by Keith Laumer
Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
The MEGAPACK® Ebook Series
GREYLORN
THE FROZEN PLANET
GAMBLER’S WORLD
THE YILLIAN WAY
IT COULD BE ANYTHING
END AS A HERO
A BAD DAY FOR VERMIN
A TRACE OF MEMORY
DOORSTEP
COPYRIGHT INFO
The 35th Golden Age of Science Fiction MEGAPACK®: Keith Laumer is copyright © 2016 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
* * * *
The MEGAPACK® ebook series name is a trademark of Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
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“Gambler’s World” was originally published in Worlds of If, November 1961.
“The Frozen Planet” was originally published in 1961.
“The Yillian Way” was originally published in Worlds of If, January 1962.
“It Could Be Anything” was originally published in Amazing Stories, January 1963.
“End As a Hero” was originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction, June 1963.
“A Bad Day for Vermin” was originally published in Galaxy Magazine, February 1964 (copyright © 1963).
“Greylorn” was originally published in Amazing Science Fiction Stories, April 1959.
“A Trace of Memory” is copyright © 1963 by Keith Laumer.
“Doorstep” was originally published in Galaxy Magazine, February 1961.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
John Keith Laumer (1925–1993) was an American science fiction author. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service.
Laumer is known for the Bolo and Retief series of books and short stories. The former chronicles the evolution of super tanks that eventually become self-aware through the constant improvement resulting from centuries of intermittent warfare against various alien races. The latter deals with the adventures of a cynical spacefaring diplomat who constantly has to overcome the red-tape-infused failures of people with names like Ambassador Grossblunder. The Retief stories were greatly influenced by Laumer’s earlier career in the US Foreign Service. In an interview with Paul Walker of Luna Monthly, Laumer states “I had no shortage of iniquitous memories of the Foreign Service.”
In addition to his Bolo and Retief stories, Laumer’s more serious adventures included the subjects of time travel and alternate-world adventures such as found in his The Other Side Of Time, A Trace Of Memory, and Dinosaur Beach.
Four of his shorter works received Hugo or Nebula Award nominations (“In the Queue” was nominated for both) and his novel A Plague of Demons (1965) received a nomination for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966.
Enjoy!
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
ABOUT THE SERIES
Over the last few years, our MEGAPACK® ebook series has grown to be our most popular endeavor. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The MEGAPACK® ebook series (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Helen McGee, Bonner Menking, Sam Cooper, Helen McGee and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)
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Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
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If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.
The MEGAPACK® Ebook Series
If you enjoyed this ebook, check out Wildside Press’s MEGAPACK® series…
THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION
1. Winston K. Marks
2. Mark Clifton
3. Poul Anderson
4. Clifford D. Simak
5. Lester del Rey (vol. 1)
6. Charles L. Fontenay
7. H.B. Fyfe (vol. 1)
8. Milton Lesser (Stephen Marlowe)
9. Dave Dryfoos
10. Carl Jacobi
11. F.L. Wallace
12. David H. Keller, M.D.
13. Lester del Rey (vol. 2)
14. Charles De Vet
15. H.B. Fyfe (vol. 2)
16. William C. Gault
17. Alan E. Nourse
18. Jerome Bixby
19. Charles De Vet (Vo. 2)
20. Evelyn E. Smith
21. Edward Wellen
22. Robert Moore Williams
23. Richard Wilson
24. H.B. Fyfe (vol. 3)
25. Raymond Z. Gallun
26. Homer Eon Flint
27. Stanley G. Weinbaum
28. Edward Wellen
29. Katherine MacLean
30. Roger Dee
31. Sam Merwin
32. Frederik Pohl
33. Kris Neville
34. C.M. Kornbluth
35. Keith Laumer
THE GOLDEN AGE OF WEIRD FICTION
1. Henry S. Whitehead
2. George T. Wetzel
3. Emil Petaja
4. Nictzin Dyalhis
5. David H. Keller
6. Clark Ashton Smith
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