Keith Laumer emerged as one of the modern masters of science fiction in the 1960s and 1970s, creating such memoriable characters as Retief of the CDT and the Bolos. This collection assembles 21 of his great tales, including stories in both of those series (and one complete novel). Here are:INTRODUCTION: KEITH LAUMERTHE FROZEN PLANET [Retief]GAMBLER’S WORLD [Retief]THE YILLIAN WAY [Retief]THE MADMAN FROM EARTH [Retief]RETIEF OF THE RED-TAPE MOUNTAI...

Collected here for the first time in this massive omnibus collection are three novels and twenty-two short stories by multiple Hugo and Nebular Award nominated author, Keith Laumer. That’s more than nine hundred pages of top notch adventure science fiction. This book is jammed packed with some of Laumer’s best work including stories set in both the Retief and Bolo series. Laumer’s experience as an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the Foreign Service shines thr...

Invasion! At first the U.S. army - what was left of it - thought it was battling a communist invasion. The truth was much worse. It wasn't until Jeff Mallory awoke one morning to find that all his fellow townsfolk had become sleep walking zombies, and that a tower had been erected in the center of town, a tower that seemed to stretch to the stars, that the horrible truth began to unravel. Earth had been invaded - not by a race of alien conquerers, but by a disease.A disease with a ...

Even after the set had been turned off, the TV blared the announcement:"Citizens of Earth, I am Tersh Jetterax. It is my pleasure to announce to you that a new government has taken over the conduct of all public affairs."And thus the US was in the hands of the Monitors, the strangely polite yellow-clad beings whose powers were such that they could render everyone helpless - without shedding one drop of blood.Who are they? The Russians? An alien race from an...

Amnesia and Identity: Jemmy suffers from amnesia and struggles to piece together his identity. The novel delves into his quest to recover his memories and understand his place in the world. This theme of lost and rediscovered identity is central to the story.Futuristic Setting: The novel is set in a futuristic world with advanced technology and complex societal structures. This setting provides a backdrop for the exploration of themes related to technology, control, and human nature.Conspi...

From "An Abbreviated History of the Bolo":The first completely automated Bolo, designed to operate normally without a man on board, was the landmark XV Model M. This model, first commissioned in the twenty-fifty century, was widely used throughout the Eastern Arm during the Era of Expansion and remained in service on remote worlds for over two centuries, acquiring many improvements in detail while remaining basically unchanged, through increasing sophistication of circuitry and wea...

Awakened from suspended animation aboard his exploration starship, John Jackson is shocked to discover that the ship never left Earth - and that he has slept a century after a world war. Facing a nightmare wilderness inhabited by neo-barbarians and sentient tanks, Jackson is the only man who can bring the world to its senses.

Coming in fast and low, the huge ship made planetfall. Three years out from Terra, the colony ship Omega had reached her destination, and the crew began to off-load the cargo and passengers.Then the ship vanished.Against the vast panorama of an unexplored universe, Keith Laumer sets this first volume of the history of the world called Colmar - mankind's first venture among the stars.

Retief had just one job on Northroyal—to save the galaxy from madness and war. So with a frayed cloak and an old horse and a packet in his saddlebags—not to mention blood, guts, and brains he set out. Keith Laumer was a Hugo and Nebula award nominee! Before becoming a science fiction writer Laumer was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the Foreign Service, adding a note of realism to many of his stories. One of science fiction’s true luminaries.

Billy Danger had gone past hitting the skids - now he was freezing to death in a blizzard. So he took shelter in a corn silo that turned out to be a disguised alien starship, and woke up light years from Earth.

The twenty-seventh century planet of Quopp is a world where Earthmen walk cautiously or not at all. The inhabitants are weirdly diabolical creatures, possessing spoked-wheel limbs and sprouting steel-sharp talons.Plans are afoot to place these singular beings under a single government friendly to Earth. But Jame Retief, officer of the distinguished Corps Diplomatique Teresstienne, a supra-national organization devoted to keeping the peace, has discovered that evil forces are underm...

The machine's job was to defend its place against enemies - but it had forgotten it had friends! Keith Laumer weaves a futuristic science fiction masterpiece the way only Keith Laumer can weave a futuristic science fiction masterpiece!