ACES Books

A concentrated dose of Cordwainer Smith awesomeness. This has 4 of my 5 favorite stories of his, missing only Scanners Live in Vain.

Also, C'Mell is a 'hard' C being a cat, presumably. So K-Mel, we are informed.

As Captain Marvel might say, a 4.40 average is Holy Moley!

Keep this under a pillow, blow your mind.

Space Lords : Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons - Cordwainer Smith
Space Lords : The Dead Lady Of Clown Town - Cordwainer Smith
Space Lords : Drunkboat - Cordwainer Smith
Space Lords : The Ballad Of Lost C'Mell - Cordwainer Smith
Space Lords : A Planet Named Shayol - Cordwainer Smith

Old North Australia's mutant mad mink secret defense doesn't pussyfoot around with thieves and murderers. Or, Stop, You'll Eat Yourself.

5 out of 5


Witch woman and dead robot animal trial.

4.5 out of 5


Rage through space, really fast to dreams out of space.

4.5 out of 5


Underpeople Lord assisted execution escapage.

4.5 out of 5


Pain punishment makes skin way more deep.

3.5 out of 5

I first read this book when I was about 11 years old (I'm 46 now). It has always stayed in my mind. In particular, the character C'Mell.

Although "Space Lords" contains only five of Cordwainer Smith's many fantastic science-fiction short stories, each story is a masterwork of language and imagination. A story by Cordwainer Smith reads like nothing else ever written; there is no way you could mistake him for another writer. His weird and wonderful future universe is entirely his own, and these key short stories illuminate various important points and events in its unfolding history. "Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons" shows the reader, by truly horrific example, why it is a very bad idea to try and rob the richest planet in the galaxy. The story of Joan of Arc is retold in "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" from a point of view taking place several centuries after the actual incident, so that the reader may compare famous paintings and poetic reconstructions with the real events. In "Drunkboat" a young man travels through the terrible poetry of Space-3 to reach the planet where his love lies dying; "A Planet Named Shayol" is about hell and people and the drug known as super-condamine. "The Ballad of Lost C'mell" is my single favorite piece of science fiction, so anything I say about it is going to be biased: read it for yourself. All five stories can be found in collections of Smith's work, such as "The Rediscovery of Man" or "The Instrumentality of Mankind," but "Space Lords" has an added bonus: a preface and afterword by Cordwainer Smith himself. As he died in 1966-far too early, by this reader's reckoning!-it's a strange sensation feeling that the author is speaking directly to his audience. But it's great. Read "Space Lords" if you can find it, both for its stories and for its glimpse into Cordwainer Smith the writer (it's a pseudonym, of course, but that's not the point) and his own comments on his writing. If not . . . find anything by Cordwainer Smith and read it! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

There are dozens of fairy tale retellings in the fantasy market nowadays, but none better than this one - it is my favorite. (I'm including Robin McKinley!) It's wonderful, so read it if you can find it.

I first read this in high school and am sad to see it's out of print, now. It's a Cinderella story with an unexpected twist. Early on the fairy godmother is revealed to not be what she seems. The characters are all complex with their own motives. None are purely good or purely bad, unlike the two-dimensional kind you find in most fairy tales. It's well worth it if you can find a used copy, for kids or just adult-kids.

I first read this book in highschool, but have since read it a number of times. The story of Cinderella will never get old to me, and this is much like the original only a little more indepth than the version most of us heard as children. I fell in love with both of the main characters, spent my time wanting nothing but the best to work out for them, and was so thrilled when like every good story it had a happy ending. Well worth reading!

And excellent science fiction book that is hard to put down. It also kicks off a 7-book series that are of the same page-turning quality. I highly recommend them all.

This is a truly great science fiction book.It has some original plot elements that are refreshing, for example, not all aliens in this book(unlike Star Trek) merely look humans in a fake suit. Also, the romance aspect of this book is well done and quite enjoyable. Definitely the best of the series.Recommend for all science fiction fans.One more note-its nice to read science fiction that does not have to be grotesquely violent or lewd to be entertaining.

The book is very entertaining and very informative of how humans would react to meeting 11 new aliens, even though we have advanced hundreds of years into the future. You have great human and non-human characters that you relate to. I would recommend this to beginning readers of science fiction.

I have written a number of reviews for this series and others of the author Mack Maloney. I find myself often repeating the same words trying to leverage some concepts for another reader to glean some kind of worth in deciding to pick this book up and read it. Many readers are part of the long and dedicated fan base that will tear into the next installment. Some drift in to a book and then start the process of going to the other books in the series or the other works. As one that has read and re-read every one of the various series books, this is another fine addition to the series. I found myself a little troubled if this was going to be the last as I worked through the first 2/3 of the book. It is not. It contains the action and military/tech/scifi building blocks arranged in rich prose. It carries a long and heartfelt message to nation on the GWOT. My often mentioned interwoven links to other books to bolster and make living the parallel planes of existence concept is further developed in this installment, but with a more subtle and more sophisticated style. The story is exceptional, more science fiction based and crafted. It is linked the original series in a genre fashion not seen since the 1930's serial movies and turn of the century novella installments in literature. I will not spoil it for the long time reader, if you have waited for the return of one of the most sought characters this will set the stage. My only departure from my normal comments will focus on the new reader. If this is your first book of this series or any of the Maloney works it requires previous series reading to really make sense. I fear many new readers will dismiss the book and series starting here. There is sufficient background layered out for the book to stand alone, but not enough with the series setting to be fully appreciated. From all of us that watched Buster Crab play Flash Gordon and Buck Rodgers on the UHF channels re-runs in high school and college before cable and the internet, started out in the Wingman and War Heaven series - thanks Mack for latest installment and bringing light to a very dark entity in the series again.

TO ALL ENOY THE BOOK. HE STARTED TO ANSWER SOME ONE WINGMAN QUESTIONS. I ALSO ENOJYED HOW HE UPDATED THE BOOK WITH CURRENT EVENTS FROM ARE TIME. MACK WHEN WILL THE NEXT BOOK BE OUT.

"Storm Over Saturn" is one of the best purely science fiction stories I have read in a long time.

All at once bemusing, confusing, disorienting and exciting, Mack Maloney takes his readers on an incredible "dizzylando" ride. As with the rest of the STARHAWK and WINGMAN novels, "Storm Over Saturn" answers many questions raised in previous novels/series. At the same time, the story creates new mysteries for the reader to consider. Most importantly, perhaps, is that this book is simply FUN to read. I laughed quite a bit as Hawk Hunter wound his way from one crazy episode to the next. References both to classic science fiction and current world issues were both tasteful and delightful.

The only (very minor) complaint I have about this particular novel is the absence of Hawk Hunter's brothers-in-arms. While I knew that Erx, Berx, Zarex, Tomm, and co. couldn't/wouldn't be with Hawk this time, I did appreciate the fact that Hawk's trials and tribulations were given full attention.

Now I just have to wait for the next STARHAWK novel to come out (hint-hint, Mack Maloney). If any prospective readers come across my review, PLEASE do yourself a favor and secure a copy of "Storm Over Saturn." If only for its entertainment value, this book is definitely worth reading.

I have to echo the others who reviewed this book. It was just outstanding and fired my imagination like nothing I'd ever read before. This collection was a major influence on my own desire to become a writer, and certainly influenced my Taleran books

Let me happily echo the previous reviewer -- this is a wonderful collection of planetary romances from the 1930s & 1940s, filled with enough adventure & exotic landscapes for a dozen movies. I'll call special attention to Leigh Brackett's superb "The Moon That Vanished," which has more gorgeous details & inventive ideas in its 45 pages than many multi-volume fantasy epics of today; and Edmond Hamilton's "Kaldar, World of Antares," which both fascinated & frightened me as a small boy -- those intelligent man-headed spiders, brrr! But every story is worth reading & re-reading. They just don't write 'em like this any more, sad to say. And you don't get dynamic & colorful cover art like that, either. If you should see a used copy of this book, snap it up quickly -- you won't be disappointed!

This volume of five short stories or novelettes was published in 1964. They previously published works by Poul Anderson, Andre Norton, Leight Brackett, Otis Adelbert Kline and Edmond Hamilton. They are of the same genre as the wonderul Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars series and all are well worth the read. This volume is difficult to find but well worth the hunt and is a nice addition to any collection. Each story is a page turner with action in just about ever line. Recommend this one highly.

The final book of this series brought a tear to my eye. A fine conclusion, with all the central charcters living full lives afterward. Though it does leave room for a sequal, which I hope to see one day.

It is not often I have left a book well satified. This trilogy has been a pleasure from first to last book. Please be aware that you must read them in order or you will have no clue as to what is going on. The order is The Aware, Gilfeather, The Tainted.

First off, I loved the fact that the small inner story changed character. In the two previous books, we read the letters of a researcher who is interviewing elderly Blaze and Gilfeather for research papers he is sending back to his uncle. In this book, several chapters are bracketed instead by journal entries from the old love interest of said researcher, who is a much open-minded character, to say the least. In the larger story, Larke takes on the narration of Blaze, Gilfeather, Ruarth, and new character whose name I can't remember. Ruarth is now a man trapped on the boat Flame escaped on, only now Flame is tainted with Dun and is becoming more evil by the day. Regardless, he sticks by her side and looks for some sort of way to help her. Gilfeather and Tor join together to find a cure for Dun. Blaze and the kid she picked up on book two are on a rescue mission to stop and capture Flame.

Let me tell you, the action does not stop in these books. I actually begin reading book one while home sick with the flu. In five days I had all three read. I've been very impressed with this author and look forward to reading more by her.

So here we have the conclusion to Larke's 'Isles of Glory' series, which we in Australia have had in our hot little hands for a while now.

This is a great trilogy. Please do not be misled by the unfortunate cover art, which does not reflect the nature of the work. Larke's work is fresh and wondrous, with a truly original fantasy setting handled with the deftest of worldbuilding touches. She writes great characters, throws thorny problems at them, and stands back to let them get on with it.

If you enjoy intelligent, well-crafted and beautifully executed fantasy novels that challenge and delight, you will doubtless enjoy Glenda Larke's series.

I picked this up on a lark in a used book store the other day and I got a lot more than my moneys worth out it!

From the back cover:

"The strangest and deadliest creatures in the universe are quarantined together on the alien biology station Delta III - and exobiologist Rob McGegor is the deadliest of them all. For to find the antitoxin that can save them from disaster, he must infect the woman he loves with the dream plague from beyond the stars."

Vector Analysis is a good old fashioned sci-fi thriller and I tell you it's a lot of fun to read. I expected it would feel dated, but that wasn't the case. I suppose looking back it was ahead of its time. The novel is well balanced by a good story and good science (I read somewhere that the author was a microbiologist by trade). There is a nice mixed of drama and humor thrown in. I highly recommend it!

January 1st, 2002, this world lost one of it's great spirits and damn fine writers.

Jack was the kind of person that could hold a room full of S-F fans in thrall speaking quietly and slowly.

A Storyteller, and this book is arguably his finest.

A medical story, but not really, a Alien story, but not really, a space opera, but not really... a really good story?? REALLY!

You won't get anymore from this source, so you'd best get this one and enjoy it..

and Jack, if you're out there in the ether somewhere, I hope that car with the girls, the cases of beer, and the cartons of luckies found you...

Try "the Fall of Winter" as well. folks.. GOOD stuff.

This is one of my favorite sci-fi novels, a classic! It has an interesting twist that was ahead of it's time: A deadly disease that could threaten earth! I reccomend this to anyone who likes Asimov or Clark. Jack's style reminds me of the best from those two. I can't believe it isn't in print! It is more relevant today in the era of Aids and Ebola than when it was first published. Do yourself a favor - go find a used book store and get yourself a copy, you won't regret it.

As a high school student preparing for the SATs, I found the Vocabulary Booster CD to be a great way to improve my vocabulary. It really helped a lot, and I managed to raise my verbal score by 90 points! I would recommend this CD to anyone who wants to raise their SAT scores.

The Vocabulary Booster CD is one educational resource that will surely be put to use because the student can listen to it while doing almost anything. The words are clearly enunciated by McKenna, the pace is deliberate enough to let the meanings sink in, and the usages are cleverly composed to make the definitions as memorable as possible. As someone with children approaching SAT age, I will certainly have my kids use this before taking the test.

I found this Vocabulary Booster CD to be helpful and convenient in mastering some of the words that commonly come up on the SAT and in English and History. It has 200 vocabulary words on it and they are a good assortment of short words like "abash", "coup", and "ebb", and longer ones like "deleterious", "etymology", and "magnanimous." It also has a good mix of adjectives, verbs, and nouns. Although I knew some of the words already, all of them are high-school or college-level words that are good to know not only for the test but for reading or writing essays.

The CD is well-paced, neither too fast or too slow. The reader states each word carefully twice and gives its part of speech before defining it. This way you can hear the pronunciation and prepare for the meaning and sentence that follow. Most of the sentences use catchy phrases that help you lock the word into memory by repeating the word or its forms and rhyming them. The rhymes are colorful and logical but not silly. For some of the words, the CD also mentions the roots or prefixes, and special uses of the word.

One reason the CD is convenient to use because the words are read in alphabetic order. So if you're interrupted by the telephone, you can stop it and come back to it and remember how far along you were. This also makes it easy to jump back or forward to a particular vocabulary word. It's good to listen to even when you have only 10 or 15 spare minutes, and you can easily listen to it when you're walking, jogging, or riding in a car, bus, or train. But whether you listen to it for a short time or for the entire 74 minutes, you can always adjust to skip words you've already mastered or review ones you've forgotten.

The CD cover lists all of the vocabulary words. You might be able to fit this little pamphlet into your shirt pocket, but I Xeroxed it to keep in a notebook in case I lost it. It's very handy to glance at if you can't bring the CD with you.

This CD is good not just for the SAT or vocabulary tests, but also as a refresher. Even after you already know the words, you can listen to the CD to help remind you to use the words. They help you express your meaning better in essays.

All in all, this CD is easy to understand and easy to use. It definitely helps.

H. (Henry) Beam Piper was one of the most interesting science-fiction authors to come out of the 1950s and 60s; sadly his suicide in 1964 robbed the world of what could have been one of the giants of the industry. This book is a collection of ten short stories that show off Piper's wonderful talent.

1) In Time and Again, a dying soldier is given the chance to return to his youth and change history. 2) The Mercenaries tells the tale of a 1960s, where scientists and the new condottieri. 3) Dearest tells the tale of a man who finds himself in psychic contact with a disembodied entity. 4) Hunter Patrol is one of the most interesting of the stories, it is a time travel story in which a man travels through time to change history and be changed by it. 5) Flight From Tomorrow is the story of a tyrant from the 100 Century of the Atomic Era, who flees into the past - 1950. 6) Operation R.S.V.P. is a story of nuclear brinkmanship with a surprise thrown in. 7) Genesis is one of the few stories in this book that fits in with Piper's Terro-Human History and Paratime stories, telling the story of the disaster that overtook the first human settlers of Earth. 8) The Answer also fits in with Piper's History, explaining the genesis of the atomic war that devastated the north hemisphere of the Earth. 9) In Crossroads of Destiny, a group of passengers on a train discuss alternative histories, and find out that one of them knows more than he's saying. 10) The final story is Day of the Moron, which shows the danger a self-reliant man faces in a world where everyone is interdependent and dependent on morons.

These stories make for an excellent read, and if you are a fan of H. Beam Piper, then this book is definitely one you should get. I highly recommend this book!

Piper's Terro-Human Future History (THFH) begins here.

From the first colonization of Earth, to the events occasionally mentioned in the later volumes and detailed here, the ground work of the THFH can be found here. Right down the very minute that the otherwhen of the THFH begins with the "rebirth" of Alan Hartley in his own adolecent body.

If you are a fan of Piper, find a copy of this volume. It's worth it.

Consists of "Time and Time Again", "The Mercenaries", "Dearest", "Hunter Patrol", "Flight From Tomorrow", "Operation RSVP", "Genesis", "The Answer", "Crossroads of Destiny", and "Day of the Moron".

Provides valuable background information for the Terro-Human Future History, including the Paratime stories.

"Time and Time Again" introduces Allan Hartley, who also appears in the background of "The Mercenaries" and "Day of the Moron".

"The Mercenaries" explores how a Free Scientist team would operate in the real world. Incidentally, the Sugihara effect in the story led, in that history, to the development of collapsium; this is the only story that discusses it in detail. (Try Andre Norton's The Stars Are Ours! for another story of Free Scientists.)

"Hunter Patrol" and "Flight from Tomorrow" are both time travel stories, but not Paratime stories; instead, they deal with the consequences of trying to use time travel to alter the future or the past. (Paratime travel involves travelling to alternate universes, where history played out differently; "Crossroads of Destiny" falls into this category).

In the Paratime universe, humans emigrated to Earth from Mars 75000 years ago. (See "Omnilingual" in Piper's book Federation for background on Martian civilization). On the Paratimers' First Level, colonization was completely successful. On the other 4 Levels, disaster either prevented colonization completely (the Fifth Level) or cut off the colonists from Mars prematurely, and left them to settle Earth with varying degrees of success. "Genesis" presents the story of the disaster that struck the first colony ship, leading to what the Paratimers call the Fourth Level version of history (ours).

"The Answer" covers the historical period just after World War III, when the northern hemisphere has been completely wiped out...but nobody knows why the first strike was directed at Auburn, New York. "Operation RSVP", on the other hand, deals with two nuclear powers who are heading for the brink, but are in for a sharp lesson....

This is a great book. Most of the time, we read stories about the fighter groups and aces when they are flying the latest aircraft in 1944-1945. This time, the story is about a fighter group that fought in the early untold stories of 1942 and 1943 with inferior aircraft. Mr. Hess gives a superb account of the 49th Fighter Group's air battles over the Darwin area and New Guinea airspace. Unlike most books, this one gives the 7th and 8th squadrons of the 49th Fighter Group a chance to tell their stories of their victories while flying the P-40 until September 1944. The book also tells about the 9th fighter squadron flying P-40 until it was re-equipped with P-38. What is amazing is how the 7th and 8th squadrons managed to score as much as the 9th squadron considering the fact the 9th was flying P-38 for nearly 2 years compare to the 7th and 8th who were stuck flying the P-40 for the same time period.

Osprey Publishing has done a series of small books like this on Elite aviation units. The 49th Fighter Group certainly qualifies as an elite unit. Less than a month after Pearl Harbour they were sent to the South Pacific flying P-40's in the defense of Darwin, Australia. They fought up the island hopping campaign until the wars end in 1945 when they were preparing to move to Okinawa for the invasion of Japan itself. Beginning at the end of 1942 the P-40's were gradually replaced with P-38's and P-47's. The most famous Ace of the 49th was Richard Bong - 40 victories. By the end of the war, the 49th as a whole had scored 668 aerial victories.

About half story and half photographs, the book is profusely illustrated with wartime photographs of the aircraft, people and the places where the 49th operated. The written story of the 49th is by William Hess, the official historian of the American Fighter Aces Association.