John W. Campbell Anthology,

Anthology: Three Novels (1973) is a set of SF novels by John W. Campbell. Originally published in Amazing Stories in the early 1930's, these short stories related the adventures of Arcot, Wade and Morey. Much later they were republished as three separate books: The Black Star Passes, Islands of Space, and Invaders from the Infinite. This volume includes guest introductions by Isaac Asimov and Lester Del Rey. Each gives a glimpse of the times and forces that produced science fiction as a separate and growing genre. Another introduction, written by Campbell himself for the novelization of The Black Star Passes, gives a personal opinion on the influence of science fiction on the future. In The Black Star Passes (1953), Arcot and Morey are tasked with stopping an air pirate. They quickly build a new type of aircraft and capture the pirate during another piracy attempt. Then they hand him over to the doctors for psychomedical treatments. Afterward, the former pirate becomes an integral part of the team. Arcot, Wade and Morey go on to build a spacecraft, the Solarite, in which they travel to Venus. Becoming entangled in a planetary war, the team defeats the enemy and declares peace. Then Nigra, a dead burned-out sun, passes near the Solar System and raiders are dispatched from it to conquer a new home for the Nigrans. As the ships approach Earth, a Terrestrial party meets them and signals that the flagship should land. Unfortunately, the outsiders interpret the signals as hostile action and retaliate immediately. After some losses on both sides, the Nigrans are driven off by the Interplanetary Patrol. But they would return. Arcot, Wade and Morey are asked to examine the wrecked spaceships of the invaders. They quickly learn that the aliens breathed hydrogen gas. They also discover various marvels before barely escaping the exploding gases within the ship. Back in their laboratories, the team designs weapons and devices to use against the invaders. In Islands of Space (1956), Arcot, Wade and Morey develop some new devices using the technology of the Nigrans and build another ship with advanced capabilities. Departing the Earth, they wait until crossing the orbit of Pluto before engaging the space strain drive to take the Ancient Mariner into hyperspace. After the initial test, they find themselves fairly near to the Sirius system and travel even closer. In the Sirius system, they find the Nigrans already there readjusting the system. After taking observations of the changes, they take the Ancient Mariner onward at greater velocity and pass too close to a red giant. The resulting jar throws their gyros and drains power; their current orientation within the galaxy is problematical. Luckily, they relocate Sol and then move on, taking photographs of the surrounding stars at each stop. Traveling through intergalactic space, they are gravitationally captured by a collapsed star. Though they manage to break free, the great shock