Customer Reviews

A Plague of Demons

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I got this book when I was 10 (now 29) and it really sparked my imagination. It's one of the best short novels I have ever read in this field. Sadly I lost it after a while but now I own a copy of it again after all these years thanks to Amazon! Thanks guys! Keep up the good work!

Keith Laumer, A Plague of Demons (Paperback Library, 1965)

Keith Laumer may be a science fiction writer, but don't let that fool you. I'd bet a week's pay the guy was sitting there at his typewriter in a trenchcoat and fedora, unfiltered Lucky hanging from his lip, reading back his prose in a Bogart voice. The first two-thirds of this book is straight out of the world of hardboiled detective fiction. Well, okay, as long as you leave out the dog-faced aliens, invisibility suits, anti-gravity devices, you get the idea.

The scene is present-day Algeria, where your basic world war has come down to a seemingly endless conflict between Algeria and Tunisia, with the rest of the world powers backing one side or the other. Jack Bravais, an American general, is sent to observe the fighting and report back to his superiors, or so we think. His best friend, an operative for a secret government espionage agency, has different orders for him and a cover that's bound to stir up trouble-- make Bravais look like he's plotting against the UN, and a fellow American general in particular. As if that isn't enough for Bravais to get himself into, he very quickly finds out that his real mission (find out why the estimated casualty numbers for battles dating all the way back to WWI don't match the actual body counts) involves proving the existence of aliens. Well, alrighty then.

The book's got a slow beginning, but it takes off around chapter three, and never looks back. The tone changes, inexplicably, about two-thirds of the way through and the book becomes much more a hard SF novel (one can almost hear the publisher screaming "there aren't enough damn robots in here!" at the first draft), but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment to be found in Bravais and his dimwit sidekick Joel (no last name). If you're a sci-fi fan looking for a good mystery, or a mystery fan looking for some aliens to play with, this is right up your alley. Have fun. ***

While I've always enjoyed his lighter works, such as the adventures of Retief, "The Time Trap", and the Lafayette O'Leary tales, Keith Laumer's finest work was in his stories of a lone man battling against overwhelming odds, usually against gigantic organizations or conspiracies. And, while I adore "Night of Delusions" and "The House in November", Keith Laumer's finest novel was "A Plague of Demons".

The action is first-rate, the science fiction concepts are solid and well-thought out...and exciting. And the story continually expands, like an onion being peeled in reverse...much as the Lensman stories of Doc Smith did. Bravais (the hero...and I do mean HERO) seems to be investigating a minor matter at story's beginning. By story's end, however, both story and Bravais have undergone astonishing changes!

Buy this book...read it...keep it...you'll come back and read it again!

This is one of those rare books that you not only read and re-read, but you largely memorize, and speak / tell the story to individuals and groups .... a compelling narrative that is / was ahead of it's time ---- an old-fashioned good read .... very highly recommended .... one of those little known truly exceptional tales

I was totally immersed in this novel from beginning to end. The concept of placing armour beneath the skin is not new to "Terminator"... it was done by Laumer years before. Only he put armor under the skin instead of putting skin over a robot.

John Keith Laumer (June 9, 1925 - January 23, 1993 (aged 67)) was an American science fiction writer. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and a U. S. diplomat. This collection includes eight of his shorts, including probably his most famous:

A Plague of Demons (1964) - More people are dying than are being buried. Your mission ... The first Bolo story.

Thunderhead (1967) - They just called a Category One Emergency for all the Outer Beacon Line Stations and you have to respond. Unfortunately, your flitter is broken, now you have to climb old Thunderhead by foot, and it's snowing outside and it's been years since you last climbed it. Also, the Djang are coming.

End As A Hero (1963) - They've sent you out to investigate the Gool, a race that can manipulate the minds of humans, but you're a trained psychodynamist so you are prepared, but will Earth believe you?

Doorstep (1961) - Brigadier General W. F. Straut saw this as his opportunity to get his second star. Boy, was he wrong. "Please take..."

Test To Destruction(1967)- "Aboard the interstellar dreadnought cruising half a parsec from Earth, the compound Rhee mind surveyed the distant Solar system"

The Star-Sent Knaves(1963)-Valuable painting are disappearing from in penetrable vaults.

Greylorn(1959)-The Red Tide is advancing all over earth and can't seem to be stopped. Earth's last chance is to hunt out the colonial missions that were searching for a new world, the Omega Mission. The author borrows some from a real incident that happened circa 1840's with the initials the DP party, but never fear, Greylorn is here to save the day and earth.

Of Death what Dreams(1970)-Bailey went in to lie on a slab and never thought that he'd ever wake up again.

Afterword by Eric Flint (2003)- When I saw this in the Table of Contents I assumed it would be some recollections about Keith Laumer and the editor, maybe how the editor choose these particular stories, but no. It's just balant promotion of the next Laumer book by Baen. Flint has his nose stuck so far up Baen's rear end I'm surprised he can breathe, I'd suggest you skip this.

highly recommended for fans of Keith Laumer, especially for fans of his BOLO stories.

Gunner 2010

This was an interesting and fun quick book. I have a few more of his I'm going to read as well.

Bloke recruited to be poor woman's Iron Man and goes Starship Trooping.

or

Given that he signs up for the Invulnerable Man program, and is assured he won't have to wear a red S, even though he has seen Batman and Robin, and is not an alcoholic womanising billonaire playboy weapons dealer, this is what he is stuck with.

Besides, given the measly one ton lifting capacity of his suit, an army of alien monsters has a lot more chance of survival than going to toe to toe with the Hulk for even the number of seconds you can count on one hand.