Frederik Pohl

Two thousand years after Pompeii's destruction, a thriller of upheaval-volcanic and political-as only SF Grandmaster Frederik Pohl can write it With a keen eye for the humanity in any situation, science fiction icon Frederik Pohl has crafted a compelling new novel of a not-too-distant future we can only hope is merely science fiction. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A. D. it gave so little warning that Pompeiians were caught unawares, and many bodies were preserved in volcanic ash. Two thousand years later, in 2079, Pompeii is a popular theme park eagerly anticipating "Il Giubeleo," the Jubilee celebration of the great anniversary. But Vesuvius is still capable of erupting, and even more threatening are terrorists who want to use the occasion to draw attention to their cause by creating a huge disaster. As the fateful day draws near, people from all over the world-workers, tourists, terrorists-caught in the shadow of the volcano will grapple with upheaval both natural and political.

In a vastly overpopulated near-future world, businesses have taken the place of governments and now hold all political power. States exist merely to ensure the survival of huge transnational corporations. Advertising has become hugely aggressive and boasts some of the world's most powerful executives. Through advertising, the public is constantly deluded into thinking that all the products on the market improve the quality of life. However, the most basic elements are incredibly scarce, including water and fuel. The planet Venus has just been visited and judged fit for human settlement, despite its inhospitable surface and climate; colonists would have to endure a harsh climate for many generations until the planet could be terraformed. Mitch Courtenay is a star-class copywriter in the Fowler Schocken advertising agency and has been assigned the ad campaign that would attract colonists to Venus, but a lot more is happening than he knows about. Mitch is soon thrown into a world of danger, mystery, and intrigue, where the people in his life are never quite what they seem, and his loyalties and core beliefs will be put to the test.

Armchair Fiction presents extra large paperback editions of classic science fiction double novels, complete with original illustrations. The first novel is "The Bees of Death," is a great chiller, written by one of science fiction's best, Robert Moore Williams. A buzzing death was in the air. The future of the human race was in serious jeopardy, and it all started with the simple act of digging a ditch and finding what appeared to be an old black cannonball. Only it wasn't really a cannonball. It was something else. And there was something inside it-something alive The second novel, "A Plague of Pythons," is by Frederik Pohl and deals with an apocalypse of madness. On Christmas the world's freedom died. Every man, woman and child lay in the grip of fear, for no one knew at what moment his nearest friend or a casual stranger might suddenly be possessed by some brutal mind...and begin to murder and destroy. For Chandler it was worse than for most. He was both victim and executioner. He had suffered himself, and he had committed a violent crime while under the strange domination. Accused of hoaxing he was driven from his home. He wandered until he found himself in Hawaii and learned that this was the center of the plague-and that he was helpless to do anything about it

"The Tunnel under the World" was first published in 1954 in Galaxy magazine. On the morning of June 15th, Guy Burckhardt woke up screaming out of a dream. It was more real than any dream he had ever had in his life. He could still hear and feel the sharp, ripping-metal explosion, the violent heave that had tossed him furiously out of bed, the searing wave of heat. He sat up convulsively and stared, not believing what he saw, at the quiet room and the bright sunlight coming in the window. He croaked, "Mary?" Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming. Surgical instruments? Well, yes -- but a mechanic's kit is best of all

The Nebula Award-winning masterwork by the author of Gateway In the not-too-distant future, a desperate war for natural resources threatens to bring civilization to a crashing halt. Nuclear warships from around the globe begin positioning themselves as the American government works feverishly to complete a massive project to colonize Mars. Former astronaut Roger Torraway has agreed to be transformed by the latest advances in biological and cybernetic science into something new, a being that can survive the rigors of Mars before it is terraformed. Becoming Man Plus will allow him to be the linchpin in opening the new Martian frontier...but not without challenging his humanity as no man has ever been challenged before. A bestselling, Nebula Award-winning novel when first published more than thirty years ago, this book is now more relevant than ever, as the battle between corporate interests and those who seek to save Earth's natural resources steadily escalates. The question of where man will go once the world's food, water, and oil have run out has yet to be answered. Man Plus by Frederick Pohl is a brilliantly imagined, compelling possible scenario that has enthralled countless readers.

One of the very best must-read SF novels of all time.

When Ranjit Subramanian, a Sri Lankan with a special gift for numbers, writes a three-page proof of the coveted "Last Theorem," which French mathematician Pierre de Fermat claimed to have discovered (but never recorded) in 1637, Ranjit's achievement is hailed as a work of genius, bringing him fame and fortune. But it also brings him to the attention of the National Security Agency and a shadowy United Nations outfit called Pax per Fidem-or Peace Through Transparency-whose secretive workings belie its name. Suddenly Ranjit-along with his family-finds himself swept up in world-shaking events, his genius for abstract mathematical thought put to uses that are both concrete and potentially deadly.

Frederik Pohl was on a streak when this Hugo Award finalist novel was published in 1980. Now back in print after an absence of nearly a decade, this unique science fiction novel is as fresh and entertaining as ever. The story begins when the hero of "Gateway" finances an expedition to a distant alien spaceship that may end famine forever. On the ship, the explorers find a human boy, and evidence that reveals a powerful alien civilization is thriving on a transport ship headed right for Earth ."

The final work from the brightest star in science fiction's galaxy. Arthur C Clarke, who predicted the advent of communication satellites and author of 2001: A Space Odyssey completes a lifetime career in science fiction with a masterwork.

The ad man sets his sights on the gravy train that is Venus: unconquered and waiting to be populated by Earth's capitalist-driven consumers.

Award winning account of a man changed beyond all recognition so that he can be part of a bold experiment to live on Mars.

A brilliant novel of alternate universes by an award-winning science fiction master A breakthrough in quantum physics has shattered the boundaries between alternate worlds. History is in chaos as billions of possible futures collide. As a conquering army mounts an invasion of neighboring realities, a handful of men and women from a dozen different timelines risk their lives to safeguard an infinity of worlds. Blending thrilling suspense with brilliant scientific speculation, Frederik Pohl's The Coming of the Quantum Cats is a triumph of the imagination by a Hugo and Nebula-winning master of science fiction. "A powerful novel of parallel worlds and might-have-beens, with an eerie, amazing finish "--David Brin