—WHAT SF SHOULD BE ALL ABOUT.—Kliatt

Rob Merlin was the best engineer who had ever lived. That was why "The King of Space" had to have him for the most spectacular construction project ever-even though Rob was a potentially fatal threat to his power ...

Thus begins a breakthrough novel by the former President of the American Astronautical Society, about an idea whose time has come: a shimmering bridge between Earth and space that mankind will climb to the stars!

Sound like fantasy The concept has been in the literature of physics for over three decades, but only a writer with the scientific background of a Sheffield or a Clarke could bring the idea to life.* 

*See page ii of this volume for a fascinating note from Arthur C Clarke on who was "first to press" with the notion of a "bridge to space."

"Opening a Sheffield book is like switching on a mind link." —Dr. Robert L. Forward

"Charles Sheffield is one of the very best hard science fiction writers in the world." —Kim Stanley Robinson

"Sheffield is a master ... the Asimov or Clarke of the future" —Noumenon

"A treat for readers who like their science fiction loaded with intelligent scientific extrapolation." —Chicago Sun-Times

LOSE THE STARS-
OR LOSE EVERYTHING!

Spacer Chan Dalton is torn between two masters. The pacifist aliens who hold Earth under Quarantine want him to find out why their starships have been disappearing in the Geyser Swirl, the Bermuda Triangle of the galaxy. Earth's military, which has secretly discovered a way to break the quarantine, assumes that someone out there is making ships vanish, including Earth's, and wants Dalton to find the culprits and hopefully stop themwith extreme prejudice, if necessary.

The trouble is, the aliens hold the taking of intelligent life, even in self defense, to be the greatest of sins. It was Earth's violent ways (in defense of the damned pacifist aliens!) that led to the quarantine in the first place-and if Dalton is forced to fight, it will unveil, and so destroy, Earth's final chance to reach for the stars again.

So when Dalton does indeed discover the hostile invaders responsible for the lost starships, he is faced with an impossible decision: Fight and lose access to space forever; or allow a rapacious enemy to run riot over all that he holds dear....

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Sheffield, a mathematician and physicist, is a past president of both the American Astronautical Society and the Science Fiction Writers of America, and the chief scientist of the Earth Satellite Corporation. He has published over a hundred technical papers and monographs on such subjects as nuclear physics, gravitational field analysis, and general relativity, and an equally large body of popular science articles for the layman. He serves as a science reviewer for several prominent publications.

In science fiction, Dr. Sheffield has received the coveted Nebula and Hugo Awards, as well as the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel for Baen, Brother to Dragons. His other SF novels for Baen include The Mind Pool (to which The Spheres of Heaven is a sequel), Between the Strokes of Night, Convergent Series, and Transvergence. He is also the author for Baen of Borderlands of Science: How to Think Like a Scientist and Write Science Fiction, which is both a nonfiction survey of current scientific frontiers and an explanation of how a science fiction writer can write SF using bona fide scientific knowledge. Which is just the sort of SF that Dr. Sheffield has been writing for some time now, to the resounding acclaim of readers and critics alike.

W200102 February 2001 Monthly Baen Bundle

Time Traders II: The Defiant Agents and Key Out of Time

by Andre Norton

1632

by Eric Flint

The Spheres of Heaven

by Charles Sheffield

The Web Between the Worlds

by Charles Sheffield

By Any Other Name

by Spider Robinson

LOST IN TIME

Exploring space and time is a dangerous business, and no one knows this better than Time Agents Travis Fox and Ross Murdock. So when both men are stranded on far-off planets with no hope of rescue from Earth, they must rely on their wits and their training to survive.

But survival is only the beginning. To better handle the rigors of the alien world of Topaz, Fox and his crewmates have been implanted with the memories of their Apache ancestors—but the Opposition has sent its own team with the reawakened memories of their Mongol ancestors!

Meanwhile, Murdock is trapped in the ancient past of the water world of Hawaika, facing terrifying wizards in a kingdom he knows will soon be utterly annihilated by an alien empire that is bent on the conquest of the entire galaxy.

 The fates of two worlds, and possibly the galaxy itself,  will be determined by the actions of these castaways in time—and whatever happens, the lives of Time Agents everywhere will be changed forever. . . .

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Called "a superb talent" by The New York Times, Andre Norton is a living legend in science fiction, and one of our greatest storytellers. She has been writing science fiction novels for nearly five decades, beginning with the now-classic Star Man's Son in 1952. Many of today's top writers, including C.J. Cherryh and Joan D. Vinge, have cited her as a primary influence on their own work. She was Guest of Honor at the 1989 World Science Fiction Convention, is a Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the World Fantasy Convention. Though unpublished recently, she has been astoundingly prolific, with over thirty books in her celebrated "Witch World" series alone. She has introduced three generations of SF readers to SF and fantasy, both through her critically acclaimed YA novels and her adult works, and stands today as one of the most popular authors in both fields.

Prequel to Bedlam's Bard

When one of her friends is gunned down, Kayla uses her latent healing powers to heal her friend—and the gang member who shot him—and soon the city's gangs are eager to use her powers for evil.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

The onslaught of the Melconians was not the last conflict that humanity's interstellar Concordiat would have to face. For now the Kezdai-a newly encountered species with war at the center of their philosophy-have taken to arms against the Concordiat and its colony worlds. For war, the Terrans have only one answer:

Break out the Bolos!

Self-aware robotic tanks, the Bolos have fought bravely and well since the days when humans fought each other. Now they battle across the stars to defend us all ... and though the times are perilous, we've never been in better hands than those of our old metal guardians: Keith Laumer's greatest creation, the Bolos.

Praise for the Bolos Series:

"Well worth your interest and money. . . .
Recommended." -Tails of Wonder

"If you're a Bolo fan, buy this...." -StarQuest

"A good addition to the Bolo mythos.... fun,
entertaining. . . . " -Heliocentric Network

THIS IS YOUR SOUL
ON DRUGS

After the events chronicled in Bedlam's Bard, world-saving bard and magician Eric Banyon moves into his new New York apartment hoping to settle down to the quiet life. No such luck: his building is a safe-house for a group of occultist Guardians protecting the city from supernatural evil. And there's a new evil for them to guard against....

When unethical drug researchers discover that they can induce amazing mental powers using psychotropic drugs, they begin planning to raise a drug-enslaved army of mercenaries and grow very, very rich. But this gets the attention of Aerune mac Audelaine, lord of the dark Unseleighe Sidney, who hopes to use the drugs to break through to the human world and feed on the suffering there. Both plans will bring terror to the world-and both are threatened by the very existence of Eric Banyan.

With his possibly loyal companions-a beautiful elven half-breed and a gargoyleEric heads for a three-way battle of wizardry that will determine Gotham's fate-and his own.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Mercedes Lackey, author of the bestselling Heralds of Valdemar and Bardic Voices series, began life as a child and has been attempting to rectify that error ever since. Named for actress Mercedes McCambridge, she has been trying with no success to get the Benz automobile authorities to recognize the natural link between her name and theirs, and offer her the use of an M100 or some variety of high-end sports car for gratis. This, too, has had a distinct lack of success. Other than writing she can be found at various times prying the talons of the birds of prey she is attempting to nurse back to health out of her hands, endangering her vision by creating various forms of Art Beadwork, and cross-stitching dragons, gryphons, and other semi-mythological fauna. At the moment, her hair is red, her favorite color is green, and she is covered by various members of her flock of pet parrots, cockatoos and macaws, all of which are trying to help her type8shgalal-akejbejks9ife.

Rosemary Edghill, after holding the usual array of Weird Writer Jobs, including freelance graphic designer and vampire killer, settled down to a career as a full-time writer. She has written three books in the Twelve Treasures series, urban fantasies about elves and subways, as well as books in genres ranging from romance to mystery. She has also collaborated with such masters of fantasy as Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton. Of this collaboration, Mercedes Lackey writes, "I needed a new partner for our Bedlam Bards series ... Rosemary was the only possible writer who was sharp enough!" Her web page can be found at http://www.sff.net/people/eluki

SET A TRAP FOR A SORCERER . . .
WITHOUT BEING TRAPPED YOURSELF!

Eric Banyon has settled into the New York whirl nicely: he's doing well at Juilliard, he's made a lot of new friends, he's defeated a lord of the Unseleighe Sidhe . . .

Or has he

Aerune mac Audelaine, whose beloved was killed by mortal men, was determined to destroy the human race until Eric, with a little help from his new friends the Guardians, thwarted Aerune's plans and exposed the chemists whose designer poison turned ordinary humans into zombie Mages. The human side of the threat is finished, but Aerune, like the rest of the Sidhe, has a long memory . . . and a lot of patience. He's also got Jeanette Campbell, former Threshold Black Ops, and the science behind the murder.

Can Eric stop Aerune's latest plan Only if he finds out about it before it's too late, but between babysitting a visiting Healer, training a banjo-playing Bard, attending his daughter's Underhill Naming ceremony, dealing with a dragon-and trying to survive summer school-Eric's got his hands full. Saving the world has never been more necessary-or come at a higher price.

MUSTANG SALLY

"Excuse me " said a low, sexy, female voice.

Tannim jumped in startlement, and turned to face the barn door—and froze as he saw who was standing there. His mind lodged on a single thought, unable to get past it: It's her—it's her—it's her—

And it was: the woman who had haunted and hunted him through his dreams for years. The woman he'd dreamed of this morning. Her. And she stood there, calmly taking in his look of utter shock.

There was absolutely no doubt of it; she matched his dreams in every detail. Gently curved raven-wing hair framed a face that he knew as well as he knew his own. Amused emerald-green eyes gazed at him from beneath strong brows that arched as delicately as a bit of Japanese brushwork.

"Excuse me," she said again in that throaty contralto. ". . . but I understood that I could find someone here who works on Mustangs."

He looked past her and spotted her black Mustang standing in the midst of the tall grass outside the barn door. "Not—for a long time," he said dazedly.

"Ah," she replied. Then her eyes widened as she looked past his shoulder, and she stepped back in alarm.

Fear lanced him. He whirled to look. There was nothing there.

He turned back, and she was already gone. And so was her car.

Only then did his mind click back into gear, as he sprinted to stood where the car had been. There was the imprint of four tires in the grass—but no track-marks leading up to them. There was no sign that the car had actually been driven through the grass to reach that spot, and there had been no sound of a motor.

She was haunting him still, it would seem. . . .

IT'S HARD TO KEEP
A GOOD PSYCHOPATH DOWN-TIME ...

And it's harder to figure which psychopath to fear most! Senator John Caddrick hires a professional assassin to murder his own daughter and threatens to destroy the whole time-touring industry. Caddrick's hired gun plans a high-level double cross-but then everyone's plans are thrown into chaos when Jack the Ripper's killing spree spreads from Victorian London to Time Terminal Eighty-Six. In this breath-stopping sequel to Ripping Time. retired time scout Kit Carson and ex-con man Skeeter Jackson enter an unholy alliance that surprises everyone-including Skeeter and Kit.

All they have to do is track down Senator Caddrick's missing heiress. lost somewhere in history. rescue Lanira Cassondra from the clutches of a madman, and keep the most famous time-touring station in the world open for business. while avoiding death in The House that lack (the Ripper) Built.

Praise for Time Scout.

"The storytelling is as solid as one would expect from
this team of writers. . . " -Dragon

" ... shows tremendous research and brings the past alive. You actually feel you're walking down the streets of ancient Rome and Victorian England ... I'm waiting for more." -Philadelphia Weekly Press

A MILLENNIUM
IN PROVENCE

A lost little girl weeps in the high wilderness, and her cries are heard ... Is her rescuer a crazy, lonely woodsman, or a timeworn Celtic god, and she his only believer Does an ancient female deity live beside the ool, among the ancient trees of the cool beeS grove, or is she little Pierrette's "imaginary friend", a poor substitute for a murdered mother

Will the Black Time come, when dark, evil machines tower over the sunny little harbor of Citharista and all the goodness of the world is locked in an ebon box, or will young Pierrette indeed become the great sorceress of her dreams, with fire at her fingertips to stem the evil tide

Journey with her across the ancient landscape, wander among the bleaching limestone bones of dragons that lie still atop the hills, and see for yourself whether the old gods yet endure....

The Sacred Pool stands at the midpoint of a vast historic tapestry try, looking both forward and back: From the sea-girt Paleolithic caves of Sormiou and enchanted forests of ancient Gaul, to the steamy swamps of Midicor IV, a million years hence; from old Polybius in his leather tent at the siege of Numantia, to Achibol the Charlatan in a cybernetic fortress buried beneath the Columbia Icefields of Alberta, L. Warren Douglas is there-and he takes his readers with him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

L. Warren Douglas-anthropologist, naturalist . poet and historian-puts it ail together, me poet ng myth, historic characters and events, and ancient and future landscapes with a touch of fantasy. Douglas's works are a treasure trove of ancient wisdom, lost legends, cutting-edge biotech, and unforgettable characters. From Sioux Falls to the South of France, Douglas has walked the streets and trails, smelled the flowers, named and savored the winds off mountain, sea, and plain-and his readers experience it.

Douglas's mysteries are genuine, whether hidden in the myths of a thousand worlds, recorded by the world-spanning biocybes of Midicor IV, or obscured by the mists of the Celtic otherworld where dead gods speak, and ultimately it is the reader who must wander dusty trails, explore forbidding cityscapes, and discover answers as real as sweat, as poignant as lost love, buried deep in the forgotten past or hidden on a far, far world whose light will not impinge on wisdomus for a million years. For Douglas, to travel hopefully is indeed a better thing than to arrive, and his reader's journeys are their own reward.

W200101 January 2001 Monthly Baen Bundle

Beyond World's End

by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

The Sacred Pool

by L. Warren Douglas

Bolos, Book 5: Old Guard

by Keith Laumer

The House That Jack Built

by Robert Asprin and Linda Evans

Trigger and Friends

by James H. Schmitz
edited by Eric Flint

THOSE KZIN DON'T KNOW WHEN
THEY'RE LICKED
(AND MAYBE THEY AREN'T . . . .)

It was so unfair! Here the Kzin were, warcats supreme, bringing the galaxy piece by piece under feline dominion, carving out satrapies for the home planet like the lords of creation that they were—and then they ran into those pesky humans. Mere apes! Contemptible salad-eaters! Taking pride in sneaking up on a leaf! Obviously fit only to be lunch, not even a speed bump in the Kzinti's imperial career. Hardly worth screaming-and-leaping about.

But when the feline Kzin moved in to take over the monkey-occupied worlds—they got clobbered. The humans, with their underhanded monkey cunning, turned communications equipment and space drives into weapons that cut the dauntless Heroes into ribbons. When the humans gained a faster-than-light drive, it `vas all over but the, uh, howling. The Kzin had lost their first war ever in centuries of conquest.

Still, you can't keep a good warcat down, and the Kzin have by no means given up. New weapons, new strategies, and new leaders—the humans had better keep their powder dry. Once again, it's howling time in Known Space!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

New York Times bestselling author and multiple award-winner Larry Niven is author of the Hugo and Nebula Award winning Ringworld, a novel recognized as a milestone in modern science fiction. Like Ringworld and its sequels, The Ringworld Engineers and The Ringworld Throne, the Man-Kzin books are part of the Known Space series, possibly the most popular SF series of all time.

Poul Anderson, a seven-time Hugo Award winner, three-time Nebula Award winner, and recipient of the Grand Master Award of the Science Fiction Writers of America for lifetime achievement, has been both popular and prolific for five decades, creating Nicholas van Rijn and Sir Dominic Flandry, two of the most memorable characters in science fiction, and publishing over one hundred books.

Paul Chafe was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1965. Currently he is pursuing graduate studies in Electrical Engineering at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is an infantry officer in the Canadian forces Reserve and has served with four regiments. When he isn't writing he devotes his spare time to flying sailplanes, parachuting, cycling and travel. He has one son, Christian, who is 8.

Hal Colebatch lives in a suburb of Perth, Australia, where he practices law. His recent book, Blair's Britain, was selected by the London Spectator's Taki as a book of the year. In addition to his earlier stories in the ManKzin saga, he has written mainstream fiction, biographies, plays, poetry, and several hundred articles. He has a Ph.D in Political Science, and has been an advisor to two Australian Federal Ministers. He is married and has two stepchildren.

FROM THE CRIME TO THE RIDICULOUS

From the offbeat but razor-edged imagination of Spider Robinson: Stranded time travelers; squabbling cosmic warriors; reincarnated rockstars; blind starship pilots; monsters both human and alien; a tomorrow formed by today's trends—this Spider weaves a web of wonder.

Sound profound Nah! Herein we've got a partially-disembodied Brooklynite looking for his, er, bottom half, a past-tense-ignoring player of a certain New York crap game from 1930 running loose in the present, a compendium of the silliest weapons history never had, and plenty more. The warped and the way-out combine in a book that by any name would be . . . really cool!

Praise for Spider Robinson:

". . . I'd nominate Spider Robinson as the new Robert Heinlein. Like Mr. Heinlein in his prime, Mr. Robinson writes in a crisp, tightly controlled prose about a future that is recognizably descended from today's world, yet provocatively altered." 
—The New York Times

 "Robinson is the hottest writer to hit science fiction since [Harlan] Ellison . . . He can match the master's frenetic energy and emotional intensity, arm-break for gut-wrench." 
—Los Angeles Times

 "Sheer good storytelling . . . from opening tragedy to concluding triumph . . . an imaginative and captivating story." 
—Publishers Weekly

FROM THE WOMAN WHO REDEFINED FANTASY

In the short span of a. few years, Mercedes Lackey has risen from an exciting new talent to a reigning superstar of fantasy. Last year's Fiddler Fair was a showcase of the wide scope of her talent; ranging from fantasy to science fiction, from screwball humor to macabre supernatural terror. Now comes the successor to that top-selling volume; Werehunter.

Lope through the night with a young woman who has been given the power to transform herself into a leopard, but who now finds herself pursued by a hunter who is more than human: Follow the adventures of Skitty, ship's cat extraordinaire, and telepathic problem-solver. Ride with a late night driver on a solitary road who learns that what appears to be a piece of cardboard blowing across the road is actually something very sinister in disguise. Join Lackey's celebrated occult detective Diana Tregarde as she attends a gathering of romance writers and encounters a visitor whose passionate desire is for fresh, warm blood. Return to the world of the Heralds of Valdemar. And there's much more.

Lackey's many fans will know what to expect: unforgettable characters in spellbinding stories from a grand master of fantasy and science fiction. And readers just discovering her have a treat in store.

"She'll keep you up long past your bedtime." -Stephen King

'She sweeps you along and never lets you go." -Locus

"An undoubted mistress of the well-told tale."-Booklist

" . . highly, highly recommended . . . ." -Khan

IF BUREAUCRACIES HAD STARSHIPS

Con games Corrupt governors. Deadly rivalries between departments of the same government. And, of course, the long arm of the Mob. Even in our future among the stars, some things never change-except that the governors run (and ruin) planets, the rivalries are fought with spacecraft and energy bolts, and the mobsters smuggle real illegal aliens and make their getaways with subspace portals. It's all just another day in that bastion of galactic peace and democracy, the Federation of the Hub

-and somebody has to clean up this mess!

Join secret agent Trigger Argee, scout adventurer Heslet Quillan and Holati Tate, master of intrigue, as they battle the criminal element on its own interstellar turf ... and make the future a little safer for the rest of us.

"Take my advice and buy TWO copies of this book! You'll want to lend it to friends and (trust me on this: I have years of experience to back up the observation) once people get their hands an a Schmitz book, they don't let go!" - Janet Kagan, Hugo-winning author of Uhura's Song

"Wonderfully fresh." -The Horn Book

'A. typical James Schmitz mix of humor, strange mental powers, and mild anarchy. Delightful."
-The Ultimate guide to Science Fiction

IMPLOSION!

The worst has happened: Fleet is tearing itself apart. Some of the mutineers see injustice in the unequal spread of the rejuvenation drugs that offer virtual immortality to the rich; others are simply thirsty for power, or for blood. The Loyalists, meanwhile, fight desperately to preserve the rule of law in Familias Regnant space.

But when Esmay Suiza-Serrano is unceremoniously booted out of Fleet, the apparent victim of Family politics, she has no Idea of the whirlwind of conflict Into which she is about to be drawn. As the noose tightens on galactic civilization, great battles will be fought and greater loves affirmed ... and old friends will meet their destinies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Moon has degrees in history and biology, served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, was elected to public office, and spent six years as a paramedic on a rural Texas ambulance service. Her much acclaimed novels include The Deed of Paksenarrion, an epic fantasy, the “Heris Serrano” series; and two nationally bestselling collaborations with Anne McCaffrey, Sassinak and Generation Warriors. Her recent novel Remnant Population was acclaimed by Anne McCaffrey (“. . . marvelously empathic insights . . . pure satisfaction . . .”) and Ursula K. LeGuin (“. . . a book full of pleasures.”) and was a Hugo Award finalist. Her last novel was Change of Command, to which Against the Odds is a sequel. Moon lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband and their son.

Visit Elizabeth Moon's web page at  http://www.sff.net/people/Elizabeth.Moon

HUMANS OR HEMNOIDS: 
AN UNBEARABLE CHOICE!

Planet Dilbia is in a crucial location for both humans and their adversaries, the Hemnoids. Therefore making friends with the Dilbians and establishing a human presence there is of the utmost importance, which may be a problem, since the bearlike Dilbians; stand some nine feet tall, and have a high regard for physical prowess. They're not impressed by human technology, either. A real man, er, bear doesn't need machines to do his work for him.

But Dilbians are impressed by sharp thinking, and some have expressed a grudging admiration for the logical (and usually sneaky) mental maneuvers that the human "shorties" have used to get themselves out of desperate jams. Just maybe that old human craftiness will win over the Dilbians; to the human side. If not, we lose a nexus, and the Dilbians will learn just how unbearable Hemnoids can be....

"Excellent!" -Science Fiction Review

SURRENDER WAS NOT AN OPTION

 After centuries of horrible high-tech wars, galactic humanity had at last emerged from The Time of Troubles, firm in the belief that nothing was preferable to war, convinced indeed that to believe otherwise was psychotic. But soon the Commonwealth of Worlds is going to need every "psychotic" it can get its hands on—because trouble is heading straight at them in the form of more than 14,000 warships from somewhere.

Every inhabited planet that armada encounters is wiped clean of human life to make room for alien colonists. Either humans will again learn how to be soldiers, and quickly, or humanity will join the dinosaurs as an interesting extinct species.

"Too many military SF novels ignore the essential unevenness and tragedy of war. . . . John Dalmas knows better. His Soldiers have both courage and heart." —David Brin, Hugo Winner and author of Earth and Startide Rising

 "Slam bang action . . . with a heart and soul. . . ." —William C. Dietz, author of By Force of Arms

ONLY DYKSTRA CAN 
SAVE US NOW!

Humanity had thought itself alone in the Cosmos. By the end of the 21st century, it had filled the Solar System and begun warring with itself. But then the aliens came-swift, silent, and deadly, possessing enigmatic weapons and faster-than-light technology.

At 126 years of age, James Christian Dykstra had thought he'd done enough. As Einstein had been to the 20th century, he had been to the 21st. Nearly all advanced technology depended upon the foundation of his physics. But the aliens had brought something new, and nobody understood it. And nobody understood them.

So the System Patrol called upon Dykstra to solve the riddle of the alien weaponry. His failure would mean the end of Humanity. His success would offer a chance at least to fight back. . . .