An anthology collection of science fiction stories, featuring warriors and heroes. The best military science fiction isn’t just a bunch of space battles and cigar-chomping armed combat (although those are fun). The most interesting stories also examine what life in the military actually involves, and what combat can do to a person’s mind. The conflict, the tactics and weapons used for it, and the role of a military service and the individual members of that military organization form the basis for exciting stories of military science fiction. Contents: * Introduction (Robert Adams' Book of Soldiers) • essay by Robert Adams * Clash by Night [Keeps • 1] (1943) / novella by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lawrence O'Donnell] * Among Thieves (1957) / novelette by Poul Anderson * Despoilers of the Golden Empire (1959) / novelette by Randall Garrett * Down Styphon! [Kalvan] (1965) / novelette by H. Beam Piper * Three Soldiers (1978) / novelette by D. C. Poyer * Dragons' Teeth (1975) / novelette by David Drake * Cold Light [Kane] (1973) / novella by Karl Edward Wagner * A Difficult Undertaking [Videssos] (1986) / novelette by Harry Turtledove * Passage to Dilfar [Dilvish] (1965) / short story by Roger Zelazny * Night on Mispec Moor [State/Leshy Circuit] (1974) / short story by Larry Niven * Warrior [Childe Cycle] (1965) / short story by Gordon R. Dickson .
Author
Franklin Robert Adams (August 31, 1933 - January 4, 1990) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, formerly a career soldier. He is best known for his "Horseclans" books. He wrote as Robert Adams, an abbreviated form of his full name. Adams was an early pioneer of the post-holocaust novel. His Horseclans novels are precursors to many of today's attempts at this type of story, many of which do not exhibit his painstakingly detailed world view or extraordinary plot follow-through (many of his Horseclans books are so interlinked that they make sense only when read in order; he did not create many "stand alone" books in the series). Hallmarks of Adams' style include a focus on violent, non-stop action, meticulous detail in matters historical and military, strong description, and digressions expounding on various subjects from a conservative and libertarian viewpoint.
