Anónimo

On His Majesty's Secret Service

Revisado: 04-25-21

Three Dominic Flandry novels all written by Poul Anderson as prequels in the late 1960s. These were the first Flandry stories I ever read back in their paperback editions.

My favorite story "Ensign Flandry" is set in the 31st Century and begins on planet Starkad located more than 250 light years from earth. Earth is at the center of the Terran Empire, a sphere 400 light years across containing millions of stars and planets. The Terran Empire and Merseian Empire are fighting an interstellar Cold War supporting different factions at war on planet Starkad. The local natives, called Tigeries, are a primitive warrior race being wooed by both ambassadors. A nineteen year old Flandry in his first assignment at the embassy falls under the wing of commander Max Abrams, head of terran intelligence. The story really takes off beginning in chapter 13 when they all encounter the spy Dwyr carrying critical information. The narrator does a REALLY good job with all the characters especially Lord Hauksberg, Commander Abrams, Dragoika (Tigery), Runei (Merseian), and Dwyr.

"A Circus of Hells" begins on Irumclaw located 200 light years from earth in the direction of the bright star Betelgeuse. Flandry is here to gather more intelligence on the latest plans of the Merseians. He makes contact with Ammon who hires him to survey a former Polesotechnic League mining base abandoned 500 years earlier. This was my least favorite of the 3 novels.

"The Rebel Worlds" is set on planets located near Alpha Crucis, brightest star in the Southern Cross. Admiral McCormac has rebelled against the corrupt sector governor and gathered an army in revolt. Commander Flandry is given his first command of the destroyer Asieneuve and sent to investigate the situation.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Joe-Jim Gregory and Bobo

Revisado: 12-29-20

Only Heinlein could make such great characters of the two-headed mutant Joe-Jim and his dwarf sidekick Bobo. Originally published as two novellas in 1941, he put the them together with a few mods and published "Orphans of the Sky" in 1963. My only complaint is the end of the book is a rush job. The story deserved a better ending, but I guess the man wanted to move on to write "Glory Road", "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and other great stories. Narrator Graham Halstead does a good job playing all characters.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Organ Donor?

Revisado: 11-15-20

The audiobook does a great job with Larry Niven's second novel (1968). When I first read the book many years ago it was my least favorite of Niven's amazing early novels, but I really enjoyed the audiobook. The setting is the colony on a planet orbiting the nearby star Tau Ceti. The colony, settled 300 years earlier, has become a world of Have's and Have-not’s where society is broken up into the privileged descendants of the original spaceship Crew and the subservient Colonists. The story really takes off when Matt Keller (colonist) finds himself running for his life following a police raid on a party hosted by his friends. The punishment for most crimes on the colony is to be condemned to the organ banks, but a robot spaceship from Earth has arrived carrying a cargo with the potential to change everything. The narrator does a really good job playing all the characters.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

"Muddlin' Through"

Revisado: 10-08-20

A collection of the best Polesotechnic League stories featuring David Falkayn, Chee Lan and Adzel in their spaceship "Muddlin' Through". Poul Anderson introduced Falkayn in several stories found in "The Van Rijn Method" and Nicholas Van Rijn appears prominently in this book. The book begins with a couple of weak stories, but in the "The Trouble Twisters" (1965) Anderson introduces Chee Lan (from planet Cynthia) and Adzel (from Woden) in an adventure on a planet near the bright star Spica.

In "Day of Burning" (1967) the Trader Team try to save the Merseians (who appear in later Technic League books) from the aftereffects of a nearby supernova explosion.

The narrator BJ Harrison does a great job presenting "The Master Key" (1964) where Falkayn learns of an ill fated trading mission as told by survivors of the mission to planet Cain.

The novel "Satan's World" (1968) is my favorite story where the Trader Team and van Rijn battle the Shenna in a life or death struggle over a unique planet discovered near Beta Crucis, or as van Rijn calls it "Beta Crosseyes".

In "A Little Knowledge" (1971) a band of pirates discover the disadvantages of not working on their home turf when they kidnap Witweet of planet Trillia.

In the final story "Lodestar" (1973), Van Rijn plays detective as he attempts to determine the organization behind a mysterious company known as Supermetals.

Poul Anderson ends the book with a tribute to John W. Campbell Jr. who originally published the Polesotechnic League stories in his famous magazine "Astounding Science Fiction". With Campbell as editor, they worked together on these stories throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Humph and hassenpfeffer!

Revisado: 07-31-20

I read most of the stories in this collection in other books published in the 60s & 70s and listened to two of my favorite stories first: "The Three-Cornered Wheel" and "A Sun Invisible". These were the first Poul Anderson stories I ever read and I enjoyed your production of them, especially the "The Three-Cornered Wheel". The narrator BJ Harrison did a great job and brought to life the natives of Ivanhoe - a planet orbiting a small star located near the Pleiades star cluster. I had never read the Saturn Game(1981) and found it difficult to get through - not one Poul Anderson's best, in my opinion. "Margin of Profit"(1956) was a story I didn't know but is now one of my favorite Nicholas van Rijn stories. The novel the "Man Who Counts"(1958) was also new and is another great van Rijn story. The narrator plays van Rijn VERY well bringing him to life with his outrageous accent! The next book in the series "David Falkayn: Star Trader" has the best stories of the Polesotechnic League including the novel "Satan's World" (1969). The third book, Rise of the Terran Empire, collects Anderson's early stories of the Terran Empire including one my favorites "The People of the Wind"(1973). And the fourth book will introduce Poul Anderson's most famous protagonist, Sir Dominic Flandry.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 5 personas