he receives from his superiors that would result in the destruction of an inhabited planet (Earth). In order to keep his ship from carrying out the orders he crashes it on the planet. His friend comes to rescue him only to discover that he doesn't desire rescue. ... Read more

Product Description
This Halcyon Classics ebook contains four science fiction stories by Keith Laumer, a popular 1960s and 1970s scifi writer.During his peak years, Laumer was noted for fast-paced, straight adventures in time and space, with an emphasis on lone-wolf, latent superhuman protagonists, self-sacrifice, and transcendence.Four of his shorter works received Hugo or Nebula Award nominations and his novel A PLAGUE OF DEMONS was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966.

This ebook is DRM free and includes an active table of contents.

Contents

Gambler’s World
Greylorn
It Could be Anything
The Yillian Way
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Product Description
Gambler's World is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Keith Laumer is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Keith Laumer then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

aka Palace Revolution and in the Retief! Omnibus
As with all of the Retief series, this one is excellent. However, note that the story is more often seen with the title "Palace Revolution" and is included in these anthologies:Retief!; Retief Unbound; and Retief, Envoy to New Worlds.You should consider getting one of these collections instead.Retief! is an omnibus edited by Eric Flint that includes more or less the first 5 books in the Retief series and is available at Amazon or, in a version without DRM, at webscription_net.

An amusing short satire
This is a science fiction tale in Keith Laumer's Retief series.Retief is a youthful member of the protocol-obsessed Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne.Much of the fun comes from Laumer's parody of Grand Diplomatic Traditions, which are eagerly overturned by the action-focused Retief.

In this short story, Retief is attending a grand diplomatic reception on a backwater planet, when he discovers the kitchen staff are guiltily clutching rather too many sharp knifes...

It's an amusing short tale.But the price seems rather high for a short story that is out of copyright and is only about 25 paper pages.
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Product Description
How are thing on Rockamorra? Bad, very. Earth Ambassador Pinchbottle has contracted to fight a dinorsaur, and it's up to troubleshooter Jame Retief to keep him from being stomped, mangled, or eaten. ... Read more

Product Description
The Yillian Way is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Keith Laumer is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Keith Laumer then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A reasonably amusing short spoof
This is a light science-fiction satire in Keith Laumer's Retief series.

Retief is a irreverent youthful member of the protocol-obsessed Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne.Laumer himself had served as a diplomat in the US Foreign Service and he happily satirizes the niceties of formal diplomacy, which is bypassed and confounded by Retief's James Bond antics.

In this short story, the Terran diplomats face an array of subtle and overt insults as they arrive on the planet Yillian.But what do the Yillians really mean by this?

It's a reasonably amusing short tale. But the price seems very high for a short story that is out of copyright and is only about 20 paper pages.
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Customer Reviews (2)

You can wait (don't buy).This book is not a star.
The concept of this book is interesting enough, but the book is ruined with slam-bang action.

The basic plot revolves around an Air Force officer, who is in suspended animation, whose ship never takes off, but wakes up 70 years later Rip Van Winkle style. Cool enough concept and actually a little novel (at least in detail).But the premise never pays off.Laumer steers the hero into a bunch of hard-to-believe physical action.The writing also wanders in terms of who the enemies are, with subplots and such.Even the physical action was melodramatic and unbeleiveable.I also never got a clear impression of the main character and his motivations.

Basically the whole thing is Baen schlock warporn SF (and I say this as someone who is a fan of Starship Troopers).But this thing is hack David Drake style stuff.Cool cover photo though.

Save your money and read the Hugo winners...or something.

Don't Buy This Book
There is nothing worse than an author taking a previous short story and expanding it.Sometimes an author does so, but adds a new ending or expanded ending which improves the story.In this case, the author has added padding to the middle of the book, changing neither the beginning or the end.If you wish to read the better, short story, then purchase The Complete Bolo by Keith Laumer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Retief again!
Once again, Jaime Retief delights by deflating the pomposity of our world's pretentious managers, diplomats and politiciansin the guise of the Terran Corps Diplomatique in a series of pithy short stories.A must read, as fresh now as it was in the 1960s and 1970s.I'm still searching for the story about Refief and Mangan on a world beset by volcanic activity (mostly mud volcanoes), with a fragile ecosystem, where the mud rats delicately balance the crab grass, which holds the mud world together.Another pompous head diplomat arrives with rat poison and then chaos results.Anyone out there know the title of this short story.Great for reading to high school ecology students as an introduction!

Long time fan
I read this book a number of years ago (about 10 times!!!) and I lent it to a friend.I believe he lost it so I bought a new copy and I still love it.It's just a fun series of short stories, very enjoyable.

Wickedly Funny!
Despite having been written some years ago, this deliciously
funny book took on PC before it was generally acknowledged to
exist.Hard to find, but well worth the effort.

retief of the cdt by keith laumer
This is one of the best books I'veever read. Retief is my faverite space hero. If you want to read a good science-fiction book read anything by Keith Laumer, no body does it better;and this is one of his best. It's none stop action and full of funny wit . You'll be guessing until the very end. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Malodorous Pageant
This is less of a book than it is a bit of creative packaging.The title story is really a 74 page short story, or at best a novella.The other 198 pages are a reprint of "Retief's Ransom", originally published as a stand-alone novel of that title in 1971.
The "Pangalactic Pageant" is one of Laumer's later, post-stroke Retief entries, and is simply awful.However, he wrote "Ransom" while he was still in fine fig, and it's an excellent story.
So, if you already own "Retief's Ransom", you can avoid this entry.If not, you can buy this book if you can't find "Ransom" and enjoy that story, while simply ignoring "Pageant".
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Product Description
This collection includes: Gambler's World, Greylorn, and The Yillian Way ... Read more

Product Description
As superbeings from the end of time struggle for control of the universe with aliens from another galaxy, Roger and his friends find themselves face to face with history's bad guys in their quest to return to their own time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Lighthearted Social Satire from the creator of Retief
Written in the mid-sixties, The Monitors pokes fun at contemporary American mores, politics and patriotism by introducinga race of powerful, but benevolent, aliens intent on improving the human race. Told from a luckless ex-pilot's point of view and featuring an embarassing cast of nuts, The Monitors is Laumer at his sardonic best. If you're a fan of Jame Retief, you'll enjoy The Monitors ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Get out there and read it
BOLO is one of many books by Keith Laumer and other authors on the Combat vehicle Laumer introduced as the "BOLO".These are artificial intelligences incorporated into massive armored combat vehicles.Not "tanks" in the sense that running over a tank would be noticed by the BOLO but to the BOLO, the tank would just be a crunch.Recommend all books written on these planetary combat units.

Bolos never die
Bolo:Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade
( 1976)



Bolo: Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade(1976)

A Short History of the Bolo Fighting Machines

The Night of the Trolls

Courier

Field Test

The Last Command

A Relic of war

Combat Unit

Highly recommended for fans of Keith Lasumer

GunnerFebruary, 2010
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Customer Reviews (5)

The Effective Diplomat
Envoy to New Worlds (1963) is the first SF work in the Retief series.It contains six stories about Jaime Retief and the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne.

- "Protocol" concerns the atrocious behavior of Retief during a diplomatic visit to Yill.A slightly revised version was reprinted as a chapbook: Retief: The Yillian Way.

- "Sealed Orders" takes Retief to Adobe with instructions on handling the hostilities between the Terran settlers and the Jaq.

- "Cultural Exchange" involves Retief in a manpower shortage on Lovenbroy during the grape harvest.

- "Aide Memoire" confronts Retief with a hostile youth group on Fust.

- "Policy" exposes the difficulties Retief has on Groac while looking into the disappearance of a Terran warship.

- "Palace Revolution" discloses the troubles Retief has with a coup on Petreac,

These stories were loosely based on the experiences of the author in the US Foreign Service.Evidently the author did not approve of the attitudes and objectives of the Ambassadors and Consuls with whom he served.He uses satire to illustrate the diplomatic blundering of that period, although it probably is also relevant today.

Ben Magnan is Retief's foil and frequent companion in these stories.Magnan generally outranks Retief and often chastises him for behavior unbecoming a diplomat.But Magnan seems to have some undiplomatic quirks under his CDT conditioning.

Retief has many more romps through alien environments.The next installment is Galactic Diplomat.Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Laumer fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of diplomatic endeavors, creative solutions and humorous ploys.

-Arthur W. Jordin

The Two-fisted Diplomat
_Envoy to New Worlds_ (1963) is the first collection of Retief stories by Keith Laumer. There are six tales, all published in _If_ between 1961 and 1962. For those not in the know, Jame Retief is a low-ranking official in the Terran Diplomatic Corps, an organization that seems to be willfully determined to work against the best interests of Earth. Retief, using a bit of trickery and martial arts, manages to foil pirates, villainous aliens, and dictators in spite of his superiors.

The stories are all good fun. But Judith Merrill raised a question some years ago that I find hard to forget. Here is Retief-- dashing, witty, intelligent, and heroic. There is the CDT, filled with personnel who are crooked, stupid, hidebound, and bungling. Why does Retief stay with them? We see that he enjoys sticking pins in pompous bureaucrats. And we see that he manages to do good for worthy people from time to time. But somehow these reasons do not seem to be quite enough. Couldn't he accomplish good things outside the CDT?

We don't really know Retief's motives because we see him only from the outside. We hear what he says, we watch him in action, but we are never privy to his thoughts and feelings. He is like-- well, like a diplomat. He keeps his cards close to his vest.

The stories themselves are all of comparable quality. My favorites, by a slim margin, are "Cultural Exchange," for its absolutely slick foiling of a revolutionary plot; "Aide Memoire," in which Retief teaches some manners to seventy-five year old juvenile delinquents; and "Palace Revolution," involving some double crosses on a world of gamblers. Certainly not great science fiction. But the book is first class entertainment.

'Envoy' great, but almost the same as 'Retief Unbound'
'Envoy' (134 pages) includes stories Protocol, Sealed Orders, Cultural Exchange, Aide Memoire, Policy, and Palace Revolution.'Retief Unbound' (343 pages) includes all those except Cultural Exchange, plus Retief's Ransom.Love these stories but you don't have to buy both books.

pretty good
this is one of the first science fiction books that i read. I must say i really liked it. I prefer the sci fi books with alot of action, and this book has just that. It is definetly worth reading.

Envoy toNew Worlds
This is one of the better Reteif books. I like the whole series for the sense of humor Keith Laumer has. Reteif is a 6ft. hunk of a hero with a sidekick who happens to be his boss (at least on paper). He never followsdirections from the home office but uses his head to fix the situation anddefeat the Groaci.Keith is very funny and had several years as a militaryatache with the diplomatic corps that makes his satirical style even morefun. A great read for someone looking for a few chuckles on a rainy day. ... Read more