Future Wars . . . and Other Punchlines - Hank Davis

Future Wars . . . and Other Punchlines

Hank Davis (editor)

Baen, Sep 1 2015, $14.00

ISBN: 9781476780801

“The Abominable Earthman” by Frederik Pohl.  When the aliens invade, the earthling becomes a hero in site of himself.

“Honorable Opponent” by Clifford D. Simak.  The Galactic Confederacy fails to understand how they lost the war.

“Sentry” by Fredric Brown.  Sentries prefer ennui.

“And Then There Was Peace” by Gordon R. Dickson.  The war ended, but the arms remain.

 “Fool’s Mate” by Robert Sheckley.  They knew the outcome, but the chess game must be played.

“Airborne All the Way” by David Drake.  The dumb and dumber goblin crews drop rocks on the enemy.

“Mr. Jester” by Fred Saberhagen.  Berserkers fail to understand an adversary using graveyard humor as a weapon.

“Custer’s Last Jump” by Steven Utley & Howard Waldrop.  Crazy Horse deploys a biplane squadron to fight Custer’s dirigibles.

“Project Hush by William Tenn.  Project Hush uses measures to conceal it from those who work on it.

“The Day They Got Boston” by Herbert Gold.  The Soviet leader blames a drunk for the missile that fell in the Boston Commons; the M.A.D. response is Leningrad.

“The Gentle Earth” by Christopher Anvil.  They arrive to conquer, but alien climate intercedes.

 “Who Goes Boing?” by Sarah A. Hoyt.  The Earth Exploration Corps sends specialists to determine whether the planet is safe for colonization.

“Historical Note” by Will F. Jenkins.  In Omsk, Professor Rojestvensky applied the Bramwell-Weems Equation to reinvent the world.

“Into Each Life Some Periwinkles Must Fall” by Hank Davis.  Fortean verticologist Dr. Greene investigate the phenomena.

“Success Story” by Earl Goodale.  The Haldorean Empire deploys expendable Invasion Forces; but something strange occurs.

“The Spectre General” by Theodore R. Cogswell.  It has been five centuries since the Galactic Empire collapsed, but a Light Maintenance Battalion steadfastly continues their repair mission until a coup leads to an awakening encounter.

This military science fiction anthology is an exciting collection; especially interesting are the thirteen stories published over fifty years ago.

Harriet Klausner