Bob Shaw Libri

Il tema dello scienziato pazzo che perviene in cantina a una straordinaria invenzione è di quelli che gli scrittori di fantascienza non toccano più nemmeno con le molle da almeno trent'anni. E fanno male, perché nella fantascienza, come nella letteratura in genere, tutto è sempre raccontabile, con le dovute varianti, modifiche, migliorie. Lo scienziato di questo romanzo non è pazzo e non è nemmeno un genio. Il suo laboratorio non è in cantina ma in uno stabilimento di media grandezza. La sua invenzione arriva dopo lunghe ricerche volte in tutt'altra direzione, e viene brevettata e venduta per tutt'altri scopi. Poi, una serie di inspiegabili incidenti mette in allarme una grande casa automobilistica: tutte le macchine coinvolte erano di un certo modello, tutte stavano eseguendo una svolta a sinistra, tutte montavano un certo tipo di parabrezza. Soltanto a questo punto, quella che sembrava una modesta novità tecnologica diventa una scoperta sensazionale le cui applicazioni, buone e cattive, trasformano in pochi anni il mondo e arricchiscono la fs di una memorabile trovata. Copertina di Karel Thole

Twenty-four years have passed since Toller Maraquine led the population of Land to the sister planet of Overland. Somehow, those left behind have become immune to the deadly pterthacosis which caused the exodus, and their voracious ruler now lays claim to Overland. Grudgingly put in charge of his planet's defence, Toller designs a front-line force of spaceships and satellites made of wood, which will engage the enemy fleet in the cold vastness of space, before the invaders can set food upon Overland. As the war proceeds, a far more deadly, alien menace makes itself known, which will threaten the entire existence of Overland.

The author's fourth collection of science fiction short stories. The title story tells of a dying child and his miraculous new toy. The other 14 include a fantasy novella about the last days of magic and a tale in which the possibility of an infinite variety of worlds is considered.

‘THE ENTIRE HEAD HAD BEEN STRIPPED OF SKIN. CREATING A NIGHTMARISH SCULPTURE IN GELLED BLOOD…’ The hideous apparition that confronted him almost defied description. It was the beginning of a horrific ordeal that would cause him to question his own sanity… A member of a telepathic research project, Redpath believes the cause to be side-effects from the experimental drugs he is taking - but then stranger things begin to happen. He wakes to find himself in America… he drawn to a local house occupied by a bizarre group of people which events are really happening? SLOWLY AN EXPLANATION EMERGES MORE TERRIFYING THAN ANYTHING HE COULD HAVE IMAGINED…

Cover artist: A. Pedro Ironically, for Gilbert Snook who considered himself the human equivalent of a neutrino, a particle able to travel through the Earth without disturbing any other particle it all started with the panic that followed the sighting of the anti neutrino planet as it approached Earth. Earth was unaffected but Snook ended up in a small African Republic teaching English to diamond miners. Then the miners started seeing ghosts and Snook found himself at the centre of a bizarre and far reaching scientific discovery and in the middle of some very dirty political infighting.

Also published as Ground Zero Man.Hutchman was an ordinary man, doing his job, devising rocketry guidance systems. Life held its satisfactions and its frustrations. He had no spectacular ambitions. Then one day, Hutchman discovered that he could destroy the world--or save it, and destroy himself. There was no other way. But the masters of the earth didn't want it saved Hutchman's way. They wanted Hutchman destroyed along with his doomsday device. And so the chase was on. Hutchman had succeeded in one thing, at least--he had brought about unity among the world's powers. They all wanted him dead!

The chronicle of adventures of the survey ship Sarafand as it journeys through space exploring and mapping newly-discovered planets. The mission bring them into contact with many startling life-forms and menacing aliens. On one world the Sarafand sends out six survey modules and seven return...one of themis a shape-changing, malevolent alien - but which? On another planet they discover a humanoid civilisation which can move around in time. Suddenly the Sarafand investigators are marooned millions of years in the past. Finally, the Sarafand and its crew are stranded ina distant galxy where everything - including them - is shrinking inexorably to zero size...

Land and Overland - twin worlds a few thousand miles apart. On Land, humanity faces a threat to its very survival - an airborne species, the ptertha, has declared war on humankind, and is actively hunting for victims. The only hope lies in migration. Through space to Overland. By balloon. The Ragged Astronauts - first volume in an epic adventure filled with memorable characters, intense action, engaging notions, exotic locales.

Fisherman Hal Tarrant's life changes drastically when strange monsters appear in the deeps--creatures that seem intelligent and are vandalizing his nets. His next discovery is that of six castaways who turn out to be humans from another world. Tied to Earth by a strange history, they bear disastrous news.

A collection of stories:7 * Skirmish on a Summer Morning (1976)54 * Unreasonable Facsimile (1974)69 * A Full Member of the Club (1974)94 * The Silent Partners (1959)106 * The Giaconda Caper (1976)127 * An Uncomic Book Horror Story (1975)136 * The Brink (1972)141 * Waltz of the Bodysnatchers (1976)162 * A Little Night Flying (Dark Icarus) (1975)

An Ace Science Fiction Special No. H-79; Paperback; original copyright 1968. 192 pp. Size MMPB. Binding intact; no loose pages; spine not creased. Covers and pages clean and unmarked EXCEPT minimal usual shelf wear. In excellent condition.

Cover artist: A. Pedro

The final volume in a science fiction series which features Toller Maraquine II, grandson of the hero of "The Ragged Astronauts" and "The Wooden Spaceships". Armed only with his sword and boundless courage, Toller becomes a pivotal figure in events affecting the future of entire civilizations.

Two hundred years ago mankind found Orbitsville, a vast sphere whose habitable inner surface comprised living space equivalent to five billion Earths. The resulting migration was enthusiastic - and nearly total. Earth itself is a backwater now, a place with which the people of Orbitsville maintain only marginal contact. But just because it's backward doesn't mean it isn't dangerous.

Zunächst war es ein zu spät entdeckter Nebeneffekt, dann eine wissenschaftliche Kuriosität und schließlich ein Spielzeug, mit dem sich Milliarden verdienen ließen: ein Spezialglas, das Lichtstrahlen abbremsen kann. Die Effekte sind phänomenal: Man kann durch die Scheibe sehen, was sich hinter ihr abgespielt hat - vor 5 Minuten, vor 5 Monaten, vor 5 Jahren, je nachdem, wie dick sie ist. Doch es gibt kaum eine Erfindung, die in falschen Händen nicht als Werkzeug finsterer Machenschaften verwendet werden könnte - etwa um Leute unauffällig zu bespitzeln.

Druhá kniha trilogie Land a Overland. V prvním díle hledala část ohrožených obyvatel Landu záchranu na neobydleném Overlandu. Přelet z jedné planety na druhou se uskutečnil pomocí řiditelných teplovzdušných balonů, neboť atmosféry obou blízkých planet se prolínají. Nebezpeční smrtelné nákazy však trvá i po dvaceti letech, proto se bizarní bitvy dřevěných kosmických lodí odehrávají v beztížné zóně. Novému království však hrozí skrytá invaze ze vzdáleného Farlandu…... celý text

Pan Books, British mass market paperback, 1977. Novel about the discovery of a Dyson sphere-like artifact surrounding a star. First in the trilogy, which also includes "Orbitsville Departure" (1983) and "Orbitsville Judgement" (1990).

Übersetzung: Tony Westermayr

Hard sci – fi kombinovaná s drsnými poměry ve fiktivní africké zemi. Sluneční soustavou proletí bludná planeta, kterou však lze zaznamenat nikoli přímým pohledem, ale jen speciálními brýlemi. A v oné africké zemi se po jejím průletu začínají v dole zjevovat strašidla….

Kniha obsahuje tri napínavé sci-fi príbehy: „Planéta exilu“ (Ursula K. Le Guin), „Dvojníci v čase“ (Bob Shaw) a „Muž, ktorý spadol na Zem“ (Walter Tevis). Do série Hain patria iba poviedka Planéta exilu (Planet of Exile -1966) od Ursula K. Le Guin.