Customer Reviews

A Plague of Demons & Other Stories

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This collection of Keith Laumer's works is part of the Baen Books republication of Laumer's writings. It seems that Laumer is one of those authors that people either love, or can't finish the first paragraph without screaming. If you are one of those who loves his work, get the whole series. You won't regret it.

Many of these stories have been out of print for a while and have been hard to find. I have fond memories of reading Laumer while serving in the Air Force on missions in the Middle East (ironically, detached to the State Department much as Laumer himself was), thinking "aside from the advanced hardware, this isn't fiction". Many of the stories in this volume are inspirational in a dark way, as they share a common thread of many of his works, that of the lone man doing what is right, against hopeless odds, even to self destruction, because of principle. It's a timeless lesson, but one many need to learn.

Skip Eric Flint's rather pointless comments, and just read the stories and David Drake's memories of Laumer.

A plague of demons" is a great story. I recommend it to anyone who likes a fast pace storyline and an ending you didn't know was coming!

The other stories in this book is good too, but "A plague..." is truly great fiction!

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 2008

The main character, as is typical for a Laumer story, begins to suspect that the world isn't what it seems. Soldiers are disappearing form battles, and people in power are covering something up with the fog of war. Taught, well-paced, and compelling. It will keep you up at night. *** Spoiler Alert *** - It's aliens, and they are after our brains. No to eat, but to use as guidance systems for battle-bots.

Keith Laumer has always been a favorite author of mine. The "Retief" stories- where an interstellar diplomat swashbuckles through red tape and alien invasions alike - are some of the funniest and most entertaining SF that I've ever read. The "Bolo" super-tanks that he created to fight humanity's wars amongst the stars were similarly some of the best military sci-fi of its era.

But a writer as prolific as Laumer cannot always be at the top of his game, and the stories collected here are prime examples of why some work should be left in the dust. Of the eight stories collected here only one, titled "Doorstep" entertained me in any way. It is only ten pages long, but it nicely illustrates a sub-genre of sci-fi that is largely out of style; the ending with a twist. This is where you think you know what is happening, but as the reader you are missing one crucial fact that, when revealed, completely changes your perception of what has gone before. "Doorstep" has a clever twist that is accomplished with aplomb.

Unfortunately those are the only ten worthwhile pages in this collection. The sixty page long novella "Thunderhead" deserves a mention for being a good concept poorly executed, but the rest of the stories don't even rise to that level. The title book, "A Plague of Demons", and a later story, "Greylorn", are the two worst offenders. Both have plots that jump from one setting to another in the last act with little to no foreshadowing or justification, and you can't help but thinking that Laumer had simply written himself into a corner and forced the story into a new channel to get a conclusion.

The remainder of the stories vary from uninteresting to mildly bad. Overall, none of them come close to justifying the eight dollar cover price. If you're a Laumer fanatic, it is interesting to see some of his lesser-known work, but if you're a science fiction fan looking for a good story, check out the Retief or Bolo books instead.