War Games

I finished reading War Games (2008), a collection of Christopher Anvil's stories--and a novel, The Steel, the Mist, and the Blazing Sun--recently. (I really appreciate these classic reprints by Baen.) Anvil is one of my favorite authors; I especially love his Interstellar Patrol stories, but these stories, which are broken down into categories, including The Peacekeepers' Problems, Washington's Headaches, Free Enterprise at Work, and War, are often so close to our current national and international problems that it's scary! But the stories are interesting and sometimes fun, when not making you gnash your teeth because people still don't get it!

This is a collection of mostly war-themed Christopher Anvil short stories. Christopher Anvil is an author who wrote mostly for Analog and mostly in the sixties. Several of these stories are somewhat dated. As with any collection of short stories, the quality of story also varies.

Christopher Anvil is one of the best science fiction writers to date, contributing his work to popular science fiction magazines and was consistently one of the top rated writers for Analog. The sixth compilation of Anvil's work, War Games focuses on the development and the influence of technology in human societies that focus on the prevention of wars. The collection includes the story The Steel, the Mist, and the Blazing Sun, which showcases the perils of progress and the problems with trying to hinder it. The Murder Trap reveals how murderers are tricked into revealing their sinister deeds. War Games in a Christopher classic that puts forward an idea to calm problems between nations with the use of a computer game. Together, these three stories with a slew of others brings together some great works written by Christopher Anvil. With the ability to write about serious topics in a comical way, Anvil is a favorite of all science fiction readers. If you haven't read his work before now, this is the perfect place to start. Written in an engaging manner, War Games is sure to pull the reader in.

This is a terrific collection that includes one novel (see THE STEEL, THE MIST AND THE BLAZING SUN) and Christopher Anvil's early short stories. The shorts were published in the major science fiction magazines of the fifties and sixties like Astounding, Galaxy and Analog; as well as one each in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Magazine. The compilation includes two published in the fifties, thirteen in the sixties; one from the seventies; and two in the eighties (including the novel). Each entry is well written filled with twists, humor, and satirical hyperbole of war as so complex that his key characters consistently set out to do what they believe is ethically right only to find morality issues at every turn; a sort of Bushian spin since "Mission Accomplished". Incredibly even the plug and play world is anticipated by Mr. Anvil in defense of one's home. THE STEEL, THE MIST AND THE BLAZING SUN. Two hundred years have past since WW III between the USA and the Soviet Union left devastation across the globe with the deployment of the nukes. Elected King Arakal of Wesdem O'Cracys (his adventures start in the included short "Ideological Defeat" - read that first) and his militia annexed the Russian colony in America and forged an alliance with New Kebeck to the north. He goes east across the ocean as west is too radioactive. His target is the Old O'Cracy islands of Old Brunswick and the continent just beyond the small channel starting with Old Kebeck. The Russians look forward to greet him with open warfare. Although feeling outdated with the collapse of the Soviet Union, this is an entreating war novel, which like the included shorts, proclaims war is absurd but is as human as eating and breathing. Harriet Klausner

War Games (2008) is the sixth SF collection in the Complete Christopher Anvil series, following The Trouble With Humans. In the previous volume, the stories were related to intraspecies problems throughout the galaxy. This volume contains eighteen stories divided into six categories. The two stories in the War category were previously published as The Steel, the Mist and the Blazing Sun. These stories concentrate on human progress on this planet. They concern technological developments that result in changes to human societies. Some involve concomitant cultural changes that accelerate these results. The Peacekeepers' Problems - Truce By Boomerang (Astounding, 1957) is a story of a technological development that allows friendly fire to be diverted against their own headquarters. - A Rose By Any Other Name... (Astounding, 1960) tells of a device that blocks the ability to use certain terms. - The New Member (Galaxy, 1967) relates the actions of the latest nation to join the United Nations. Washington's Headaches - Babel II (Analog, 1967) recounts the attempts of a psychic to foresee the next world crisis. - The Trojan Bombardment (Galaxy, 1967) discloses the military use of distractants to confound the enemy. - Problem of Command (Analog, 1963) illustrates a more relevant way to determine fitness for command in the contemporary world. - Uncalculated Risk (Analog, 1962) indicates the unforeseen result of an agricultural experiment. Moscow'd Dilemmas - Torch (Astounding, 1957) explains the surprising results of a nuclear test. - Devise and Conquer (Galaxy, 1966) presents the astounding social effect of a new formulation of sun block. - War Games (Analog, 1963) proposes a way of reducing tensions using a computerized game (note the publication date). - Sorceror's Apprentice (Analog, 1962) depicts a way of inducing individuals to do their best. Free Enterprise At Work - The Spy in the Maze (Ellery Queen, 1965) exposes the method used by a heuristician to find a murderer in an underground labyrinth. - The Murder Trap (Man From U.N.C.L.E., 1967) reveals the method used to provoke murderers into publicly revealing themselves. - Gadget vs. Trend (Analog, 1962) displays the effects of gadgets upon social tendencies. - Top Line (Analog, 1982) exhibits the effects of gadgets upon economic tendencies. War - Ideological Defeat (Analog, 1972) demonstrates the true importance of ideology. - The Steel, the Mist, and the Blazing Sun (Ace Books, 1980) expresses the dangers of progress and the risks of hindering it. Or Peace - Philosopher's Stone (Analog, 1963) divulges a method of increasing technological progress. These stories revolve around the problems of technological progress here on Earth, now and in the future. This collection might well have been entitled Human Progress, but that name would not sell many books. Pandora's Planet also would have been appropriate, but that title had already been used. As many