John F. Carr

Falkenberg's Regiment

War World

H. Beam Piper is one of science fiction’s most enigmatic writers. In 1946 Piper appeared seemingly from out of nowhere, already at the top of his form. He published a number of memorable short stories in the premier science fiction magazine of the time, Astounding Science Fiction, under legendary editor John W. Campbell. Piper quickly became friends with many of the top writers of the day, including Lester Del Rey, Fletcher Pratt, Robert Heinlein and L. Sprague de Camp. Piper also successfully made the turn from promising short story writer to major novelist, authoring Four-Day Planet, Cosmic Computer, Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen and Little Fuzzy, which was nominated for a Hugo award. Even those who counted Piper among their friends knew very little about the man or his life as a railroad yard bull in Altoona, Pennsylvania. This biography illuminates H. Beam Piper, both the writer and the man, and answers lingering questions about his death. Appendices include a number of Piper’s personal papers, a complete bibliography of Piper’s works, and an essay on Piper’s Terro-Human Future History series.

A Biography

H. Beam Piper

Mike Robertson

SPACE VIKING'S THRONE by John F. Carr & Mike Robertson is the concluding sequel to The Last Space Viking, which is set at the end of the First Interregnum of H. Beam Piper's galaxy spanning Terro-Human Future History. A century after H. Beam Piper's seminal novel Space Viking, a new powerful entity, the Mardukan Empire, has arisen from the ashes of Lucas Trask's League of Civilized Worlds. This new Empire has set, as its primary mission: the consolidation of Terro-Human space under their aegis. This means the elimination of all competing sovereignties, most especially the Space Vikings and the destruction of their Old Federation base worlds. Captain David Morland, formerly of Joyeuse, started his career as a Space Viking in the twilight of the Sword-World's reign of fear. The time when Space Vikings terrorized the Neobarbarian worlds of the former Terran Federation has come to an end. The Sword-Worlds, locked into endless rounds of fratricidal war, are unable to come to the aid of their brethren in the former Terran Federation. The Imperial Navy is now playing a game of cat and mouse; suddenly, Space Vikings find they are the prey, not the hunters! Lucas Trask's dream is dead: The League of Civilized Worlds is no more. Tanith is quickly reverting to a backwater world. The Trasks are forced to watch impotently as events pass them by. Meanwhile, on far away Poictesme-one of Morland's base worlds-events are occurring that may rock the very foundations of the Old Federation. Prince David Morland, the last of the great Space Viking captains, is being hunted by Captain Vandarvant of the Imperial Mardukan Navy. Vandarvant is consumed with revenge; he wants to pay-back Morland for defeating him and almost destroying his ship, the Challenger. While the new Empire casts its nets far and wide to catch the last of the Space Vikings, Prince Morland works furiously in a race against time to establish a base world on far off Sarpanitum that can sustain itself against even the mighty Mardukan Empire. Because, whether Morland likes it or not, the Empire is coming! Space Viking's Throne is the third novel set in the Space Viking series.

Space Viking's Throne

Jerry Pournelle

Blood and Iron

Created by the bestselling SF novelist Jerry Pournelle, THERE WILL BE WAR is a landmark science fiction anthology series that combines top-notch military science fiction with factual essays by various generals and military experts on everything from High Frontier and the Strategic Defense Initiative to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It features some of the greatest military science fiction ever published, such Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" in Volume I and Joel Rosenberg's "Cincinnatus" in Volume II. Many science fiction greats were featured in the original nine-volume series, which ran from 1982 to 1990, including Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Gordon Dickson, Poul Anderson, John Brunner, Gregory Benford, Robert Silverberg, Harry Turtledove, and Ben Bova. 33 years later, Castalia House has teamed up with Dr. Pournelle to make this classic science fiction series available to the public again. THERE WILL BE WAR is a treasure trove of science fiction and history that will educate and amaze new readers while reminding old ones how much the world has changed over the last three decades. Most of the stories, like war itself, remain entirely relevant today. ﻿THERE WILL BE WAR Volume I is edited by Jerry Pournelle and John F. Carr, and features 23 stories, articles, and poems. Of particular note are "Reflex" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, the original "Ender's Game" novella by Orson Scott Card, "The Defenders" by Philip K. Dick, and a highly influential pair of essays devoted to the then-revolutionary concept of "High Frontier" by Robert A. Heinlein and Lt. General Daniel Graham.

There Will Be War Volume I

Wolfgang Diehr

Set in the alternate world of the Five Kingdoms created by H. Beam Piper, The Hos-Blethan Affair is the seventh book in the Kalvan Saga, and written by John F. Carr & Wolfgang Diehr. The Hos-Blethan Affair is the 4th volume in the Kalvan Saga, taking place after Kalvan Kingmaker and just before, as well as at the same time, as Siege of Tarr-Hostigos by John F. Carr After their military losses in Hos-Harphax, Styphon's House uses their influence to gather the greatest army in the history of the Five Great Kingdoms. It's time to put an end to the Usurper Kalvan's rule in Hos-Hostigos. The Grand Host of Styphon will be led by Captain-General Phidestros and Grand Master Soton of the Zarthani Knights. This time Styphon's House means business! Upon learning of this new threat, Great King Kalvan dispatches his Chief of Intelligence and Colonel Democriphon with a team of trusted lieutenants to try and subvert the Kingdom of Hos-Bletha; thereby forcing Great King Niclophon to keep his troops at home. As the Grand Host of Styphon's House gathers in Harphax Town to assemble their great army, it is up to Duke Skranga to see that the Blethans stay in Hos-Bletha. When Skranga and his band arrive in Hos-Bletha, they begin a guerilla action to take Niclophon out of the war. Basing their tactics on Kalvan's tales about Robin Hood and some improvised madness of their own, skuch as the incarnation of Galzar, the band of Hostigi brothers creates havoc throughout the Kingdom as they target Styphon's House temples and rich merchants. But, will this enough to keep Great King Niclophon and his army pinned down in Hos-Bletha?

The Hos-Blethan Affair

A selection of science fiction stories by authors such as Robert Silverberg, Gregory Benford, and David Brin is accompanied by analyses of trends in science fiction in 1984

The Science Fiction Yearbook

Dietmar Wehr

THE MERLIN GAMBIT by John F. Carr & Dietmar Wehr opens five years after the events in H. Beam Piper's classic novel, The Cosmic Computer. The planet Poictesme is in the middle of an economic boom and Conn Maxwell is both happily married and a new father. The Maxwell Plan is working even better than expected. Tri-System Interstellar spaceships are moving Poictesme's products throughout the Terran Federation and it looks like the bad times are finally over. However, storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. Space piracy has suddenly struck out of nowhere, but the pirates are only attacking Tri-System Interstellar freighters. It appears that someone is playing a deadly chess game with Merlin and the Merlin-12 Group. These new events cause Conn Maxwell to wonder if the Federation High Command built more than one super-computer. Is it possible that a Merlin double is working against them? In an attempt to uncover their mysterious opponent, Conn makes a trip to Terra to find the answers they so desperately need. Meanwhile, an unexpected series of discoveries made on Koshchei suddenly jeopardizes not only the Maxwell plan, but very heart of the Federation. This unexpected wild-card could change the balance of power throughout humanities' sphere of worlds, leading to the era of interstellar warfare that the Merlin-12 Group has worked so hard to prevent.

The Merlin Gambit

Roland Green

When Calvin Morrison, a Pennsylvania street cop, is captured by a flying saucer and transported into a dangerous parallel Earth, he must lead the kingdom of Hos-Hostigos in a battle against savage warriors

Great Kings' War

H. Beam Piper is one of science fiction's most enigmatic writers. In 1946 Piper appeared seemingly from out of nowhere, already at the top of his form. He published a number of memorable short stories in the premier science fiction magazine of the time, Astounding Science Fiction, under legendary editor John W. Campbell. Piper quickly became friends with many of the top writers of the day, including Lester Del Rey, Fletcher Pratt, Robert Heinlein and L. Sprague de Camp. Piper also successfully made the turn from promising short story writer to major novelist, authoring Four-Day Planet, Cosmic Computer, Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen and Little Fuzzy, which was nominated for a Hugo award. Even those who counted Piper among their friends knew very little about the man or his life as a railroad yard bull in Altoona, Pennsylvania. This biography illuminates H. Beam Piper, both the writer and the man, and answers lingering questions about his death. Appendices include a number of Piper's personal papers, a complete bibliography of Piper's works, and an essay on Piper's Terro-Human Future History series.

Empires do not grow old gracefully. As the edifice of ancient government succumbs to entropy, as civil war reigns, the result is indeed interesting times, the times of interstellar Huns locked in mortal combat with Imperial storm troopers.

John F. Carr

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