Dinosaurs & a Dirigible

by David Drake

All five of David Drake's time travel stories collected for the first time in one volume, including dinosaur tale "Time Safari."

Henry Vickers's job is to keep clients safe from the dinosaurs they're hunting. That's the easy part. The hard part is to keep the clients safe from themselves and each other. Men with enough money to go into the past to hunt the largest land animals of all time are powerful and self-willed. Some make an effort to act like decent human beings, but more are selfish, stupid, sadistic--or all three together. The few women are likely to be worse.

Vickers doesn't expect rich people to understand the dangers of where they are and what they're doing; he doesn't expect them to be competent with the powerful rifles they carry; and he particularly doesn't expect them to be reasonable. He treats his clients' behavior as he does the rain and the baking heat--the cost of having a life he loves and which he couldn't afford in any other way.

But no matter how detached Vickers tries to be, eventually there are moral questions that he can't ignore. And when Henry Vickers starts to behave like a human being instead of a hunting guide, things get really dangerous.

And in a complete change of pace: "Travellers." An airship is crossing the United States in 1897 in search of the weird and the wonderful. The two teenagers aboard know that the airship's captain is a great scientist and inventor--but they don't know how much more he is also.

All five of David Drake's time travel stories collected for the first time.

Genres: Time Travel, Science Fiction, Dinosaurs, Short Stories, Ebooks, Fantasy, Fiction

401 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2014

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[David Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection four stories featuring the same character who travels through time and leads safaris hunting dinosaurs, plus a fifth story at the end that really has nothing to do with the other four, except a tenuous connection only hinted at toward the end. I've read a lot of David Drake's other books, and this one is much less military sci-fi and more more an exploration of how arrogant and moronic people with money can screw things up. It was interesting in the first story, mildly interesting in the second story, but by the third I just wanted to tell the author "Yes, I get it. You don't like powerful or wealthy people who throw their weight around the feel they are above responsibility for their actions."

So while most of Mr. Drake's books are exciting and action-packed, I'd put this collection more in the category of "mild entertainment."

[Lyle Blosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to have the complete set of Henry Vickers tales in one volume! I'd read three of the four many years ago and loved them, and it was nice to find they hadn't lost their impact despite the passage of time Topside. The fourth Vickers tale was equally enjoyable and a typically intense mix of politics, dinosaurs, and men behaving badly. The fifth story in this book, although involving neither Mr. Vickers nor dinosaurs, was also very nicely done, with the true nature of the characters only being gradually (and entertainingly) revealed.

[Christian Claypoole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drake in a different vein

The short stories here are not military adventures, but adventures in time with small casts that are as well written as everything else by Drake. I also caught a quick Easter-egg-like reference to a line from a certain ditty, over 100 years old, about "civilize him with a Krag."

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read Drake's years ago, so many of these stories I had read and enjoyed before. But the first story - "King Tyrant Lizard" - and the last story - "Travellers" - were new to me. Despite my familiarity with most of the tales, it was good to read David Drake again.

[Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

Loved the world that the author shows us. Great characters and fun action makes this book a real page turner for me.

[Charl · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the stories are entertaining, the characters interesting, and his "Can we change the past?" answer is the one I think most likely, so of course I strongly agree with it! :)

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is a short story collection, but the first four stories can be thought of as four parts of an episodic novel. The fifth story is a singleton. All five have been published separately before, but I had never read them. The four connected stories follow Henry Vickers, master hunter and game guide, who becomes hired by the state of Israel to work in their time travel initiative. So he becomes a game guide in the time or early man, and in the Cretaceous when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Wildlife adventure and annoying clients abound. The last story is about a dirigible on its way across America around the turn of the 20th Century.

Henry Vickers is not the most likable character, and that is on purpose. He is interesting, however. These hunting and survival stories with dinosaurs tickled my inner child, who like most boys would very much have wanted to see real dinosaurs. This collection is an easy read with lots of action.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1812

[David Harriss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent time fiction

David Drake compiles five novelas. The first four are about safari guide Henry Vickers and hunts with tyranosaurs. The last seems an odd addition, about a cross-country airship ride in the late 1800s, but it fits quite well.

All are good, and Travellers is one of his warmest and most hopeful stories.

Recommended for all fans of David Drake, dinosaurs, or good short fiction.

[Arlomisty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because it looked interesting, but with no idea if I'd like the author or not. I have a couple David Drake books on my shelf I've never read... but, I was impressed with the five short stories in this volume... all written over a long period of time with the same character... they were very enjoyable. They would make a great movie or short mini series... I would recommend this to my family and friends!

[Mark Garn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, killing animals for trophies makes me uncomfortable. Prehistoric or modern if your not going to eat the meat, take a picture! But the writing was good, and I'm going to read more of his books.

[Kevin Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of connected short novellas.

[Heather Larcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as his novel-length stuff, but an entertaining read.

[Charlie Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book with some great ideas.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some good easy to read short stories, involving time travel. Between the lines flashes me back to the 70's and the issues as understood by college vet's at the time.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time travel really isn't my thing. But throw in some dinosaurs and game safaris and it might be worth it. It was.