Showing results for "Robert Sheckley" in Literature & Fiction

Essential Robert Sheckley Short Stories brings together three clever and imaginative science fiction tales by one of the genre’s most inventive writers. Featuring Accept No Substitutes, Ask a Foolish Question, and Bad Medicine, this collection offers sharp ideas, wit, and classic speculative storytelling for fans of vintage sci-fi.

In the heart of London, chaos reigns as a mysterious man snatches a steel-lined briefcase right from under the noses of armed secret agents. The stakes? The fate of nations hangs in the balance. Enter Stephen Dain, a resourceful detective called upon when the intelligence services of the entire Western world are left baffled and helpless. With only a single clue—a beautiful, clever, and dangerously alluring woman—Dain plunges into a high-stakes race against time. Will he outsmart the enemy and reclaim the briefcase before it’s too late? Join us for 'Dead Run,' a gripping detective ...

Take a look at a dark, deadly future where the game is hunting and the results are killing - human to human - with status, money, power, and sex as the prizes. The operation runs underground and Frank Blackwell is a new recruit who is destined to change the game and turn it into legitimate popular entertainment for the masses.

In "The Robot Who Looked Like Me," a busy man and a busy woman find a way to carve out time to romance each other—by having look-alike robots made to do the job—who then run away together. 

In 2092, the world's ecology is in ruins, drought and famine are widespread and survival is a never-ending challenge. Harold Erdman leaves his dying community with one goal, to make his way to Esmeralda, an island paradise run by the Huntworld Corporation which has turned public murder, among willing competitors, into a thriving and lucrative business. Can he survive the journey and then the many rounds of deadly competition on his way to the Big Payoff.

THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES OF THE ENTIRE WESTERN WORLD WERE BAFFLED, HELPLESS. THE WORD WENT OUT: "CALL STEPHEN DAIN!" In broad daylight, in the middle of a London street, a little man nobody knew snatched a steel-lined briefcase from the hands of armed secret agents. The briefcase held the fate of nations. Stephen Dain had to get it before the enemy did. He had one clue-a beautiful clever, dangerous girl!!!!! Summary from the Back cover, Bantam Books 1961 Paperback Edition

Alastair Crompton skilled nosologist at Psychosmell, Inc. sniffs out something he's been missing his whole life - his other selves. His disturbed psyche was divided into three parts and the other parts were implanted in other bodies on other planets. His obsession to re-unite himself leads to disturbing discovers about the underpinnings of the society he lives in, personal conflicts, a vastly destructive war and a shocking ultimate revelation.

The Journey of Joenes, also published as Journey Beyond Tomorrow, tells the tale of a picaresque journey through an imagined future taken by a naive and innocent man unprepared for the wonders and oddities he encounters. Sheckley examines the present through the distorting lens of a future wonderfully skewed from and yet darkly, hilariously, similar to our own world.

A Collection of Science Fiction Classic Short Stories.

All secret agents need to look out for William Nye, now known as Agent X. His recruitment was simple and his legend is brilliant but un-earned. Somehow, he thinks he's the best there is and we all know how pride goeth before a fall. The master of SF hilarity and biting social satire creates a spy world that has gathered praise from the greats of the genre.

It's the 21st Century and the ugliness of war no longer exists, except on a very personal level. Nowadays, people like Marcello Polletti, seller of Roman sunsets, and Caroline Meredith, lithe, beautiful, blonde, and backed by corporate sponsors and the Roy Bell Dancers, hunt, chase, and kill each other for sport and for the entertainment of the masses - until something oddly like personal human feelings pops up to confuse the players and up the stakes...as each of them seeks to kill their 10th victim and rise in the ranks of the hunters.

Untouched by Human Hands consists of 13 stories of beings who dwell on the strange borders of reality. Some of these stories tell of people you know or of events that might happen - but haven't yet. Some will take you to the furthermost reaches of the sky and to planets whose names are unknown this side of Arcturus. And some - perhaps the richest and most memorable of these stories - open into the interior of strange minds to reveal the reflection of ourselves.

Interstellar travel to alien worlds is too expensive for Marvin, a college student in need of a good vacation. And so he signs up for what he can afford: a mind swap, in which his consciousness is swapped into the body of an alien life-form. Unfortunately, Marvin finds himself in the body of an interstellar criminal—a body that he has to vacate, fast.

A gripping collection of classic science fiction tales filled with mystery, alien encounters, and interstellar danger. Golden Age Science Fiction Short Stories Vol. 7 brings together unforgettable stories by Murray Leinster and Robert Sheckley, capturing the imagination and wonder of vintage speculative fiction.

Step into the golden era of imagination with Essential Golden Age Science Fiction Short Stories, a powerful collection of visionary tales from the masters who defined modern sci-fi. Featuring unforgettable stories by Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert, John W. Campbell Jr., Robert Sheckley, Murray Leinster, and E. E. Smith, this anthology captures the bold ideas, cosmic wonder, and speculative brilliance that shaped an entire genre.

The Leech was waiting for food. For millennia it had been drifting, without consciousness, across the vast emptiness of space. A planet claimed it, with other stellar debris, and the leech fell, still dead—seeming within its tough spore case. One speck of dust among many, fell to the Earth. Nourishment soaked in, permeating the spore case. It grew—and began to feed.

One Man’s Poison by Robert Sheckley is a witty and suspenseful science fiction short story from the early 1950s that explores alien life and survival with a darkly comedic twist.

“Keep Your Shape” by Robert Sheckley is a thought-provoking science fiction short story from the early 1950s that blends satire, social commentary, and classic sci-fi themes. The tale follows Pid, a shape-shifting alien from the Grom species, on a mission to Earth using advanced Displacer technology. As the Grom crew confronts both the alien terrain and their own internal conflicts, the story dives into questions of conformity, identity, and rebellion against rigid societal roles.

Step into a haunting post-apocalyptic world where imagination is the only tool left to reshape reality. Proof of the Pudding by Robert Sheckley is a thought-provoking science fiction tale that explores the boundaries of creation, perception, and human connection.

Step into a chilling future where warfare isn’t just fought with weapons—but with the mind. The Hour of Battle by Robert Sheckley delivers a gripping tale of suspense, set against the vast backdrop of deep space.