Humans on the space frontiers may have enough problems with befuddled bureaucrats, rules that don't fit the realities of very dangerous situations, and general rear-echelon incompetence without bringing in unfriendly aliens, but it's that kind of universe. On the other hand, as master satirist Christopher Anvil makes clear, the aliens are anything but omnipotent and have plenty of problems of their own.Here for the first time the stories and short novels of the war with the O...

Laugh in War's Face!With the deft touch of a Keith Laumer, hard-SF master and legendary Analog regular Christopher Anvil brings together mind-bending ideas and grim-but-true black humor in the face of war's utter destruction in this mega-compilation of Anvil's adventure masterpieces edited by modern-day SF master, Eric Flint!At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Vaughan Roberts and his two companions had been trapped on a crime-ridden, chaotic planet until they bamboozled the population with a gigantic hoax—which brought them to the attention of the Interstellar Patrol, who were looking for a few good con men, capable of ingenious improvisation and adept at playing dirty tricks on the bad guys. The new recruits acquitted themselves admirably, so they naturally were given more tough nuts to crack, including:Flummoxing an alien empire ...

IS IT TOO LATE TO NEGOTIATEA SURRENDERThe Centran Empire was both benevolent and complacent. Benevolent, even as it overwhelmed every new inhabited planet it encountered with its military might—but once the planet was pacified, its inhabitants were uplifted to Centran standards of living and the benefits of membership in the Empire. Complacent, because the Empire had long been expanding without encountering more than minor obstacles. And the...

"Advance Agent" is a science fiction novel that delves into themes of space exploration, interstellar diplomacy, and the complexities of first contact with alien civilizations.The story centers around an "advance agent," a character tasked with preparing the way for human contact with alien species. The agent's mission involves navigating diplomatic, cultural, and often political challenges as they work to establish relations and facilitate communication between Earth and the extraterrestr...

Step into the thrilling world of espionage and intrigue with our exclusive digital audiobook collection featuring "Advance Agent" by Christopher Anvil and "The Spy" by Richard Harding Davis.These gripping tales of covert operations, espionage, and international intrigue will transport you to the heart of the action. In "Advance Agent," Anvil weaves a captivating narrative of secret agents, double-crosses, and a race against time to save the world. With expertly crafted characters a...

Humans—there's no understanding them, and no dealing with them either. Or even their planet. Pity the poor aliens, whose shape-changing ability should let them take over the planet Earth before the humans even know they're there—if it weren't for all that omnipresent pollution.Or consider another set of invaders, from a planet where the weather is always mild and the changing of the seasons is hardly noticeable. They land in force and their weapons are more powerful than those of t...

After peacefully and complacently expanding for centuries, the Centran Empire comes face to face with their first major obstacle, the stubborn and warlike inhabitants of Earth, and decides to use Earth warriors to pacify difficult planets throughout the galaxy, but they soon discover a new problem—the humans could end up running the Central Empire itself.

Science and technology have made our lives easier, cured diseases, with achievements that an earlier age would have considered impossible. But once in a while, the law of unintended consequences breaks loose. Christopher Anvil considers the two faces of technological innovation: Sometimes the result is a literal life-saver; but at other times a breakthrough may not break quite the way it was supposed to.A new wonder drug has the unexpected side effect of making people happy. Not a ...

Humans on the space frontiers may have enough problems with befuddled bureaucrats, rules that don't fit the realities of very dangerous situations, and general rear-echelon incompetence without bringing in unfriendly aliens, but it's that kind of universe. On the other hand, as master satirist Christopher Anvil makes clear, the aliens are anything but omnipotent and have plenty of problems of their own.Here for the first time the stories and short novels of the war with the Outs ar...

Vaughan Roberts and his two companions had been trapped on a crime-ridden, chaotic planet until they bamboozled the population with a gigantic hoax—which brought them to the attention of the Interstellar Patrol, who were looking for a few good con men, capable of ingenious improvisation and adept at playing dirty tricks on the bad guys. The new recruits acquitted themselves admirably, so they naturally were given more tough nuts to crack, including:● Flummoxing an alien empire whic...

Ideas Have Consequences for Adventure!Hard-SF master and renowned John W. Campbell Analog regular Christopher Anvil astounds with mind-bending ideas and their often deadly (and darkly humorous) consequences. Morton Hommel, erstwhile Director of Banner Drug and Vitamin Laboratories, applies the science of pharmacology and the art of sweet reason to a world on the verge of a technological nervous breakdown. These "Hommels" are Anvil at his speculative best— all edited by modern-day S...