Berserker The Ultimate Enemy

Long ago, in a distant part of the galaxy, two alien races met—and fought a war of mutual extinction. The sole legacy of that war was the weapon that ended it: the death machines, the BERSERKERS. Guided by self-aware computers more intelligent than any human, these world-sized battle craft carved a swath of death through the galaxy—until they arrived at the outskirts of the fledgling Empire of Man. These are the stories of the frail creatures who must meet this monstrous and implacable enemy—and who, by fighting it to a standstill, become the saviors of all living things. With help from wherever they can find it, including World War I fighters and stomatopods, earth descended humans face the ultimate enemy of all life. A Saberhagen classic book length collection of the nine Berserker stories: The Smile, Pressure, The Annihilation Of Angkor Apeiron, Inhuman Error, Some Events At The Templar Radiant, Starsong, Smasher, The Game, Wings Out Of Shadow.

Nine visions of the future of warã In this explosive anthology, ten of science fiction's best new and classic writers imagine the soldiers who will one day fight and die on distant worlds. _The Gardens of SaturnÓ by Paul J. McAuley _Soldiers HomeÓ by William Barton _LegaciesÓ by Tom Purdom _Mood DuelÓ by Fritz Leiber _SaviorÓ by Robert Reed _ Galactic NorthÓ by Alastair Reynolds _ Masque of the Red ShiftÓ by Fred Saberhagen _Time PieceÓ by Joe Haldeman _On the Orion LineÓ by Stephen Baxter At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Long ago, in a distant part of the galaxy, two alien races met—and fought a war of mutual extinction. The sole legacy of that war was the weapon that ended it: the death machines, the BERSERKERS. Guided by self-aware computers more intelligent than any human, these world-sized battle craft carved a swath of death through the galaxy—until they arrived at the outskirts of the fledgling Empire of Man. These are the stories of the frail creatures who must meet this monstrous and implacable enemy—and who, by fighting it to a standstill, become the saviors of all living things. This is Saberhagen’s classic book length collection of the first eleven Berserker stories. Meet Berserker hunter extraordinaire Johann Karlsen, his evil brother Felipe Nogara, The Third Historian of the Carmpan Race, gallant fighters of the killer machines and the deranged killer machine, Mr. Jester.

Master storyteller Fred Saberhagen continues his bestselling Berserker© series, detailing humanity's war with the dreaded juggernaut-like machines programmed to destroy all life in the galaxy. In the Twin World planets, Prairie and Timber, Plenipotentiary Gregor is determined to serve his government. Even if it means executing innocent Huvean hostages, invaders from another planet. And even though Gregor's granddaughter, Luon, is in love with Reggie, a Huvean. But now the Berserkers are threatening the Twin Worlds crashing a scoutship, capturing the planets' president, and reprogramming his brain to suit their violent agenda. And only the Huveans, in a desperate reprieve, can save the Twin Worlds' populace from annihilation.

Independent pilot and sometime berserker hunter Harry Silver is being hounded by the Space Force on suspicion of possession of an illegal, high-powered weapon. To avoid confiscation of his beloved ship the Witch, Harry agrees to a quick evacuation of a trio of refugees from the doomed Hong’s World. Destination – Maracanda, an azlaroc-type body, a curious non-planet where geography seems more like geometry and the soil itself can be a drug. Maracanda’s geography has the attention of berserkers, rogue killer machines programmed to destroy all life, especially human life. With help from ‘goodlife’, the berserkers could turn the strange combination of neutron star, black hole and Maracanda’s extra-ordinary geography into massive galactic destruction. Harry teams with a woman disenchanted with her fanatical husband and an accidentally helpful smuggler acquaintance in an attempt to save the galaxy. A grand military space story with engaging characters and a strikingly original and imaginative setting.

 An ancient berserker, a gigantic space going killer machine programmed to destroy all life, seizes a space laboratory devoted to preserving a vast number of human zygotes. The zygotes are being stored for retrieval and growth in a future colonization project. Captain Dirac Sardou, whose wife and zygote were on the space vehicle, is obsessed with pursuit of the berserker. During the chase, mysteriously the laboratory, Captain Sardou’s ship, and the berserker disappear. Three hundred years after the disappearance, evidence of the missing vehicles and the damaged berserker is found. The would be rescuers are confounded. Why didn’t the berserker destroy the Captain’s ship? Why hasn’t the berserker destroyed the vessel filled with nascent life? A fast paced space adventure.

Berserkers are self-replicating killer machines, programmed by an ancient race to be the ultimate weapon of war. Something went wrong. The weapons now plagued the universe following a single mandate: kill all life, especially earth descended human life. Harry Silver, spaceman extraordinaire, has a well earned reputation as the galaxies most successful Berserker fighter. However, recently during a battle with Berserkers, he lost his beloved starship The Witch of Endor. Mr. Cheng, one of the universes wealthiest businessmen, is offering Harry the ship of his dreams, if Harry will undertake an almost certainly suicidal hostage rescue mission. Harry is reluctant, until he learns his wife and son may be among the hostages. On his mission, Harry encounters a number of humans and machines whose ethical programming has gone astray. Battles of wit and cunning accompany Harry’s struggles.