Bribed to explore a supposedly barren moon, Lt. Flandry finds it swarming with a hideous race of killers, controlled by a deranged computer brain!

Dominic Flandry, troubleshooter for the decaying Terran Empire, returns to the spaceways and becomes tangled up in the well-laid plans of his lifelong enemy, Aycharaych

Idegen űrhajó száll le Angliában a keresztes háborúk idején azzal a céllal, hogy a Föld lakosságát kiirtsák, a használhatóbbakat rabszolgasorba vessék, s a bolygót lakhatóvá tegyék egyre terjeszkedő fajuk számára. Mivel e világon középkori állapotokat találnak, gyanútlanul és hatalmuk tudatában gondatlanul viselkednek, és ez a vesztüket okozza. A keresztesek vezére válogatott lovagjaival rajtaüt az űrhajón, s a váratlan támadást siker koronázza. Az idegeneket kardélre hányják, csak egy foglyot hagynak életben, akit megfelelő módszerekkel kényszerítenek rá, hogy beavassa őket az űrhajó működésébe… És megindul a nagy keresztes hadjárat

In A Stone in Heaven, Dominic Flandry finds friendship, maybe even love, after many years of being totally alone. After A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, Flandry’s life stood in ruins. His Emperor, unbeknownst to him at the time, was dead; his sons were incompetent. His love was dead; his son was dead; he didn’t believe in his job any longer, and he’d taken out his biggest adversary. So, what was left? This book shows the answer: plenty. The younger son of Hans Molitor now holds the throne in his incompetent grasp, and worse, does not like Flandry. So, although Flandry is now a Vice-Admiral and commands much respect, he isn’t thrown too many assignments. On the other hand, he is able to make his own schedule, so when Miriam Abrams, daughter of mentor Max Abrams (his superior in Ensign Flandry), manages to get to him to point out a major problem on Ramnau, he leaves. Once again, he finds intrigue and lots of it, problems, and pain. But unlike A Knight of Ghost and Shadows, Flandry this time finds more while he’s solving the mystery. He and Abrams reach an understanding, and more or less pair off by the end of the book. He also helps solve her problem, take out a would-be Emperor candidate, and rehabilitate his image with Emperor Gerhardt (the younger son of Hans Molitor) in the process, so it’s definitely not a wasted trip

Parts of this book were published before 1965 as separate titles. 1. Tiger by the Tail (1951) 2. The Warriors from Nowhere (1954) 3. Honorable Enemies (1951) 4. Hunters of the SkyCave, also known as A Handful of Stars and We Claim these Stars (1960) Flandry, here a captain, undergoes a series of adventures: He is abducted by the Scothians, an alien race hoping to invade the Terran Empire; rescues the Emperor’s kidnapped granddaughter; meets Aycharaych, his nemesis in league with the Merseians; and investigates a previously unencountered alien race that has invaded the distant colonial world of Vixen

Az igazságtalanul bebörtönzött Malcolm Lockridge ítéletre várakozik, amikor cellájában megjelenik egy csodaszép nő, Storm Darroway, és Lockridge hamarosan kiszabadul. Az ár: el kell kísérnie a titokzatos hölgyet egy igen kockázatos küldetésre. Lockridge mire észbe kap, máris harcba keveredik Storm oldalán különös, fekete egyenruhás alakokkal, s még nagyobb meglepetés éri, amikor az idő rejtélyes folyosóján keresztül jóval az időszámítás előtti korszakba jutnak. Lockridge hamarosan megtudja a teljes igazságot: az emberiség történetének legcsúfabb, legádázabb küzdelmébe csöppent bele, a korszakokon át húzódó időháborúba, az Őrzők és a Védők harcába. Lockridge nem szándékozik részt venni ebben a csatában, mégis a szeszélyes sors eszközévé válik, és hamarosan rájön, miként irányíthatja úgy a háború kimenetelét, hogy az az emberiség számára a leghasznosabb legyen

«Cacciatore di libertà» è un esempio probante di quanto dicevamo nell’introduzione al volume, e cioè che la funzione sociale della fantascienza, nella sua disamina del futuro dell’umanità, deve essere quella di predire le possibili svolte della storia e degli sviluppi tecnologici, ma soprattutto di mostrarci come tali sviluppi influenzeranno la vita della gente. Poul Anderson, uno dei migliori nell’interpretare questo ruolo della fantascienza, considera, in questo umanissimo racconto, i probabili e cupi sviluppi delle nostre crisi ecologiche

La favolosa età del Medio Evo si interseca ai viaggi intergalattici in un complesso misterioso e avvincente. Dalle profondità del cosmo, durante l’era delle Crociate, discende, presso una cittadino della Gran Bretagna, una potente astronave, i cui occupanti, esseri mostruosi, sono vinti da un gruppo di Crociati in attesa di partire per liberare il Santo Sepolcro. Essi si impadroniscono del vascello spaziale, e congetturano di usarlo per recarsi in Terra Santa. Per il tradimento di uno dei mostri superstiti che avrebbe dovuto pilotare l’astronave, i Terrestri si trovano proiettati nello spazio e devono conquistare il pianeta di origine dei Galattici. Avventura del tutto nuova che interesserà per lo spirito di abnegazione e per il coraggio di coloro che intensamente la vivono. Nominato per premio Hugo in 1961

Dominic Flandry, ein Fähnrich im Dienst der terranischen Flotte, wird zur Schlüsselfigur im Ringen der beiden kosmischen Großmächte Terra und Merseia. Der junge Flandry erhält eine Information aus dem Geheimarchiv Merseias zugespielt. Er enträtselt die Botschaft und erfährt, daß ein Planet, auf dem zwei verschiedenartige Völker beheimatet sind, von der Vernichtung bedroht ist — und daß die terranische Flotte in eine Falle gelockt werden soll. Während Freund und Feind Flandry durch das All hetzen, handelt der Fähnrich auf eigene Faust, um das Unheil abzuwenden. Poul Anderson hat bereits mehrere Flandry-Romane geschrieben — sie erschienen in TERRA oder in der Reihe der TERRA-Sonderbände — hier legt der bekannte SF-Autor aus den USA sein neuestes Werk vor, das den Beginn der Karriere des „Spions im All“ zum Inhalt hat

After the first flowering of the Terran Empire, which has grown increasingly decadent and corrupt, other civilizations in the galaxy threaten to take over the Terran's worlds. In this scenario steps the debonair, tough and pessimistic Dominic Flandry, half-Hans Solo, half-James Bond and a hero for the ages!

The planet Ishtar has three suns: Bel, the “real” sun, the Life Giver. Ea, the Companion who warms the Ishtaran summers. Anu, the Demon Star. Mostly Anu is so far away that it is just a light in the Ishtaran sky. But once every thousand years it comes close. It is then that the barbarians must flee their scorched lands, and civilizations fall. The natives call this Fire Time. Always before, its coming had meant the death of a civilization. But this time, the humans are here, and they have brought with them their magical technology. This time things could have been different. Too bad that the humans are suddenly faced with a war of their own, their own Fire Time. Nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1975

A collection of three Flandry tales: • The Game of Glory: Captain Flandry follows a dying man's clue to the watery provincial world of Nyanza, where a rebellion against the Empire may be brewing. • A Message in Secret: Flandry ventures to the remote colonial world of Altai, whose human inhabitants haven't been in contact with the Terran Empire for centuries, and discovers that they are cutting a Faustian deal with the Merseians. • The Plague of Masters: Flandry, of his own volition, decides to investigate the remote and isolated world of Unan Besar, to see exactly why it is they have had no contact with the Empire in over 300 years First published in 1965

Hugo and Nebula award winner Anderson incorporates two stories he wrote for the Asimov’s Universe series into this absorbing posthumous novel, a fast-paced space opera that never lets the reader forget that aliens are alien. At a time when nearly immortal humans have colonized the galaxy, various space-faring species commingle freely and the residents of Earth have become as alien to other humans as true ETs, an astronomical event that may affect all existence is about to take place. Unfortunately, only one set of aliens knows what that event is and their ruling dictatorship is hell-bent on keeping it that way. Lissa Windholm, an Earth woman with a spirit of adventure men find attractive, is determined to uncover the mystery and share the knowledge with everyone. Lissa and her partner Karl, a tyrannosaurus-like scientist, make some startling archeological discoveries on the planet Jonna about beings known as the Forerunners, but a psychologically scarred starship captain and an impressively ancient and profit-minded human rogue have other plans for the relics. Moving from one key sequence to another, Anderson omits much of the buildup and back story customary for such epic-scale SF, yet his protagonists and the worlds they explore always feel rich and real

If we allow irreplaceable wilderness areas to disappear, the quality of life in the future will be seriously diminished. Perhaps we’re living in the last Golden Age right now; if so, imagine how nostalgic and envious future generations may feel about our time. And if they should develop a means of time travel…?

Im Jahre 1345 trägt sich eine höchst erstaunliche Geschichte zu. Ein Raumschiff der eroberungslustigen Wersgorix — blaugesichtige Aliens, die sich ein Stemenimperium zusammengeraubt haben — landet im englischen Lincolnshire. Angesichts der Burg von Sir Roger Baron de Toumeville und der armseligen Hütten des Dorfes am Fuße der Burg sowie der mittelalterlichen Rüstung und Bewaffnung von Sir Roger und seinen Mannen glauben die Fremden ein leichtes Spiel zu haben. Kurz entschlossen greifen sie an. Aber sie haben die Rechnung ohne den gleichermaßen beherzten wie pfiffigen Sir Roger gemacht. Statt das Hasenpanier zu ergreifen, startet er einen Gegenangriff und überrumpelt die im Nahkampf unerfahrenen Aliens. Alle bis auf einen läßt Sir Roger niedermachen. Dieser eine soll in einer hochnotpeinlichen Befragung die Geheimnisse der Himmelsmaschine preisgeben. Aber der Wersgorix zeigt sich nur scheinbar kooperativ. Als Sir Roger samt Kind und Kegel aufbricht, um mit Hilfe des Raumschiffes in Windeseile zu Kriegsschauplätzen in Frankreich und im Heiligen Land zu gelangen, rächt sich der die Steuerung programmierte Alien. Statt im Heiligen Land landet das Schiff auf einem schwerbewaffneten Außenposten des Wersgorix-Imperiums. Mann und Roß, Lanze und Schwert im Kampf mit einem Gegner, der über eine Supertechnik verfügt — der Ausgang dieser Auseinandersetzung scheint über jeden Zweifel erhaben zu sein. Aber der Schein trügt. Sir Roger hat noch viele Lektionen für die kriegerischen Wersgorix parat

Won Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Novelette in 1973

Parts of this book were published as separate short stories in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction: “Time Patrol” May 1955; “Delenda est” Dec 1955; “Brave To Be A King” Aug 1959; “The Only Game in Town” Jan 1960; “Gibraltar Falls” Oct 1975. Guardians of Time collection was first published in Oct 1962; “Gibraltar Falls” was added to it in Oct 1981 edition

Vincitore dei premi Hugo e Nebula per il miglior romanzo breve (Novella) in 1982

Il tempo: un futuro lontanissimo, quando la stessa fantascienza sarà divenuta leggenda di ere remote. II luogo: lo spazio intergalattico, dove si prepara la più feroce guerra dell’universo. I motivi: l’Impero Terrestre, colonialista ed espansionista, non sopporta la vicinanza del Dominio di Ythri, una federazione di mondi con un sistema sociale molto prossimo all’anarchia. Gli Ythrani, antichissimo popolo di uomini-uccello la cui storia si è già intrecciata in passato con quella umana, non hanno la forza militare necessaria a respingere l’invasione terrestre, e devono arrendersi ben presto. Tutto fa credere che per la civiltà di Ythri sia la fine, ma c’è un mondo, un solo pianeta che è capace di tenere in scacco l’immensa flotta Imperiale. E’ il mondo di Avalon, l’unico nella galassia dove umani e Ythrani convivono in perfetta armonia. La loro civiltà «mista» darà una lezione di storia (e di tattica militare, se è per questo) che difficilmente i pianeti dello spazio potranno dimenticare

Ever think how deadly a thing it is if a machine has amnesia— or how easily it can be arranged

Als kleine jongen al ontdekt Jack Havig dat hij slechts door het te willen vóor- en achteruit in de tijd kan reizen. Aanvankelijk gebruikt hij deze gave louter voor zijn plezier — zo gaat hij een tijdje samenwonen met een meisje in de tijd van Shakespeare. Als hij echter ouder wordt, bemerkt hij dat de ‘Oorlog des Oordeels’ de uitroeiing zal betekenen van vrijwel de gehele mensheid. Vanaf dat moment zet hij zich in om in die na-decatastrofe-periode de beschaving terug te brengen. Hij gaat daartoe op zoek naar mede-tijdreizigers die in de 21 e eeuw met hetzelfde doel een feodaal staatje hebben gesticht. Maar al reizend in de tijd merkt hij dat in het 13e eeuwse Constantinopel de medaille een keerzijde heeft… Ook in ‘Komt tijd…’ (oorspronkelijke titel ‘There will be time’) verweeft Poul Anderson zijn grote historische en kulturele kennis in een fascinerend relaas. Daarin plaatst hij de lezer door de grote verscheidenheid van lokaties in ruimte en tijd telkens voor nieuwe verrassingen. Nochtans slaagt Anderson erin een hechte plot te bewaren, waarin vele kleurrijke karakters optreden. Poul Anderson wordt door een enorme schare lezers ons inziens terecht beschouwd als de ‘primus inter pares’. Daarvan levert ‘Komt tijd…’ opnieuw een overtuigend bewijs

„Przez Obłoczne Błonia podskokami zbliżała się jakaś postać. Miała dwie ręce i dwie nogi, jednak jej stopy były chwytne, a całe ciało, aż po koniec ogona i szerokich skrzydeł, pokrywały pióra. Jej twarz na wpół ludzka, była niemal całkowicie wypełniona wielkimi oczyma…”

Nagroda Hugo 1979