The Berserker Wars

"Life and Death in dreadful conflict stove..." It happened long ago and far away - perhaps in another close by. Two war-maddened races fought to the death, and though they both are gone, their legacy abides: the terrible weapons they unleashed on each other and could not control - the berserkers. Robots programmed for one purpose only: to seek out and destroy all life. The death machines have harried their way across our galaxy. Now they have come for us. Here is the essence of the Berserker Saga in a single volume: THE BERSERKER WARS

I found this book on tape in a library by chance. What a great collection of stories around a horrible idea! Huge, automated killing machines, left over from an ancient war, are destroying life wherever they find it. It's fight or die. After this book, I read several more of the Berserker series. Unfortunately, none of the characters and few of the interesting plots in this collection made into the later books.

This is what the series is all about. Snapshots of the battle against the machine, a story here, a story from there. A mixture of times and places. A must read for fans.

This is the only berserker book that I have read, and I think it is the best work of science fiction that I have laid my hand on. "The Jester" is easily worth reading the entire book for.

The Berserker series in general is a fun series to read. None of the books by themselves are fantastic, but as a series, they are worth a read.