Give Me Liberty

by Martin H. Greenberg

Book Overview

Featuring such renowned science fiction luminaries as Frank Herbert, Murray Leinster, A. E. van Vogt, Christopher Anvil, and many others, this powerful anthology examines the concept of liberty as... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743435850
• ISBN13: 9780743435857
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Baen Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Not Free SF Reader

A look at what new technology and discoveries can do to the existing power structures and authorities. Some of the stories are overtly satirical, such as Momument. The Leinster is just bad, looking at it now. However, that is made up for by the excellent Second Game, clearly the best work here. A reasonable reprint anthology at 3.44, with a little too much ordinary work. Give Me Liberty : MONUMENT - Lloyd Biggle Jr. Give Me Liberty : GADGET VS. TREND - Christopher Anvil Give Me Liberty : THE UNGOVERNED - Vernor Vinge Give Me Liberty : HISTORICAL NOTE - Murray Leinster Give Me Liberty : THE WEAPON SHOP - A. E. Van Vogt Give Me Liberty : SECOND GAME - Katherine MacLean and Charles de Vet Give Me Liberty : COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - Frank Herbert Give Me Liberty : AND THEN THERE WERE NONE - Eric Frank Russell Native planet protection tax strategy. 3.5 out of 5 Quiet struggle statis. 3 out of 5 Private policing provisions. 3 out of 5 Russian flying horde cabbage patch. 2 out of 5 An incontrovertible supply of bang and zap is important. 4 out of 5 The Player Of is a clever sneaky absorbing spy. 4.5 out of 5 Personal weapon power restraint. 3.5 out of 5 Antigand-a be any authority around here, you crazy people. 4 out of 5 3.5 out of 5

Eight old greats brought back into print

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - conclusion of speech attributed to Patrick Henry, 1775, in favor of a resolution to commit Virginian troops to the Revolutionary War Anvil, Christopher: "Gadget vs. Trend" (1962) is written in the form of a series of newspaper articles set in the then-near future, framed with two newspaper reports covering speeches by a Boston sociologist, each decrying the current popular trend - initially "creeping conformism" - which reverses itself over the course of the story. :) The second article in the sequence is the revelation of a "privacy shield" device by the inventor's grandson, who puts it on the market as a QuietWall unit. As the story unfolds, the original inventor's downplayed concerns about side effects are made clear when the device's true function - the generator of a stasis field - is discovered, and customers begin developing unforeseen uses for the technology. An ultimate defense can be quite awkward in the hands of people resisting arrest, eviction, or process servers... Biggle, Lloyd jr: "Monument" (1961) A low-rent space bum, having spent his life scraping by on odd jobs and a little prospecting, was lucky to half-land, half-crash the ship he barely knew how to run on a tropical paradise of a planet, where in time he became a respected elder. And foreseeing what would happen when greedy speculators eventually rediscovered his home, he took steps to teach the younger generation how to fight the *civilized* way. This is a beauty of a story, as the eventual unscrupulous politically-connected creep who grabs a foothold on the planet knows how to get things done, but can neither frighten away nor justify the use of force against the rightful inhabitants. Herbert, Frank: "Committee of the Whole" (1965) The viewpoint character, an attorney representing a cattle rancher about to testify before a televised Senate subcommittee hearing in opposition to a change in the law governing grazing rights, worries that his client is overconfident - and worries still more on being told that his client has modified his statement without prior consultation, and brought along a new gadget that another attorney has been helping him attempt to patent...Very realistically drawn political situation, from the diplomatic illness of an overly cautious ally to the warning signs of which powerful reporters have attended in person rather than sending flunkies. Leinster, Murray: "Historical Note" (1951) Party politics in the Soviet Union force a professor and his university to hype his latest discovery - and office politics in Aerodynamic Design (who need a new product such that they can blame failures on somebody else) lead to the creation of a revolutionary personal flyer. But when members of the now-flying infantry can go *anywhere* at will, things begin to g

Be VERY careful about what you ask for...

because sometimes what you get isn't what you thought you wanted. This sci-fi stories are oldies but goodies. Stories from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s by such greats as Frank Herbert, Vernor Vinge and Eric Frank Russell. Of course, it also has the classic _The Weapon Shop_ by A.E. van Vogt. The stories show that eternal vigilance, freedom and rights are not just words we can toss about while drinking a soda in front of a babbling TV. You have to stand up and sometimes just say No. Perfect for any collection.

Liberty - love it!

Good yarns, whether sc-fi or not, are even better when the themes resonate with a coherent belief structure. As a libertarian, I read each of these not-so-well-known stories with joy and a sense of recognition, at times a feeling of ah-ha! Not all stories are equally well written, but each one is readable, sometimes informing, often amusing or a little bit thrilling, as when an enemy attacks ... Arkansas / Oklahoma and is thwarted by a stubborn farmer. good stuff.

An Amazing Collection

This is an amazing anothogy of truly thought provoking stories written by top-notch sci-fi authors. Each story deals in it's own way with anarchy or alternate forms of government. With the exception of "The Ungoverned", by Vernor Vinge, all of these were new to me, and every single one should be cataloged as a classic. If you are a connoisseur of this genre, then it's a must for your collection.