When Dr. Little wakes in a weightless, orange-lit cell aboard an unknown ship, he has only his watch, a pencil, and the uneasy sense that his captors want him alive for now. Hungry, thirsty, and sealed behind a grating, he begins doing what he does best: observing, testing, and reasoning his way through the impossible, from the ship's second-order flight to the strange pattern of lime-juice rations that keep him barely sustained. His captors are no ordinary jailers. They are starfish-like ...

On Mercury, a planet long believed to have no atmosphere, a scientific expedition discovers the impossible: the world has somehow grown one in recent decades. But before the crew of the Albireo can solve that riddle, constant seismic activity, incomplete data, and broken routines force them into a tense, methodical struggle to piece together the truth. Captain Willard Rowson keeps the mission grounded in practical limits, even as boredom, confinement, and personality clashes sharpen the cr...

A team of scientists are sent to Mercury aboard the Albireo to find out why it's developing an atmosphere. A series of events force the scientists out of their ship and onto the surface of Mercury, where only their courage and intelligence can keep them alive. Clement paints a tense and completely believable image of Mercury. He was simply one of the best hard science fiction writers the field ever produced.

Hal Clement, one of the all-time greats of science fiction, was defining hard science fiction before such distinctions were even being thought of. He once described his approach to writing: "[T]he rules must be quite simple. They are; for the reader of a science-fiction story, they consist of finding as many as possible of the author's statements or implications which conflict with the facts as science currently understands them. For the author, the rule is to make as few such slips as he ...

The story centers on an alien species living on a distant planet, where the environmental conditions are drastically different from those on Earth. The plot follows a human astronaut who arrives on the planet and encounters the alien inhabitants. The unique physiology and culture of the aliens challenge the astronaut's understanding of communication and interaction.As the astronaut navigates this unfamiliar world, he realizes that the aliens perceive and interpret their environment—and eac...

"The Green World" is set on a distant planet, characterized by its rich and vibrant green landscape. The story follows a group of human explorers or scientists who are sent to investigate this strange and alien environment. The planet’s ecosystem is highly complex and, at first glance, seems lush and hospitable, but the explorers soon discover that it presents unexpected dangers and challenges.As they delve deeper into the mysteries of the planet, the characters encounter various forms of ...

The planet was an enigma—and its solution was death!

From "a tremendous force in science fiction," a collection set on the high-gravity planet of Mesklin, and an essay by the author on Mesklin's creation ( Poul Anderson, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of The Broken Sword).Discover MESKLIN—Gravity: 3g at the equator, 700g at the polesHal Clement is a Grand Master of SF, and the one most associated with the subgenre of hard SF. From his classic stories in Astounding magazi...

Hal Clement was a renowned science-fiction writer.In this collection, you'll find the following stories :AttitudeHot PlanetThe Green WorldThis collection of three short stories has the same length as a full novel, and will please every lover of science-fiction classics.

A scientist's excursion to a treacherous ocean planet leads to more dangers than just pirates in this adventure by a Science Fiction Grand Master."Clement skillfully weaves together challenging science, a unique familial society, and an encounter with a "lost" city in a narrative that allows the reader to puzzle out Mike's questions along with him." — BooklistHal Clement, the dean of hard science fiction, has writt...

Rayguns, aliens, gorgeous women and unsavory evil-doers: 51 Amazing Science Fiction Short Stories collects some of the finest short sci-fi ever written, from masters such as L. Ron Hubbard, Ray Cummings, Lester Del Rey and more!

Mercury had no atmosphere - everyone knew that. Why was it developing one now? An incredibly pulse-poounding science fiction story by one of the greatest science fiction storytellers of all time, Hal Clement! Fall into the magic of awesome sci-fi at its best!