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There Will Be War #9
After Armageddon
Stories depict the struggle for survival on Earth after it is devastated by war, as mutants prowl the ruins and new powers arise to challenge the survivors
406 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1990
16 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Pournelle
263 books546 followersDr Jerry Eugene Pournelle was an American science fiction writer, engineer, essayist, and journalist, who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte, and from 1998 until his death maintained his own website and blog.
From the beginning, Pournelle's work centered around strong military themes. Several books describe the fictional mercenary infantry force known as Falkenberg's Legion. There are strong parallels between these stories and the Childe Cycle mercenary stories by Gordon R. Dickson, as well as Heinlein's Starship Troopers, although Pournelle's work takes far fewer technological leaps than either of these.
Pournelle spent years working in the aerospace industry, including at Boeing, on projects including studying heat tolerance for astronauts and their spacesuits. This side of his career also found him working on projections related to military tactics and probabilities. One report in which he had a hand became a basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative, the missile defense system proposed by President Ronald Reagan. A study he edited in 1964 involved projecting Air Force missile technology needs for 1975.
Dr. Pournelle would always tell would-be writers seeking advice that the key to becoming an author was to write — a lot.
“And finish what you write,” he added in a 2003 interview. “Don’t join a writers’ club and sit around having coffee reading pieces of your manuscript to people. Write it. Finish it.”
Pournelle served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1973.
From the beginning, Pournelle's work centered around strong military themes. Several books describe the fictional mercenary infantry force known as Falkenberg's Legion. There are strong parallels between these stories and the Childe Cycle mercenary stories by Gordon R. Dickson, as well as Heinlein's Starship Troopers, although Pournelle's work takes far fewer technological leaps than either of these.
Pournelle spent years working in the aerospace industry, including at Boeing, on projects including studying heat tolerance for astronauts and their spacesuits. This side of his career also found him working on projections related to military tactics and probabilities. One report in which he had a hand became a basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative, the missile defense system proposed by President Ronald Reagan. A study he edited in 1964 involved projecting Air Force missile technology needs for 1975.
Dr. Pournelle would always tell would-be writers seeking advice that the key to becoming an author was to write — a lot.
“And finish what you write,” he added in a 2003 interview. “Don’t join a writers’ club and sit around having coffee reading pieces of your manuscript to people. Write it. Finish it.”
Pournelle served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1973.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 6, 2016
“After Armageddon VOL IX, There will be War”, is created by J.E. Pournelle and consists of several short stories. This issue is a first issue of March 1990 and contains the following short stories:
• ‘After Armageddon: New Beginnings’ by J.E. Pournelle.
• ‘Kenyons to the Keep’ by J.E. Pournelle.
• ‘Holo-Caustic’ by Peter Dillingham.
• ‘Collector’s Piece’ by Edward P. Huges.
• ‘Half the Battle’ by Harry Turtledove.
• ‘Only the Strong survive’ by F.G. Wyllis.
• ‘The last of the zeppelin Tempest’ by J.P. Boyd.
• ‘The future of the great powers’ by Alan Brown.
• ‘The voice of the Cockroach’ by Lesie Fich.
• ‘Song of the red War-boat’ by Rudyard Kipling.
• ‘Premium Non Nocere’ by Paul Edward.
• ‘Horatius at the Bridge’ by Thomas Babington/
Lord Mcaulay.
• ‘Fear and survival’ by Reginald Bretnor.
• ‘The Berent conversion’ by John Brunner.
• ‘The contract’ by Don Hawthorne.
• ‘The Bodyguard’ by Vernon W. Glasser.
• ‘The Palace at Midnight’ by Robert Silverberg.
• ‘Wintergate II: War Of The Worlds’ by Russel Seitz.
• ‘Torch’ by Christopher Anvil.
• ‘Bringing home the bacon’ by Eric Oppen.
• ‘Journals of the Plague years’ by Norman Spinrad.
I've reviewed only the first few stories (see below) and I rather like the book. It is not a book I'm going to read a second time. Some of the stories are marvelous, some are outdated and some are no fun to read. Overall three star rating is justified.
‘After Armageddon: New Beginnings’ by J.E. Pournelle first appeared in Destinies Magazine in de November/December issue of 1978 and I find a rather disappointing short story solely revolving around the question “What can (or should) we do if we could have a new beginning after Armageddon?” The story raises more questions than gives answers. However I have to keep in mind that this is a short story written at the end of the 70-ties and therefore placed in a very different timeframe than our current view of society. What I find appealing in this story is realisation of unnecessary energy consumption, which is still applicable for our society.
‘Kenyons to the Keep’ by J.E. Pournelle appears here for the first time and was written in 1989. A good short story in the style as we can expect from Pournelle.
‘Holo-Caustic’ by Peter Dillingham is a poem and I’m not the person for poems in general however, this poem contains arresting imagery and is visual moving as well. (As described in the editor’s introduction on page 35).
‘Collector’s Piece’ by Edward P. Huges appears for the first time and was written in 1989. The inhabitants of Barley Cross are determined that life should remain normal after Armageddon-no matter what the costs. In their quest for order they decided to follow Patrick O’Meara, onetime sergeant of Her Majesty Forces, now Master of the Fist. In the previous volumes of “There will be War” several chronicles of Barley Cross were published and are now combined in one edition Master of the Fist. (Baen Books, 1989).
The story is situated in Ireland after Armageddon and children are no longer born. Patrick has taken it upon himself to lead de town militia in raids to recover aspirin, antibiotics and other vital supplies.
‘Half the Battle’ by Harry Turtledove appears for the first time and was written in 1989. This is my favourite short story: In three pages from post Armageddon with all the knowledge gone to Warp 3! Superb writing.
• ‘After Armageddon: New Beginnings’ by J.E. Pournelle.
• ‘Kenyons to the Keep’ by J.E. Pournelle.
• ‘Holo-Caustic’ by Peter Dillingham.
• ‘Collector’s Piece’ by Edward P. Huges.
• ‘Half the Battle’ by Harry Turtledove.
• ‘Only the Strong survive’ by F.G. Wyllis.
• ‘The last of the zeppelin Tempest’ by J.P. Boyd.
• ‘The future of the great powers’ by Alan Brown.
• ‘The voice of the Cockroach’ by Lesie Fich.
• ‘Song of the red War-boat’ by Rudyard Kipling.
• ‘Premium Non Nocere’ by Paul Edward.
• ‘Horatius at the Bridge’ by Thomas Babington/
Lord Mcaulay.
• ‘Fear and survival’ by Reginald Bretnor.
• ‘The Berent conversion’ by John Brunner.
• ‘The contract’ by Don Hawthorne.
• ‘The Bodyguard’ by Vernon W. Glasser.
• ‘The Palace at Midnight’ by Robert Silverberg.
• ‘Wintergate II: War Of The Worlds’ by Russel Seitz.
• ‘Torch’ by Christopher Anvil.
• ‘Bringing home the bacon’ by Eric Oppen.
• ‘Journals of the Plague years’ by Norman Spinrad.
I've reviewed only the first few stories (see below) and I rather like the book. It is not a book I'm going to read a second time. Some of the stories are marvelous, some are outdated and some are no fun to read. Overall three star rating is justified.
‘After Armageddon: New Beginnings’ by J.E. Pournelle first appeared in Destinies Magazine in de November/December issue of 1978 and I find a rather disappointing short story solely revolving around the question “What can (or should) we do if we could have a new beginning after Armageddon?” The story raises more questions than gives answers. However I have to keep in mind that this is a short story written at the end of the 70-ties and therefore placed in a very different timeframe than our current view of society. What I find appealing in this story is realisation of unnecessary energy consumption, which is still applicable for our society.
‘Kenyons to the Keep’ by J.E. Pournelle appears here for the first time and was written in 1989. A good short story in the style as we can expect from Pournelle.
‘Holo-Caustic’ by Peter Dillingham is a poem and I’m not the person for poems in general however, this poem contains arresting imagery and is visual moving as well. (As described in the editor’s introduction on page 35).
‘Collector’s Piece’ by Edward P. Huges appears for the first time and was written in 1989. The inhabitants of Barley Cross are determined that life should remain normal after Armageddon-no matter what the costs. In their quest for order they decided to follow Patrick O’Meara, onetime sergeant of Her Majesty Forces, now Master of the Fist. In the previous volumes of “There will be War” several chronicles of Barley Cross were published and are now combined in one edition Master of the Fist. (Baen Books, 1989).
The story is situated in Ireland after Armageddon and children are no longer born. Patrick has taken it upon himself to lead de town militia in raids to recover aspirin, antibiotics and other vital supplies.
‘Half the Battle’ by Harry Turtledove appears for the first time and was written in 1989. This is my favourite short story: In three pages from post Armageddon with all the knowledge gone to Warp 3! Superb writing.
February 10, 2014
After Armageddon: There Will Be War Volume IX
Created by Jerry Pournelle, Edited by John F. Carr
404 pages; $3.99
I really enjoy this series. It has been out of print for a long time, but you can readily find copies in used book stores or on the internet. Four of nine volumes in the series sit on my shelves, and I am always happy when I come across another one. I always manage to find a couple of really good stories in each volume that lead to further enjoyable reading, oftentimes in the novel version of the same story. Volume I featured a short story by Orson Scott Card called Ender's Game. Volume I also introduced me to David Drake's Ranks of Bronze. Volume IV has a chapter from Gordon Dickson's Way of the Pilgrim. In Volume IX, my favorites are The Voice of the Cockroach, by Leslie Fish, and The Contract, by Don Hawthorne.
I already knew Leslie Fish from her folk guitar performances of Rudyard Kipling, but this was the first of any of her fiction I have come across. In The Voice of the Cockroach, a man receives the rare gift of seeing himself as he truly is. The pain and clarity of that moral revelation was so powerful I had to put the book down for a moment, lest I be caught up in his grief and sorrow. The Contract is a historically informed tale of a Russian officer picking up the pieces after the world comes to an end. In a very, very, Russian manner.
There are also short essays in each volume discussing war and politics. It is interesting to look back on them 25 years later and see how their analysis and predictions held up. Alan Brown's essay on Paul Kennedy's The Rise and Fall of Great Powers was still topical. Kennedy correctly predicted the Soviets were falling behind in the Cold War, but Kennedy also spent a lot of time in 1989 pondering how the Japanese could use their wealth to influence world affairs. It turns out mostly by making Hello Kitty branded everything. Kennedy didn't miss the potential of China, he just didn't know whether they could successfully reconcile capitalism with Marxism. Well, now we know.
Go pick one of these volumes up. You should find something you like.
April 6, 2022
Most of these stories are mediocre, the one notable exception is Norman Spinrad's Journals of the Plague Years, a strange short about a super-AIDS disease that is highly infectious. A cure is found and an evil corporation blocks its release to maintain there profits. It is worth a read but is available elsewhere, the rest of the stories seem to be the leftovers from this long running series.
September 8, 2016
The more things change, the more things stay the same. Although most of the stories were written in the 1980's, with a little change in context, they fit well in a 21st century environment. My favorites were Contract (Hawthorne), Bringing Home the Bacon (Oppen), and Last Cruise of the Zeppelin Tempest (Boyd).
October 29, 2023
Not too bad for the ninth volume. This was published as the Soviets were breaking up. Looking forward to reading the tenth.
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November 5, 2009Thanks Armchairgeneral.com
December 14, 2012
There Will Be War #9
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews