Showing results by author "Murray Leinster" in All Categories

A classic Sci-Fi tale that chronicles the last catastrophic phases of our planet and its inhabitants. The true villain of this fascinating piece is excess carbon dioxide! The consequences 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?

The novel's protagonist, a tyrant called The Master, attempts to control civilization by using a madness-inducing drug, hence the title "Murder Madness". Our champion, Charly Bell, is a member of a super-secret group named the Trade which does not officially exist. He is covertly sent on a mission to discover why seven United States Secret Service men have disappeared in South America. Another is found - a screaming homicidal maniac. It is rumored that they are victims of a diabolical poison which produces the "murder madness."

"This World Is Taboo" (1961) by Murray Leinster is a science fiction novel. Excerpt: He called Murgatroyd, placed him before the communicator, and set it at voice-only transmission. This was familiar enough, to Murgatroyd. He'd often seen Calhoun use a communicator."Chee!" shrilled Murgatroyd. "Chee-chee!" A startled voice came out of the speaker: "What's that?" "Chee," said Murgatroyd zestfully. The communicator was talking to him. Murgatroyd adored three things, in order.

"The Hate Disease" (1963) is a science fiction short story about the interplanetary medical service, by Murray Leinster. Excerpt: The Med Service people hit strange problems as routine: if they weren't weirdos, they weren't tough enough to merit Med Service attention. Now the essence of a weird problem is that it involves a factor nobody ever thought of before... or the absence of one nobody ever missed... The Med Ship Esclipus Twenty rode in overdrive while her ship's company drank coffee.

A 1960 sci-fi tale but also a pulp fiction and amusing fantasy story (the tale itself fluctuates between these styles) by master Murray Leinster. A gangster is controlling a town through violence and menace... until a dry cleaning establishment chips in for the good guys, resulting in very peculiar events to say the least!

A sci-fi/war classic by the master Murray Leinster, published in 1930. Great sci-fi in the way Leinster guesses (or predicts) what will be a large part of future warfare... "The persistent, oily smell of fog-gas was everywhere, even in the little pill-box. Outside, all the world was blotted out by the thick gray mist that went rolling slowly across country with the breeze. The noises that came through it were curiously muted - fog-gas mutes all noises somewhat - but somewhere to the right artillery was pounding something with H E shell.

The short story "Doctor" chronicles a fear of a virus that has already decimated one planet and is so deadly that there is no cure for it. Planets that are known to have chlorphage are quarantined from the rest of the galaxy. Unknown to others, a small girl who is infected manages to board an interplanetary ship and the ship's doctor tries to combat the virus.

How many dimensions are there? In The Other Now, Murray Leinster takes us to a place where more than one Now may exist. At least that is what Jimmy and Jane believe. Haynes, Jimmy's lawyer friend, believes Jimmy suffers from post-traumatic shock after a tragic auto accident. That is, before a revelation.

When the blue plague appeared on the planet of Dara, fear struck nearby worlds. The fear led to a hate that threatened the lives of millions and endangered the galactic peace. But the med service ship Aesculapius 20, with Calhoun and Murgatroyd the Tormal aboard, is on the job and has stumbled into the horrible mess caused by unreasoning hatred, quarantine, mass starvation, and worse. Calhoun must use all his medical knowledge and significant skills even to understand the situation in neglected Sector 12.

You who have read The Mad Planet by Murray Leinster, will welcome the sequel to that story. The world, in a far distant future, is peopled with huge insects and titanic fungus growths. Life has been greatly altered, and tiny Man is now in the process of becoming acclimated to the change. We again meet our hero Burl, but this time a far greater danger menaces the human race. The huge insects are still in evidence, but the terror they inspire is as nothing compared to the deadly Red Dust.

Murray Leinster, whose real name was William Fitzgerald Jenkins, was an award-winning American writer of Science Fiction. Among other things, he is credited with the invention of "parallel universe" stories and in 1956 he won prestigious Hugo Award for Best Novelette. Leinster wrote over 1,500 short stories in his career and two of the best, "First Contact" and "The Aliens", deal with humanities first encounter with an alien race.

Calhoun is an Interstellar Medical Serviceman on a mission to the forbidden planet of Dara. But venturing into this taboo territory poses a deadly risk if he breaks quarantine, he’ll be seen as a plague-carrier, making him a target for anyone from Weald. Yet, what’s a story without a little risk? As tensions rise, Calhoun finds himself under fire from mysterious men of Dara. What secrets lie within this perilous world? (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

In Tanks, Murray Leinster delves into the future of warfare, envisioning the grim consequences of technological advancement in combat. Written in the 1920s, he reflects on the devastating innovations of World War I—like armored tanks and poisonous gas—and speculates how these developments will shape conflicts to come. Set in 1932, this gripping tale portrays a war between the United States and the so-called Yellow enemy. Published in the inaugural issue of Astounding Stories of Super Science in January 1930, this story stands as a thought-provoking piece of science fiction, ...

The War to End All Wars has finally come to a close, and the world is slowly trying to regain its footing in the chaotic aftermath of 1919. But just as peace seems within reach, a sinister supervillain emerges, determined to impose his rule over the globe. Armed with his supersonic helicopter, the Black Flyer, he launches a ruthless campaign to seize control of the worlds major ports and rivers, creating massive icebergs with his devious inventions. Nations tremble before his might, but they underestimate the resilience of our hero—a brilliant scientist specializing in low temperatures ...

SPACE PLATFORM takes you on a thrilling journey with a young man as he contributes to the construction of the worlds first space station. Renowned science-fiction author Murray Leinster brings to life the intricate details of building and launching this groundbreaking platform, blending scientific accuracy with vivid imagination. Prepare for a fast-paced narrative filled with intrigue, sabotage, and murder surrounding a project more secretive and valuable than the atom bomb! - Summary by Gutenberg text

Lon and Cathy, a deeply in love couple turned new farmers on a distant world, find themselves ensnared by a ruthless company. What initially seemed like a golden opportunity quickly reveals itself as a trap—one that binds them to a life of debt while they toil away to cultivate the highly sought-after Thanar leaves. With equipment designed to fail and crops mortgaged for years, they are left to ponder a future that feels bleak and hopeless. Just as their situation appears dire, an enchanting couple from another world, Rhadampsicus and Nodalictha, pass through the solar system. In their ...

In a puzzling predicament, the crew faces a maddening paradox without the necessary repair parts, they are unable to retrieve the very ship that holds those parts! Join us as we explore this intricate dilemma.

Arthur Chamberlains life is in disarray. His struggling one-man engineering firm is on the brink of failure, and his beautiful secretary, Estelle, seems oblivious to his existence. But when his Manhattan office building unexpectedly slips into the fourth dimension, everything changes. Suddenly, Madison Square is transformed into a landscape of wigwams, and its up to Arthur to devise a brilliant plan to bring his building—and his life—back to the future. Originally published in the February 22, 1919 issue of Argosy magazine, The Runaway Skyscraper is a thrilling tale of ingenuity ...

Bors was reeling as if struck by a thunderbolt. This was absurd! He had meticulously planned and executed the destruction of that warship based on information he believed was solid, confirmed by a magnetometer. However, if he had known the truth—that the intel came from a paranoid ex-employee of the spaceport, who had guessed the ships location using nothing more than a hazel twig—he would have dismissed it outright. This revelation changed everything. (Summary from the Gutenberg text)

As the Earth expedition traverses the vast, rock-hewn corridors of the desolate asteroid, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary celestial body. This ancient fortress, brimming with incomprehensible weapons of destruction, stands as a haunting testament to a long-gone civilization. Who were the architects of this formidable stronghold? What unfathomable threat did they once defend against? And why has it remained eerily abandoned for centuries? The answers elude the explorers—everything here is lifeless… or is it? High above the somber depths of the fortress, a powerful ...