The Best of Jerry Pournelle
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $25.79
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Joel Richards
About this listen
Short stories by a master of science fiction. Includes over a dozen stories by SF legend Jerry Pournelle, and remembrances by Pournelle collaborators and admirers.
For the better part of five decades, Jerry Pournelle's name has been synonymous with hard-hitting science fiction. His Falkenberg's Legion stories and Janissaries series helped define the military SF genre, as did his work as editor on the There Will Be War series of anthologies. With frequent collaborator Larry Niven, he cowrote the genre-defining first contact novel The Mote in God's Eye, which was praised by Robert A. Heinlein as "possibly the greatest science fiction novel I have ever read".
Now, for the first time, all of Pournelle's best short work has been collected in a single volume. Herein you will find over a dozen short stories, each with a new introduction by editor and longtime Pournelle assistant John F. Carr, as well as essays and remembrances by Pournelle collaborators and admirers.
©2019 John F. Carr (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Nightfall and Other Stories
- By: Isaac Asimov
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A collection of 20 classic short stories by Isaac Asimov, author of the Foundation series, featuring the definitive and only in-print version of “Nightfall”.
-
-
Happily surprised
- By Marcell Alzate on 08-22-21
By: Isaac Asimov
-
The End of Eternity
- By: Isaac Asimov
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Eternals, the ruling class of the Future, had the power of life and death not only over every human being but over the very centuries into which they were born. Past, Present, and Future could be created or destroyed at will. You had to be special to become an Eternal. Andrew Harlan was special. Until he committed the one unforgivable sin - falling in love. Eternals weren’t supposed to have feelings. But Andrew could not deny the sensations that were struggling within him. He knew he could not keep this secret forever. And so he began to plan his escape.
-
-
Amazing story. Audio quality could be better.
- By NM on 09-02-20
By: Isaac Asimov
-
Across a Billion Years
- By: Robert Silverberg
- Narrated by: Alex Knox
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Graduate student Tom Rice is thrilled to embark on his first deep-space archeological expedition. He is part of a team from Earth, venturing out in search of artifacts from a civilization that ruled the universe many millennia ago. Called the High Ones, the members of this long-gone society left tantalizing clues about their history and culture scattered throughout space. One such clue, a "message cube" containing footage of the ancient ones, is more interesting than all of the others combined. It seems to indicate that the High Ones aren't extinct after all.
-
-
I was expecting better
- By Beth Storer on 01-20-21
-
Backyard Starship
- Backyard Starship, Book 1
- By: J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Van Tudor returns to his childhood home, he inherits more than the family farm. His grandfather used to tell him fantastic stories of spacemen and monsters, princesses and galactic knights. Little did Van realize, the old man's tales were more than fiction; they were real. Hidden beneath the old barn, Van’s legacy is waiting: a starship, not of this world. With his combat AI, an android bird named Perry, Van takes his first steps into the wider galaxy. He soon finds that space is far busier and more dangerous than he could have ever conceived.
-
-
holy smokes
- By Tod on 12-14-21
By: J.N. Chaney, and others
-
The Cruel Stars
- By: John Birmingham
- Narrated by: Morgan Hallett
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The galaxy was once terrorized by the Sturm, a group of “species purists” intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements. Fashioning themselves as the one true “Human Republic,” the Sturm cut a bloody swath across the stars, killing billions before finally being defeated and driven into the far reaches of Dark Space. Centuries of peace bred complacency. Everyone believed the Sturm had died out in the Dark. They were wrong.
-
-
A barrage of action & comedy 💥🤣
- By Joey De La Torre on 11-01-22
By: John Birmingham
-
The Luna Missile Crisis
- By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1961. The Cold War is in full swing and the space race is on. Russia aims to send humanity to space. But what if space comes to humanity instead? Yuri Gagarin’s epic flight into space is disrupted when an alien Mothership jumps into orbit, causing a cosmic car crash that defies all odds. Everything changes. The US and USSR must quickly put aside their differences. In exchange for the Earth’s help in the rebuilding of their Mothership, the mysterious aliens, the Vulbathi, offer promises of technology beyond humanity's wildest dreams.
-
-
A Real McCoy of Science Fiction Goodness
- By Ecualegacy on 02-21-20
By: Rhett C. Bruno, and others
-
Nightfall and Other Stories
- By: Isaac Asimov
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A collection of 20 classic short stories by Isaac Asimov, author of the Foundation series, featuring the definitive and only in-print version of “Nightfall”.
-
-
Happily surprised
- By Marcell Alzate on 08-22-21
By: Isaac Asimov
-
The End of Eternity
- By: Isaac Asimov
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Eternals, the ruling class of the Future, had the power of life and death not only over every human being but over the very centuries into which they were born. Past, Present, and Future could be created or destroyed at will. You had to be special to become an Eternal. Andrew Harlan was special. Until he committed the one unforgivable sin - falling in love. Eternals weren’t supposed to have feelings. But Andrew could not deny the sensations that were struggling within him. He knew he could not keep this secret forever. And so he began to plan his escape.
-
-
Amazing story. Audio quality could be better.
- By NM on 09-02-20
By: Isaac Asimov
-
Across a Billion Years
- By: Robert Silverberg
- Narrated by: Alex Knox
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Graduate student Tom Rice is thrilled to embark on his first deep-space archeological expedition. He is part of a team from Earth, venturing out in search of artifacts from a civilization that ruled the universe many millennia ago. Called the High Ones, the members of this long-gone society left tantalizing clues about their history and culture scattered throughout space. One such clue, a "message cube" containing footage of the ancient ones, is more interesting than all of the others combined. It seems to indicate that the High Ones aren't extinct after all.
-
-
I was expecting better
- By Beth Storer on 01-20-21
-
Backyard Starship
- Backyard Starship, Book 1
- By: J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Van Tudor returns to his childhood home, he inherits more than the family farm. His grandfather used to tell him fantastic stories of spacemen and monsters, princesses and galactic knights. Little did Van realize, the old man's tales were more than fiction; they were real. Hidden beneath the old barn, Van’s legacy is waiting: a starship, not of this world. With his combat AI, an android bird named Perry, Van takes his first steps into the wider galaxy. He soon finds that space is far busier and more dangerous than he could have ever conceived.
-
-
holy smokes
- By Tod on 12-14-21
By: J.N. Chaney, and others
-
The Cruel Stars
- By: John Birmingham
- Narrated by: Morgan Hallett
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The galaxy was once terrorized by the Sturm, a group of “species purists” intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements. Fashioning themselves as the one true “Human Republic,” the Sturm cut a bloody swath across the stars, killing billions before finally being defeated and driven into the far reaches of Dark Space. Centuries of peace bred complacency. Everyone believed the Sturm had died out in the Dark. They were wrong.
-
-
A barrage of action & comedy 💥🤣
- By Joey De La Torre on 11-01-22
By: John Birmingham
-
The Luna Missile Crisis
- By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1961. The Cold War is in full swing and the space race is on. Russia aims to send humanity to space. But what if space comes to humanity instead? Yuri Gagarin’s epic flight into space is disrupted when an alien Mothership jumps into orbit, causing a cosmic car crash that defies all odds. Everything changes. The US and USSR must quickly put aside their differences. In exchange for the Earth’s help in the rebuilding of their Mothership, the mysterious aliens, the Vulbathi, offer promises of technology beyond humanity's wildest dreams.
-
-
A Real McCoy of Science Fiction Goodness
- By Ecualegacy on 02-21-20
By: Rhett C. Bruno, and others
-
The Doomed City
- By: Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky, Andrew Bromfield - Translator
- Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla
- Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are widely considered the greatest of Russian science fiction masters, yet the novel they worked hardest on, the one that was their own favorite and that listeners worldwide have acclaimed their magnum opus, has never before been published in English. The Doomed City was so politically risky that the Strugatskys kept its existence a secret even from their closest friends for 16 years. It was only published in Russia during perestroika in the late 1980s, the last of their works to see publication.
-
-
Great Book
- By Mr. Sparkle on 03-15-18
By: Arkady Strugatsky, and others
-
Guardian Ship
- By: Mark Wayne McGinnis
- Narrated by: Adam Gold
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dominic Moretti was dealing with a lot of issues. Life hadn’t been easy since returning home from Afghanistan. His marriage was on the rocks, his sports betting was out of control, and he was hanging out with the wrong cronies in Manhattan’s Little Italy - just another war hero who couldn’t piece his life back together in the real world. Also, there was that strange, annoying feeling that he was being watched.... Humankind was indeed being evaluated, by the highly advanced Khantam Lom, an alien species in control of much of the galaxy.
-
-
Different and enjoyable story concept
- By Dennis on 10-04-19
-
The Acheron: Publisher's Pack
- The Acheron, Books 1-2
- By: Rick Partlow
- Narrated by: Tess Irondale
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Contains books one and two of The Acheron series: The Acheron and The Prodigal. Sandi and Ash never set out to be heroes. She joined the Fleet to please her mother, the Admiral. He signed up to escape the grinding poverty of the Housing Blocks. And the unlikely friends envisioned boring, peacetime careers as shuttle pilots. The Tahni Imperium had other ideas.
-
-
Gritty and Dank. Just how war stories should be..
- By European on 10-20-20
By: Rick Partlow
-
The Kolchak Collection
- By: Jeff Rice, Joe Gentile, C. J. Henderson
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1972, Jeff Rice's novel The Night Stalker introduced Carl Kolchak to the world. This spine-tingling novel of supernatural terror became an instant best seller and served as the basis for the film of the same name. After The Night Stalker became one of the highest rated television movies of all time, a sequel, The Night Strangler, was released the following year to great acclaim. Now, after more than three decades out of print, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler are together in one volume.
-
-
Mostly Good
- By DobieChuck on 11-18-16
By: Jeff Rice, and others
-
Exhalation
- Stories
- By: Ted Chiang
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Dominic Hoffman, Amy Landon, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tackling some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine, these stories will change the way you think, feel, and see the world. They are Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic, revelatory. Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.
-
-
Masterful and singular
- By R on 05-15-19
By: Ted Chiang
-
The Paths Between Worlds
- By: Paul Antony Jones
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For Meredith Gale, ending her life seems like her only choice, and that choice is the reason she’s dangling by her fingertips from a bridge high above the freezing water of the San Francisco Bay. But someone or some thing has other plans for Meredith, and as her fingers slip from the cold steel of the bridge, a disembodied voice asks her a simple question: “Candidate 13: Do you wish to be saved?” Realizing her mistake too late, Meredith screams “Yes!” and instantly finds herself transported to a mysterious island, alongside hundreds of other Candidates like her.
-
-
A whole lot of fun!
- By Jane on 04-16-19
-
The Mote in God's Eye
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: L J Ganser
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mote In God's Eye is their acknowledged masterpiece, an epic novel of mankind's first encounter with alien life that transcends the genre. No lesser an authority than Robert A. Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read".
-
-
A great read!
- By J. Rhoderick on 02-12-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
The Truth and Other Stories
- By: Stanislaw Lem
- Narrated by: David Aaron Baker
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve stories by science-fiction master Stanislaw Lem, nine of them never before published in English.
-
-
Excellent!
- By Diogenes on 06-29-22
By: Stanislaw Lem
-
Between Planets
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Don Harvey is a citizen of the Interplanetary Federation - yet no single planet can claim him as its own. His mother was born on Venus and his father on Earth, and Don himself was born on a spaceship in trajectory between planets. When his parents abruptly summon him away from school on Earth to join them on Mars, he has no idea he's about to be plunged into deadly interplanetary intrigue. But the ship Don is traveling on is unexpectedly diverted to Venus, where the colony has launched a revolution against Earth's control.
-
-
Like a breath of fresh air
- By MikeFarr on 03-28-17
-
The Apocalypse Troll
- By: David Weber
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There he was in his sailboat in the middle of the Atlantic, all alone and loving it. Well, there was a US Navy carrier group on his southern horizon, but he was a Navy guy himself, so he didn't mind. Then came the UFOs, hurtling in from the Outer Black to overfly the carriers at Mach 17. Their impossible aerobatics were bad enough—but then they started shooting at each other, and at the Navy, with nukes. Little ones at first, but winding up with a 500 megatonner at 90 miles that fried every piece of electronics within line-of-sight.
-
-
finally !
- By Torque on 08-15-23
By: David Weber
-
Tales of the Al-Azif
- A Cthulhu Mythos Anthology
- By: C. T. Phipps, Matthew Davenport, David J. West, and others
- Narrated by: Joshua Saxon
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Necronomicon was not the first book by H.P. Lovecraft to terrify readers with tales of dark and twisted horrors from beyond. No, the Al-Azif, or Book of the Insect, is the first work that told mankind of Cthulhu, Azathoth, and other terrors. Indeed, it was the book that inspired "The Mad Arab" Abdul Al-Hazred to write its more famous successor.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Michael Davenport on 10-07-21
By: C. T. Phipps, and others
Related to this topic
-
Revolt in 2100
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the fall of the American Ayatollahs (as foretold in Stranger in a Strange Land) there is a Second American Revolution; for the first time in human history there is a land with Liberty and Justice for All.
-
-
Heinlein's Future History
- By ShySusan on 05-30-12
-
Starship Liberator
- Galactic Liberation, Book 1
- By: David VanDyke, B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Hundred Worlds have withstood invasion by the relentless Hok for decades. The human worlds are strong, but the Hok have the resources of a thousand planets behind them, and their fleets attack in endless waves. The long war has transformed the Hundred Worlds into heavily fortified star systems. Their economies are geared for military output, and they raise specialized soldiers to save our species. Assault Captain Derek Straker is one such man among many.
-
-
Super author team fails
- By Jesper on 05-03-17
By: David VanDyke, and others
-
Legacy
- Stellar Heritage, Book 1
- By: Bob Mauldin
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Simon and Katherine Hawke stumble upon an alien shuttle that has landed on earth, it’ll not only change the course of their lives, but of the entire world. Taking the shuttle into orbit, they discover a much larger ship left adrift with no one on board. Commandeering it, they confirm that we’re not alone in the universe and must prepare the human race for what is about to come. Recruiting from all over the world, they begin to expand their fleet and build a federation to give humans a foothold in the galaxy.
-
-
Childish Writer Rant
- By Brutis on 10-25-20
By: Bob Mauldin
-
Footfall
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 24 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star. The world's frantic efforts to signal the aliens go unanswered. The first contact is hostile: the invaders blast a Soviet space station, seize the survivors, and then destroy every dam and installation on Earth with a hail of asteriods.
-
-
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle at Their Best
- By Flatlander on 06-24-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
Triplanetary
- By: E. E. Smith
- Narrated by: Edward Miller
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Triplanetary" is a science fiction novel and space opera by author E. E. Smith, published in 1948. It consists of two parts. The first explains the series background, which consists of a conflict between the evil Eddorians and the benevolent Arisians. This conflict is carried out throughout the history of an oblivious humankind on Earth. The final part of the book, which was originally published as a magazine story, takes up the tale after civilization has been rebuilt.
-
-
Doesn’t hold up as well as some in the “test of time” . . . 😱
- By David D. Schneider on 11-21-20
By: E. E. Smith
-
Rebel Stars: Books 0-2
- By: Edward W. Robertson
- Narrated by: Ray Chase
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thousand years ago, an alien invasion set humanity back to the Iron Age. Slowly, we recovered, colonizing the Solar System in peace. And discovered that an unknown force is stopping us from exploring any farther. But before the cause can be discovered, a slow-burning conspiracy threatens to explode into System-wide war. With enemies at home and in the darkness beyond, a team of unlikely heroes-a janitor, a mercenary, an asteroid miner, and a pirate-are the only ones who can avert a second apocalypse. This set includes the first three books of the newly-finished REBEL STARS series.
-
-
Fun and entertaining.
- By Shirley on 01-04-18
-
Revolt in 2100
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the fall of the American Ayatollahs (as foretold in Stranger in a Strange Land) there is a Second American Revolution; for the first time in human history there is a land with Liberty and Justice for All.
-
-
Heinlein's Future History
- By ShySusan on 05-30-12
-
Starship Liberator
- Galactic Liberation, Book 1
- By: David VanDyke, B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Hundred Worlds have withstood invasion by the relentless Hok for decades. The human worlds are strong, but the Hok have the resources of a thousand planets behind them, and their fleets attack in endless waves. The long war has transformed the Hundred Worlds into heavily fortified star systems. Their economies are geared for military output, and they raise specialized soldiers to save our species. Assault Captain Derek Straker is one such man among many.
-
-
Super author team fails
- By Jesper on 05-03-17
By: David VanDyke, and others
-
Legacy
- Stellar Heritage, Book 1
- By: Bob Mauldin
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Simon and Katherine Hawke stumble upon an alien shuttle that has landed on earth, it’ll not only change the course of their lives, but of the entire world. Taking the shuttle into orbit, they discover a much larger ship left adrift with no one on board. Commandeering it, they confirm that we’re not alone in the universe and must prepare the human race for what is about to come. Recruiting from all over the world, they begin to expand their fleet and build a federation to give humans a foothold in the galaxy.
-
-
Childish Writer Rant
- By Brutis on 10-25-20
By: Bob Mauldin
-
Footfall
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 24 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star. The world's frantic efforts to signal the aliens go unanswered. The first contact is hostile: the invaders blast a Soviet space station, seize the survivors, and then destroy every dam and installation on Earth with a hail of asteriods.
-
-
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle at Their Best
- By Flatlander on 06-24-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
Triplanetary
- By: E. E. Smith
- Narrated by: Edward Miller
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Triplanetary" is a science fiction novel and space opera by author E. E. Smith, published in 1948. It consists of two parts. The first explains the series background, which consists of a conflict between the evil Eddorians and the benevolent Arisians. This conflict is carried out throughout the history of an oblivious humankind on Earth. The final part of the book, which was originally published as a magazine story, takes up the tale after civilization has been rebuilt.
-
-
Doesn’t hold up as well as some in the “test of time” . . . 😱
- By David D. Schneider on 11-21-20
By: E. E. Smith
-
Rebel Stars: Books 0-2
- By: Edward W. Robertson
- Narrated by: Ray Chase
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thousand years ago, an alien invasion set humanity back to the Iron Age. Slowly, we recovered, colonizing the Solar System in peace. And discovered that an unknown force is stopping us from exploring any farther. But before the cause can be discovered, a slow-burning conspiracy threatens to explode into System-wide war. With enemies at home and in the darkness beyond, a team of unlikely heroes-a janitor, a mercenary, an asteroid miner, and a pirate-are the only ones who can avert a second apocalypse. This set includes the first three books of the newly-finished REBEL STARS series.
-
-
Fun and entertaining.
- By Shirley on 01-04-18
-
The Mote in God's Eye
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: L J Ganser
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mote In God's Eye is their acknowledged masterpiece, an epic novel of mankind's first encounter with alien life that transcends the genre. No lesser an authority than Robert A. Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read".
-
-
A great read!
- By J. Rhoderick on 02-12-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours
- By: David Mack
- Narrated by: Susan Eisenberg
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aboard the Starship Shenzhou, Lieutenant Michael Burnham, a human woman raised and educated among Vulcans, is promoted to acting first officer. But if she wants to keep the job, she must prove to Captain Philippa Georgiou that she deserves to have it.
-
-
Could Have Been Great
- By Rick on 11-13-17
By: David Mack
-
Gateway
- By: Frederik Pohl
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman, Robert J. Sawyer
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When prospector Bob Broadhead went out to Gateway on the Heechee spacecraft, he decided he would know which was the right mission to make him his fortune. Three missions later, now famous and permanently rich, Robinette Broadhead has to face what happened to him and what he is...in a journey into himself as perilous and even more horrifying than the nightmare trip through the interstellar void that he drove himself to take!
-
-
A human-focused SF classic
- By Ryan on 12-05-13
By: Frederik Pohl
-
Sten
- Sten Series, Book 1
- By: Chris Bunch, Allan Cole
- Narrated by: Jerry Sciarrio
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first book in an action–packed new SF adventure series. Vulcan is a factory planet, centuries old, Company run, ugly as sin, and unfeeling as death. Vulcan breeds just two types of native: complacent or tough. Sten is tough. When his family is killed in a mysterious accident, Sten rebels, harassing the Company from the metal world’s endless maze-like warrens. He could end up just another burnt–out Delinquent. But people like Sten never give up.
-
-
THE MASTERPIECE BY JERRY SCIARRIO
- By Professor on 10-31-12
By: Chris Bunch, and others
-
The Cruel Stars
- By: John Birmingham
- Narrated by: Morgan Hallett
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The galaxy was once terrorized by the Sturm, a group of “species purists” intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements. Fashioning themselves as the one true “Human Republic,” the Sturm cut a bloody swath across the stars, killing billions before finally being defeated and driven into the far reaches of Dark Space. Centuries of peace bred complacency. Everyone believed the Sturm had died out in the Dark. They were wrong.
-
-
A barrage of action & comedy 💥🤣
- By Joey De La Torre on 11-01-22
By: John Birmingham
-
Earth at War, Books 1-3
- By: Rick Partlow
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 30 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a sci-fi author with a hit TV show, I have a few ideas about what alien invaders are supposed to look like. In my stories, they’re technologically advanced monsters, with tentacles, and no faces. Turns out I was right about the technology. And about how angry they’d be. But the way they look…that’s more terrifying than even I could have imagined. They look exactly like us. Because they are us.
-
-
A Space Journey With ‘The Feels’
- By L. D. Roy the Junior on 02-14-24
By: Rick Partlow
-
The Best of Us
- By: Karen Traviss
- Narrated by: Fred Tatasciore
- Length: 18 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The West has been devastated by epidemics, bio-terrorism, war, and famine. Asia has shut its borders to keep the threats at bay, and some with power and influence have already abandoned Earth. Now an escape route a century in the making - the Nomad mission - finally offers hope to a small town and a secret research centre hidden in a rural American backwater. Shrouded in lies and concealed even from the research centre's staff, Nomad is about to fulfil its long-dead founder's vision of preserving the best of humanity to forge a new future. But who decides who's worthy?
-
-
what the hell? not galaxys edge. total retcon.
- By Ethomas on 12-06-19
By: Karen Traviss
-
Rift
- By: Nathan Hystad
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone, Flynn Earl Jones, Mark Sanderlin, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They’ve watched us for centuries through the Rift. They’ve prepared. Invasion is inevitable. The Earth Fleet has known of the Watchers for years, unwilling to share the knowledge with humanity. Now it might be too late. Hidden away from the Fleet, one man is creating a new colony ship destined for the other side of the Rift, but he’s missing a few pieces. Three other people have varied paths to get there. Ace goes from the streets of Earth to the Fleet training facility on the moon. Flint, an ex-Fleet pilot, must decide if a job is worth his life.
-
-
The story didn't end.
- By Amazon Customer on 06-25-20
By: Nathan Hystad
-
The Rolling Stones
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of Heinlein's best-loved works, The Rolling Stones follows the rollicking adventures of the Stone family as they tour the solar system. It doesn't seem likely for twins to have the same middle name. Even so, it's clear that Castor and Pollux Stone both have "Trouble" written in that spot on their birth certificates. Of course, anyone who's met their grandmother Hazel would know they came by it honestly.
-
-
Good story well told
- By Frank on 07-14-15
-
Vigilante
- By: Michael Anderle, Natalie Grey
- Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a mine owner thinks that he's above the law and continues to utilize slave labor to keep his mines running, Barnabas, a former Ranger One, must fight for justice.
-
-
If I could I would give 10 stars..
- By Trish R. on 08-05-21
By: Michael Anderle, and others
-
Columbus Day
- Expeditionary Force, Book 1
- By: Craig Alanson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We were fighting on the wrong side of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news. The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved.
-
-
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 01-04-17
By: Craig Alanson
-
The Skylark of Space
- Skylark Series #1
- By: E. E. "Doc" Smith
- Narrated by: Reed McColm
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brilliant government scientist Richard Seaton discovers a remarkable faster-than-light fuel that will power his interstellar spaceship, The Skylark. His ruthless rival, Marc DuQuesne, and the sinister World Steel Corporation will do anything to get their hands on the fuel. They kidnap Seaton's fiancée and friends, unleashing a furious pursuit and igniting a burning desire for revenge that will propel The Skylark across the galaxy and back.
-
-
Space Operas - Good Story telling!
- By Madge on 01-27-10
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Oath of Fealty
- By: Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren, Jeremy Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
the near future, Los Angeles is an all but uninhabitable war zone, wracked by crime, violence, pollution and poverty. But above the blighted city, a Utopia has arisen: Todos Santos, a thousand-foot high single-structured city, designed to used state-of-the-art technology to create a completely human-friendly environment, offering its dwellers everything they could want in exchange for their oath of allegiance and their constant surveillance.
-
-
Fun political science fiction
- By Mo Brien on 03-06-11
By: Jerry Pournelle, and others
-
Janissaries
- By: Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Captain Rick Galloway and his men had been talked into volunteering for a dangerous mission only to be ruthlessly abandoned when faceless CIA higher-ups pulled the plug on the operation. They were cut off in hostile territory, with local troops and their Cuban “advisors” rapidly closing in - and then the alien spaceship landed. Rescued from certain death, they now must fight another world’s war.
-
-
relatively straight forward, entertaining
- By Thomas on 01-09-15
By: Jerry Pournelle
-
The Legacy of Heorot
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling science fiction superstars Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle combine their talents with those of Steven Barnes in an extraordinary adventure of humankind’s first outpost in the farthest reaches of space. Light years from Earth, colonists land on a planet they name Avalon. It seems like a paradise—until native creatures savagely attack. It will take every bit of intelligence, courage, and military-style discipline to survive.
-
-
Great read!
- By Thomas on 12-05-12
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
The Mote in God's Eye
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: L J Ganser
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mote In God's Eye is their acknowledged masterpiece, an epic novel of mankind's first encounter with alien life that transcends the genre. No lesser an authority than Robert A. Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read".
-
-
A great read!
- By J. Rhoderick on 02-12-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
Footfall
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 24 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star. The world's frantic efforts to signal the aliens go unanswered. The first contact is hostile: the invaders blast a Soviet space station, seize the survivors, and then destroy every dam and installation on Earth with a hail of asteriods.
-
-
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle at Their Best
- By Flatlander on 06-24-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
Nightfall and Other Stories
- By: Isaac Asimov
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A collection of 20 classic short stories by Isaac Asimov, author of the Foundation series, featuring the definitive and only in-print version of “Nightfall”.
-
-
Happily surprised
- By Marcell Alzate on 08-22-21
By: Isaac Asimov
-
Oath of Fealty
- By: Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren, Jeremy Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
the near future, Los Angeles is an all but uninhabitable war zone, wracked by crime, violence, pollution and poverty. But above the blighted city, a Utopia has arisen: Todos Santos, a thousand-foot high single-structured city, designed to used state-of-the-art technology to create a completely human-friendly environment, offering its dwellers everything they could want in exchange for their oath of allegiance and their constant surveillance.
-
-
Fun political science fiction
- By Mo Brien on 03-06-11
By: Jerry Pournelle, and others
-
Janissaries
- By: Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Captain Rick Galloway and his men had been talked into volunteering for a dangerous mission only to be ruthlessly abandoned when faceless CIA higher-ups pulled the plug on the operation. They were cut off in hostile territory, with local troops and their Cuban “advisors” rapidly closing in - and then the alien spaceship landed. Rescued from certain death, they now must fight another world’s war.
-
-
relatively straight forward, entertaining
- By Thomas on 01-09-15
By: Jerry Pournelle
-
The Legacy of Heorot
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling science fiction superstars Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle combine their talents with those of Steven Barnes in an extraordinary adventure of humankind’s first outpost in the farthest reaches of space. Light years from Earth, colonists land on a planet they name Avalon. It seems like a paradise—until native creatures savagely attack. It will take every bit of intelligence, courage, and military-style discipline to survive.
-
-
Great read!
- By Thomas on 12-05-12
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
The Mote in God's Eye
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: L J Ganser
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mote In God's Eye is their acknowledged masterpiece, an epic novel of mankind's first encounter with alien life that transcends the genre. No lesser an authority than Robert A. Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read".
-
-
A great read!
- By J. Rhoderick on 02-12-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
Footfall
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 24 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star. The world's frantic efforts to signal the aliens go unanswered. The first contact is hostile: the invaders blast a Soviet space station, seize the survivors, and then destroy every dam and installation on Earth with a hail of asteriods.
-
-
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle at Their Best
- By Flatlander on 06-24-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
Nightfall and Other Stories
- By: Isaac Asimov
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A collection of 20 classic short stories by Isaac Asimov, author of the Foundation series, featuring the definitive and only in-print version of “Nightfall”.
-
-
Happily surprised
- By Marcell Alzate on 08-22-21
By: Isaac Asimov
What listeners say about The Best of Jerry Pournelle
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- B Benz
- 09-16-22
Best of is right
I found I didn't have most of these in my collection and I have been searching for The Mercenaryfor years in audio. Thanks for putting this together. Now I have to finish my collection in audio to put all these sections together
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- c. l.
- 10-28-23
Thank you!!!
Great collection and little glimpses into a truly unique human being.... I loved it!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gilbert M. Stack
- 09-18-21
Great Showcase of Author and Man
Way back in 1981, I read a collection of stories called Black Holes which contained a novella by Jerry Pournelle titled “He Fell into a Dark Hole.” Something happened to my copy of the book over the years but I never forgot that story. When e-books started to come out, I started looking for it again and finally came across this The Best of Jerry Pournelle audio book which features the story. It’s not the only good thing in this book, but I’m going to limit myself to talking about three of them.
The Mercenary: Pournelle has a future history in which humanity’s star-spanning empires rise, fall, and rise again. This story takes place during one of the declines and involves a planet that has been given its “freedom” going through painful growing pains. The mercenary of the title has been hired to keep things from blowing up and then handicapped to make the job impossible. It’s a great story with a great ending.
The Secret of Black Ship Island: Set in Pournelle, Niven, and Barnes’, Legacy of Heriot universe, this novella focuses on the second generation of colonists while they are still kids finding out that the world is still very dangerous. I have some problems with this story. It starts with a death in which people who should know better refuse to admit that the death might be caused by a sea creature rather than a reef—even though there is a witness. This sets us up for more deaths the next year and it just rang a little hollow. Other than that, the action is good and there’s a lot of suspense.
And finally, He Fell into a Dark Hole really lived up to my recollections. Knowledge of black holes has been lost in this future as knowledge is suppressed on the excuse that it will keep national governments from creating new weapons of war. As a result, ships are occasionally lost as the gravity of the unknown black hole pulls them out of transit and holds them prisoner.
The protagonist of the story is a naval captain whose life and son were lost on this transit line. When his father-in-law, an important senator, is lost on the same line, a theory is rediscovered that postulates the black hole and a rescue mission of sorts is put together. The mission is successful in reaching the black hole and the survivors have to figure out how to escape again. To complicate matters, the captain’s wife and son are still alive, but his wife has remarried thinking that she and her new husband would be trapped forever in the proximity of the black hole. It’s a great little story, but it would have been even better if Pournelle had slowed down once his hero reaches his family and developed that situation in more detail.
In addition to other stories and one of his science columns, there are truly wonderful passages in which authors who knew and worked with Pournelle talk about the man. If you’ve enjoyed any of his many novels, you will probably enjoy this collection.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James M Onken
- 09-21-22
from a friend for a friend
worth the purchase, pournelle, carr, niven, and the rest had a beautiful friendship that the rest of us could be so lucky to achieve.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Martin L. Shoemaker
- 04-01-24
A lot of stuff I missed!
Some of this was Pournelle stories I had read before, but most of it was new to me. Pournelle wrote intelligent SF, and it’s on display here.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jeff G
- 04-07-21
Mostly good
I had only read Pournelle's novels, I found these short stories in this book mostly worth the credit. There were some that were not as good to hold my interest, but most were well worth it. The narrator was perfect for this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Douglas Sundseth
- 10-30-23
Good Retrospective
This is not Jerry Pournelle's best work. But it is a pretty good retrospective of his life, with some previously unpublished work and essays from a variety of his colleagues in SF writing. If you're a fan of Pournelle's you won't regret having read it. But if you want peak Pournelle, nearly any of his novels would be a better choice.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!