The Trouble with Humans

by Christopher Anvil

Book Overview

First Time in Mass Market. Humans--there's no understanding them, and no dealing with them either. Or even with their planet . Pity the poor aliens, whose shape-changing ability should let them take... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416521429
• ISBN13: 9781416521426
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Baen
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The Rest of the Stories

The Trouble With Humans (2007) is the fifth SF collection in The Complete Christopher Anvil series, following The Trouble With Aliens. This collection contains thirteen stories. Since most stories by this author involve both humans and aliens, these titles are somewhat arbitrary. In this collection, the aliens are usually the aggressors and the humans are the defenders, with some exceptions. We From Arcturus (Worlds of Tomorrow, 1964) tells of the efforts of a pair of psionically gifted shapeshifting aliens to infiltrate Earth, only to encounter incapacitating pollution. The Underhandler (Analog, 1990) relates the trials of an overly smug alien faced with a human even better at nonquantitative evaluations. Duel to the Death (Analog, 1965) describes the takeover of a human scout by a sentient planet. Shotgun Wedding (Astounding, 1960) conveys the results of an alien trying to muddle the natives of Earth with a direct vision device that allows viewing of anything other than another RTV. The Law Breakers (Astounding, 1959) describes encounters with the Earth police by two aliens while attempting to blowup a human colonization center. Compensation (Astounding, 1957) tells of the trials of two scouts from a psionic culture while trying to describe human society to their superiors. Merry Christmas From Outer Space (Fantastic, 1964) is a romp involving a thought disruptor, a science fiction publication, and payment for a story by a new author. The Plateau (Amazing, 1965) relates the violent meeting of an invading culture that has lost its past and a creative bunch of human resisters. Captive Leaven (Astounding, 1959) describes a planet with periodic outbursts of technological innovation. Sinful City (Future SF #32, 1957) solves a problem of conflicting jurisdictions and the sharpsters who take advantage of the situation. Behind the Sandrat Hoax (Galaxy, 1968) is a satire on scientific authorities and the damage they can do. Nerves (Fantastic Universe, 1958) relates a small story of subtle revenge. The Gentle Earth (Astounding, 1957) is a long story about the invasion of Earth by Venusians. Of course, Venus is no longer thought to be an endless ocean with countless marine species, so it is quite outdated. However, this story and Pandora's Planet (Astounding, 1956) are very similar in their portrayal of our world as a dangerous place to live and fight. They also point out the ready, and mutual, hostility of the inhabitants toward any outsider. Pandora's Planet became the basis for a series of subsequent stories, later published as the Pandora's Planet collection and eventually reprinted as Pandora's Legions. The Gentle Earth was never reprinted, except in various Astounding/Analog anthologies, until this collection. Which is rather unfortunate, since the ending of this story is hilarious. There is a definite reason for saving it for the end of the book. Insofar as I am aware, this is the concluding volume in the collected short wo