Bøger af Damon Knight

Poor lame Thorinn is thrown into a well by his father to appease the rumbling gods, and cursed to Go Down... and down he goes, breaking through floors, ceilings and walls into amazing new worlds. "A brilliant book by an excellent writer." -Goodreads

Sea Venture, CV for short, is the largest ocean-going vessel ever built by man. It is not a ship but a huge sea habitat housing a scientific research station, an entire city of thousands of permanent residents and passengers. For some, CV is the vacation dream of a lifetime; for others, a vision of man's conquest of the seas; for two men it becomes the arena for a deadly game of cat and mouse. But for one, CV is something else: a place to stalk its next victim. It is not human, it is not even of Earthly origin. To be touched by it is deadly. What importance are the hopes and dreams, fears and schemes of the people of Sea Venture when they are threatened by a force that could destroy all of human civilization. From Damon Knight, a SFWA Grand Master - step on board CV now!

A collection of five short novels & short stories from a SFWA Grandmaster. Is teaching dolphins to be scientists a good idea? Ruminations on God's Nose... What would Jesus be like in another dimension? How many ghosts inhabit your body? And what's suddenly happening to people in New York City?Contains: WHAT ROUGH BEASTTHE SECOND-CLASS CITIZENBE MY GUESTGOD'S NOSECATCH THAT MARTIAN

The Third Little Green Man, is a classical and a rare book, that has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and redesigned. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work, and hence their text is clear and readable. This remarkable volume falls within the genres of Language and Literatures American and Canadian literature

Part of the Damon Knight Library, republishing all of Damon's books in conjunction with his estate!A physics professor begins to doubt that he is a human being. He imagines that he may have been sent from another world to rescue Earth... or perhaps to destroy it? Solving the mystery takes him far into the future...Damon Knight is a SFWA Grandmaster (indeed, the Grandmaster award is now named the Damon Knight Grandmaster award!) and is the founder of SFWA.

Republishing all of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight's books, in conjunction with the author's estate - see all of Damon Knight's books from ReAnimus Press!Anti-social behavior is "cured"? by giving everyone an "analogue", a mental imprint of an authority figure that intervenes whenever violent or otherwise harmful acts are contemplated.What could be more perfect? Twenty-first century civilization has no war, no anxiety, no poverty. Why? Because you have a remote-control, computer conscience, keeping you on the straight and narrow. There's one small catch, of course: you have no choice. You are a prisoner of mental manipulation.Young Arthur Bass is an Immune, one of the few who has escaped this stifling control. But when his "subversive" nature is discovered, he must flee or be annihilated. As an undergroundwanderer and explorer, he meets brilliant and beautiful Annie Silvers. Together, they become rebels determined to rescue human beings from the robot state. But being a rebel is the most dangerous profession of all."One of the most perceptive, fascinating, and delightfully horrible Utopias I've ever read."-Robert A. W. Lowndes"There's a voice in your brain...but its not yours! Nerve-shattering...a chase sequence on a par with the best of Hitchcock"-The New York Times

Republishing all of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight's books, in conjunction with the author's family - see all of Damon Knight's books from ReAnimus Press!A psychological thriller that follows an Earth security officer in the future who is racing against time to locate an alien spy. This is one of the first books to feature a surveillance drone.In the year 2521, the xenophobic Earth is the dominant power in a Galactic empire, with a policy of ruthlessly conquering or undermining other alien races it encounters. The latest are the Rithians, and after some years of clandestine harassment by Earth, the Rithians have managed to place a group of spies disguised as humans on the Earth.How do you find a space spy who substitutes perfectly for anyone in the universe?The fate of the Earth Empire hangs in the balance-and Security Commissioner Spangler knows it's up to him to find the monster, the Rithian Terror. Seven Rithians had landed on earth. Six had been disposed of. One was loose. It could look like anyone. Can Spangler find the spy in time? Can the Empire survive? Should it?

An excellent collection of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight's always-excellent stories-three short novels in this case: Rule Golden-what if the Golden Rule were enforced in reverse by some force-the bad things you do to others are done to you?Natural State-are cities doomed by genetic engineering?The Dying Man-what would it be like to be immortal... then suddenly find out you'd become mortal?(Note that Rule Golden and Other Stories includes these same three, plus two more.)

A zoo acquires a new specimen: "Fritz", a biped from "Brecht's planet." Fritz is intelligent, and his keepers treat him with a mix of courtesy and disdain; he is kept in a display with another (presumably female) biped and the two are required to work for a living, transcribing tapes made by explorers to their planet. One day, Martin Naumchik, a human male, is visiting the zoo when his personality and that of the biped are interchanged. The switch is the unintended consequence of an experiment in time travel that takes place at another location. Can they come to terms with their new bodies and new feelings? Who is really who?

Another excellent collection of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight's always-excellent stories-five novellas in this case, generally circling around "the great unsolved problem of politics: how to keep the bastards from grinding you down."Rule Golden-what if the Golden Rule were enforced in reverse by some force-the bad things you do to others are done to you?Natural State-are cities doomed by genetic engineering?Double Meaning-a race against time to find a shape-shifting alien spy.The Earth Quarter-why did the aliens on a remote planet keep all the humans locked inside a section of the city?The Dying Man-what would it be like to be immortal... then suddenly find out you'd become mortal?

An excellent collection of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight's stories, including several classics.What happens when society is unwilling to inflict punishment? When explorers fall into a very strange pool? When man meets machine? Dive in deep to find out...Contains: Four in OneAn Eye for a What?The HandlerStranger StationAsk Me AnythingThe Country of the KindTicket to AnywhereBeachcomber

In the 21st century, Ed Stone says he's been in suspended animation since the 1930s--put there by aliens who have sent him on a mission: convince the nations of the world to build a massive vault, and put all the billions of humanity into suspended animation to survive the Earth's impending destruction. Strangest of all: Everybody believes him.

A collection of short stories and novelettes selected and written by SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight. From the introduction: This series of stories begins with the Creation and ends with the Last Trump, touching a few bases in between, and I think that's not too bad for a book this size.

Another excellent collection of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight's stories, including several classics.What would happen if you could invent any vision you liked? If you could turn back time? If vampires were plants? Turn on your eyeballs and find out...Contains: SEMPER FITHE BIG PAT BOOMMAN IN THE JARTHE HANDLERMARYAUTO-DA-F�TO THE PUREERIPMAVBACKWARD, O TIMETHE NIGHT OF LIESMAID TO MEASURECOLLECTOR'S ITEMA LIKELY STORYDON'T LIVE IN THE PAST

Sequel to CV and The Observers. After invading Sea Venture, Earth's largest ocean habitat, the Symbionts have infected the bodies of both humans and animals. Now, people become smarter-or they die. Violence is punished by instant execution from within. But there are those who would turn back the clock-to prevent a reasonable world. 3rd in the CV series from Damon Knight, a SFWA Grand Master.

Bonus! Two chapbooks on writing from the master.Faking Out the Reader focuses on using "head fakes" in writing for delightful results.It All Begins with Characters is a brief masterclass on how to create the best characters.Both of these were originally published in Pulphouse Publishing's "Writer's Chapbook Series" (#27 and #37, respectively). Both of Damon's contributions to the series are presented here in one volume for your enjoyment and writerly improvement.

A classic must-have for all readers and writers of science fiction! Damon Knight effectively invented science fiction criticism. His reviews were not mere statements of his personal preferences-his skillful essays analyzed the books and told why they were good or bad, to the edification of readers, the delight of good writers, and the embarrassment of bad ones. In this unique critical study of science fiction, Mr. Knight works on the principle that science fiction is a form of literature which needs no apologies and no special dispensations: it can and should be judged by the same high standards that apply to all literature. His incisive and knowing criticism covers the field brilliantly, from "Classics" to "Chuckleheads." Readers will delight in his laser-sharp thoughts on favorite books, and writers will find his criqitues of the classics invaluable in improving their own craft. This expanded Third Edition is 150,000 words, up from 120,000 in the 1967 Second Edition, and double the length of the 1956 First Edition. This new edition adds a chapter of autobiography, articles on writing and teaching science fiction, and other fascinating essays. Even if you already have the first or second editions, you should consider getting this edition simply for the new material, which includes: Chapter 1: Myself When Young [autobiographical]; Chap. 13: The Excluded Data [about Charles Fort]; Chap. 29: Milford and Clarion; Chap. 30: Science and the World; Chap. 31: What Is Science Fiction, Anyway?; Chap. 32: Writing Science Fiction; a major expansion of Chapter 5, discussing John W. Campbell, Jr.; and other additions and emendations. Table of Contents Introduction by Anthony Boucher Author's Notes Myself When Young Critics The Classics Chuckleheads Campbell and His Decade Cosmic Jerrybuilder: A. E. van Vogt Half-Bad Writers One Sane Man: Robert A. Heinlein Asimov and Empire More Chuckleheads When I Was in Kneepants: Ray Bradbury The Vorpal Pen: Theodore Sturgeon The Excluded Data: Charles Fort Microcosmic Moskowitz Anthologies Half Loaves Genius to Order: Kuttner and Moore Kornbluth and the Silver Lexicon The Jagged Blade: James Blish Overalls on Parnassus: Fletcher Pratt Amphibians New Stars Curiosa br-r-r! Decadents Britons Pitfalls and Dead Ends Symbolism Milford and Clarion Science and the World What Is Science Fiction, Anyway? Writing Science Fiction What next Bibliography Index Knight has long been a pithy and insightful commentator on science fiction, and the new material-written mostly a decade or more ago--alters that description in neither jot nor tittle ... his book is the perfect companion to your collection of favorites. -Analog

This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.

When Wellington Stout is shot in the head in a restaurant in Milan, the bullet shatters not only his skull but the surface of reality itself. Suddenly Stout is falling through a world turned inside out, encountering extraterrestrial shoe salesmen, a mystical cabal of dentists, and an invading army from the planet Mongo. A New York Times Notable Book.

What would happen if someone invented a machine that could create an exact duplicate of anything? That is the simple but remarkable premise of Damon Knight's classic 1959 novel, A for Anything. "The Gismo," as the machine is known, seems like it will end poverty and need forever. But of course, things are not that simple. Like any truly great work of science fiction, Knight's novel boldly pursues the ramifications of his premise. What will people do if there is no longer any need to work for anything? What happens if this device is spread carelessly throughout the world (it can even duplicate itself!). Finally, there is the supreme and most chilling of questions: what happens if you try to duplicate a human being?A for Anything is a classic work of science fiction, but it considers questions that are as relevant and compelling today as they were fifty years ago, perhaps more so. Like most of us, Knight watches the mind-boggling technological advancements of our time with a mixture of awe and alarm, and wonders whether we are really in control of the things we are creating. Knight has put his finger on the pulse of our modern sensibility and, mixed with his truly remarkable imagination, created a novel that is gripping, thought-provoking and impossible to put down.

With an introduction by R. Buckminster Fuller.Charles Fort devoted his life to attacking one of the modern world's most sacred cows: traditional science, with all its authority and all its presuppositions. His method was simple: he collected and published reliable accounts of events that science cannot explain-colored rains, living things such as frogs falling to earth, unknown objects in space and in the oceans, people who have mysteriously appeared and disappeared, and a whole catalogue of other curiosities. His boldness, imagination and conviction earned him the admiration of many of his most famous contemporaries, including Theodore Dreiser, Ben Hecht, Alexander Woollcott, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Even today scientists explore the implications of Fortean material.This book is the first full-scale biography of Charles Fort, a lively, sympathetic, and thought-provoking portrait of a strange and brilliant man."Every science is a mutilated octopus. If its tentacles were not clipped to stumps, it would feel its way into disturbing contacts." So Charles Fort wrote and so he believed. And out of this believe came-The Book of the Damned, Lo!, New Lands, Wild Talents-books filled with highly credible reports of events that the octopus sought to avoid: red snows, blue rains, and showers of dead leaves in April; heavenly bodies, individuals, and even entire races disappearing without a trace; wheels of light in the ocean, unfamiliar objects in the sky, and invisible forces in his own apartment."I do not know how to find out anything new without being offensive," this gentle, shy, but fiercely determined man once said. The history of science is full of such "offensive" men, from Galileo to Velikovsky. And, as this perceptive, comprehensive biography shows, the data Fort gathered may lead us all to new frontiers that can now scarcely be imagined.

A poet, a millionaire, a circus freak. Gene Anderson was all these and much more. An incredible eight-and-a-half-foot giant, he had a power, a gift that enabled him to reach into other worlds and bring back miracles into this one. He saw a magnificence in the universe that nobody had ever seen and brought the light of truth to man where only darkness had been. But like all prophets, hew was feared as much as loved-and hated by one tortured soul who was determined to see him die...

Everyone believed that the mysterious plague which surfaced on board the huge oceangoing habitat Sea Venture had been stopped dead in the middle of the ocean. Nobody reckoned with Julie Prescott's unborn baby -nobody even thought about whether pregnant women could bring the parasite back to shore. Julie herself didn't reckon with what kind of man she'd fallen in love with. John Stevens wasn't your average guy, despite how he seemed. In fact, he was a highly-skilled assassin. McNulty's disease, as the alien plague came to be called, changed his life and his values -but didn't take away any of his skills. When McNulty's symptoms started showing up in the population on land, panic ensued. Though McNulty's was not fatal, and recovering patients showed no ill effects, scientific and popular opinion feared that too little was known and the disease must be curbed at all cost. A concentration camp of all McNulty's survivors would be set up -and where better than on the Sea Venture itself? But John Stevens wasn't the kind of man to let his family be imprisoned... In The Observers, Damon Knight has skillfully combined a gripping tale of suspense with a thoughtful examination of contemporary social values. From Damon Knight, a SFWA Grand Master.

One of science fiction's preeminent writers for more than forty years, Damon Knight has always been considered a master of the short story. Deemed "a brilliant craftsman who can handle any story form with crisp finesse" by Alfred Bester, and considered "one of the very finest short-story writers ever to work in the genre" by Gardner Dozois, Damon Knight has authored classics such as "To Serve Man," "Four in One," "Stranger Station," and "The Big Pat Boom."In these seventeen tales, ranging from visions of the infinite to perceptions of the pedestrian, Damon Knight remains relentlessly at the top of his form. His vorpal wit glitters in "The Time Exchange," while "La Ronde" glows with polished beauty; the utopian insight of "I See You" is as sharp as the jagged pain of "Each Prisoner Pent." "The Very Objectionable Mr. Clegg" turns things on their heads, while "Strangers on Paradise" depicts a world set right-perhaps too right. Throughout these stories runs a deep commitment best called art.Frequently reprehensible, consistently unclassifiable, elegantly beautiful, and entirely enjoyable, One Side Laughing is a collection of vintage Damon Knight. As powerful as they are pleasurable, these tales are treasures to be read, and read, and read again. Forever. Praise for Damon Knight"[Damon Knight] has not only a scintillating imagination but also the mastery of words necessary to describe his visions beautifully."-James Michener"Damon Knight's own writing has always been a showcase for the best of New Wave ideals. He knows English; he thinks through implications; but his characters live and breathe, and any of the stories in this book may shake your notion of what shape a story may have."-Larry Niven"The fiction of Damon Knight...has that unpretentious ease and rightness which a reviewer calls, for lack of a more analytical term, readability. Though it deals always with ideas and often with technologies, it is miraculously clear even to the reader who has never before encountered science fiction. Knight is surely one of the most civilized of science-fiction writers."-Anthony Boucher"Knight is a man of stature and quality, a writer of importance, and a writer whose works will be a new and perhaps jarring experience for many people."-Barry N. Malzberg

Two science fiction novels of tomorrowWorld Without Children: When humans can live for thousands of years, will it doom itself to extinction?The Earth Quarter: Why did the aliens on a remote planet keep all the humans locked inside a section of the city?Humans are used to be the top dog wherever they are-what are they going to do about it?

SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight was primarily known for his short stories, and this is his first collection of his finest stories.

The best short stories of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight, who was best known for his short stories, filled with sardonic wit and unusual adventure-so this is a collection of the best of the best of the best. 'Nuff said. Read & enjoy!

A time travel expedition through the stories of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight. Here are six of his stories and two essays, including a story never before published.Includes Damon's analysis of various definitions of Science Fiction, an interesting discussion for science fiction writers.Stories include "I See You," a still relevant Hugo nominee in which anyone can see anyone and anything, past or present, and there is no such time as privacy."Tarcan of the Hoboes," a parody of Tarzan in which the son of an American millionaire is raised in the wild by hoboes."The Cage," a previously unpublished story about a man's attempt to escape the cage his life has become."Good-bye, Henry J. Kostkos, Goodbye," an insightful, biting essay about science fiction's old guard.With an introduction by Kate Wilhelm.Created originally in conjunction with Damon's appearance as Guest of Honor at Boskone XXII.

SHOWDOWN WITH MONSTERS!Alvah Gustad was typical of New York City's twenty million citizens. He took for granted such luxuries as synthetic food and robot-servants, and he knew beyond a doubt that the Cities offered the only acceptable way of life for civilized Man!But roaming the vast plains between the continent's five Cities, ever growing and expanding, were the dreaded tribes of Muckfeet. In direct antithesis to the City dwellers, these illiterate savages actually grew food and raised animals. And how they smelled! It was so bad that Alvah could feel his stomach churn at the mere mention of their name.There was one thing in the Muckfoot territory that the Cities did need, though--metal ores. And Alvah, faced with the job of liaison to the tribes around New York, had to somehow make his patriotism outweigh his nausea. If he succeeded, the Cities would be monuments to eternity; if he failed, the dreaded Muckfeet would become the MASTERS OF EVOLUTION. Alvah Gustad: The fate of an empire rested on the condition of his stomach.Beej Hofmeyer: She looked like a woman, but she smelled like a Muckfoot!Doc Bither: When he raised a kitten, you couldn't be sure if it would turn out to be a cat or a tiger.Manager Wytak: Bravery was something he always looked for in other people, but never in himself.Artie Brumbacher: He couldn't read or write, but nevertheless he was a scholar.Jerry Finch: To his way of thinking, there was nothing unusual about being a gardener in an Iron Pit.(Note: Is an expansion of the novelette "Natural State.")