Showing results by author "Murray Leinster" in All Categories

The remorseless aggressors had everything in the galaxy on their side - except the little idiosyncrasies of the human mind. The brutal Mekinese have launched a surprise attack on the helpless planet Kandar. The only hope: the unusual abilities of Talents, Incorporated. Science meets psi in this classic tale by Murray Leinster.

There's an emergency on Dara and Calhoun, an Interstellar Medical Serviceman, feels duty-bound to respond. But Dara is under quarantine. And if Calhoun goes there, he'll be targeted as a plague-carrier - who can be shot on sight. Will Calhoun risk everything for a planet that's taboo?

"The Pirates of Ersatz" is a science fiction novel by Murray Leinster. It tells the story of Bran Hodder, a one-time engineer who sets out on a career of interstellar piracy ostensibly to further more legitimate goals. Excerpt from the book: "My grandfather," said Hoddan defiantly. "What are you going to do about it? I'm outlawed! I've defied the planetary government! I'm disreputable by descent, and worst of all I've tried to use my brains!" "Deplorable!" said the ambassador mildly. "I don't mean outlawry is deplorable, you understand, or defiance of the government, or being disreputable.

A classic sci-fi tale by the master Murray Leinster of the last catastrophic stages of our planet and its inhabitants. The true villain of this fascinating piece is excess carbon dioxide! The results on the earth, plant life, animals and humans are vividly imagined and described: giant insects, weird fungi, poisonous air and gases, fighting and conflict amongst humanity... How, or rather, how badly will all of this end?

This novelette from 1931 involves a mathematical physicist whose theories get applied by an experimenter. He and his beautiful daughter get trapped in an alternate dimension with “bad guys” called the Ragged Men. A mathematical genius is called in to find a way to rescue them while fending off a crooked lab assistant and a gangster who wants the technology for his own purposes.

As humanity ventures deeper into the galaxy, they come to a stark realization they are not alone. With the emergence of two powerful empires, the stage is set for an inevitable clash. But is war truly the only outcome? Discover the thrilling possibilities that lie ahead. (Summary from Gutenberg text)

An intriguing novella by author Murray Leinster, published in 1949, about machines which have the capacity to retain emotions for the missions they accomplish, and weird signals from the future, which annihilate less advanced mechanisms! A classic piece of sci-fi pulp by the masterful Leinster.

The miles of rock-hewn corridors through which the Earth party wandered, left no doubt about the purpose of the asteroid, it was a weapon. There was no life on the asteroid. Yet something here had called across space to the people of Earth.

"The Interstellar Medical Service was just about the only remaining galactic organization that every one of the hundreds of inhabited planets respected. So when their service broke down in Star Sector Twelve, it created a very dangerous situation. When Calhoun took his Med ship out of overdrive near that sector's planet Weald, he was vaguely aware of the risks. But the crisis came home to him with a crash the moment he radioed in for landing coordinates.

Two complete novels by the critically acclaimed science fiction master includes the Hugo Award-winning The Planet Explorer, in which the fate of the colonies across the galaxy rests in the hands of a single man, and The Forgotten Planet, in which the crew and passengers of a marooned planet struggle to survive in a world populated by deadly giant insects.

"The Runaway Skyscraper" is a science fiction story about Arthur Chamberlain, an engineer who works in a midtown Manhattan office building called the Metropolitan Tower. When the sun suddenly begins moving backwards in the sky, setting rapidly in the east, he is the only one to realize what is actually happening: a flaw in the rock beneath the building has caused it to subside, but instead of moving in space, the building is falling backwards into the past.

"Operation: Outer Space" is a science fiction novel by Murray Leinster. It was first published in 1954. The novel introduces the first interstellar flight, financed by making it into a television show! In fact, this very funny work is much more of a biting satire on the world of television, the media and the rich than a regular space opera but with some elements of sci-fi still there of course.

Tanks and the future of war is what Murray Leinster speculates about in this story. Written in the 1920's he observed the terrible new inventions that were used in World War I to kill people, armored tanks and poisoned gas and then tells us how war will be fought in the future. In this case the war will occur in 1932 and be between the US and the 'Yellow enemy'. It was published in the very first issue of "Astounding Stories of Super Science", January 1930.

Third Planet by Murray Leinster is a classic mid-20th-century science fiction novel that blends space exploration with a chilling warning about humanity’s future. Written during the height of Cold War tensions, the story follows the crew of the survey ship Lotus as they investigate a once-living planet reduced to lifeless ruin by nuclear devastation. What they uncover is more than an alien mystery—it is a mirror reflecting Earth’s own perilous path.

When the United Nation’s attempt to put a peace platform in orbit is sabotaged by the enemy, the United States goes ahead on its own. Almost immediately the enemy starts launching missiles at the platform trying to bring it down. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Joe Kenmore pilots a resupply mission. With missiles flying and rockets in short supply something that can survive the combat environment and haul supplies up to the platform is needed. They need a Space Tug!

"The Aliens" by Murray Leinster is a classic science fiction story exploring humanity’s first contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial race. Filled with suspense, diplomacy, and interstellar tension, this tale examines how communication and understanding can bridge the vast gap between species—or spark galactic conflict. Leinster masterfully blends scientific imagination with timeless human emotion, offering readers a thought-provoking vision of alien encounters. Perfect for fans of classic sci-fi and space exploration, The Aliens remains a must-listen audiobook for anyone who loves ...

Ten classic science fiction stories.

This is the hair rising sequel to sci-fi master Murray Leinster's "The Mad Planet". Burl, our hero, still has to contend with the giant bugs and fungus; as well as even greater menaces! "The sky grew gray and then almost white. The overhanging banks of clouds seemed to withdraw a little from the steaming earth. Haze that hung always among the mushroom forests and above the fungus hills grew more tenuous, and the slow and misty rain that dripped the whole night long ceased reluctantly.

"Planet of Dread" is an outer space horror story. It tells the tale of a spaceship with one too many passengers - a stowaway. The stowaway is given two choices: be sentenced to death, or be marooned on a nearby planet. He chooses to be marooned. His one problem is that the planet is crawling with millions of giant insect monstrosities! By master of the genre Murray Leinster. Published in 1930.

Tensions on Earth are reaching crisis point, with opposed super powers on the very brink of full scale nuclear war, when a scout ship exploring space discovers an inhabitable third planet in a remote star system. FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of this classic tale from the golden age of science fiction.