What do you think?
Rate this book
Berserker
Berserker Base
This collaborative novel, by seven noted science fiction and fantasy authors, pits Lars Kanakuru and a handful of other Berserker prisoners against the entire Berserker fleet, whose mission is to destroy all life
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
5 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Fred Saberhagen
335 books496 followersFred Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his ''Beserker'' and Dracula stories.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 2, 2013
علمی تخیلی دلنشین خوبی بود
February 6, 2020
Tales of an unfeeling super intelligent evil force are common especially in the sci-fi world where technology is at an all-time high and the fear of alien beings bleeding a planet dry is on every space pilot's mind. Today's book is the Berserker Base, edited and assembled in 1985 and composed of stories from the same written period (83-85). What happens when a group of people end up trapped on a remote station to have their minds probed by an entity who only wants to conquer their next planet? Let's find out.
The book is written by a good list of famous sci-fi authors including Edward Bryant, Stephen Donaldson, Connie Willis, and Roger Zelazny among others. It was then edited by Fred Saberhagen who did some final touches with some short-short stories to piece it all together. In it, these brain probe victims as they were basically have visions of stories where various planets come in contact with the Berserkers and what happens shortly after. Then those stories have a bearing on the events at the station.
It comes together pretty darn well. I got this because I'm a huge Roger Zelazny fan and even though I have this story reprinted in one of his short story volumes, it never really made sense. So when I saw this on a shelf, I grabbed it pretty quickly to understand the whole story. I like that most of the stories focus on the human (and not so human) relationships rather than trying to follow the moves of the Berserker force. All of the stories are well written and the characters all play their parts in the much bigger story.
Interestingly, Zelazny's story while good isn't the best story in the bunch. Donaldson's "What Makes Us Human" is probably the strongest. I also particularly liked Poul Anderson's "Deathwomb" even if I did find it a bit wordy in parts. I wasn't a huge fan of Connie Willis' or Ed Bryant's story but they didn't distract from the overall intention of the book. Furthermore, Saberhagen did a really good job of making these work together cohesively.
The only problem I had was with the ending, it felt a little bit too haphazard and I think it would have lent itself better to something a little more grim and ominous. I don't want something deeply depressing but darker wouldn't have hurt the overall situation. In either event, this gets a solid recommendation and a good book to read quickly. There is no filler here and that should make for a fun and spirited read. Enjoy.
The book is written by a good list of famous sci-fi authors including Edward Bryant, Stephen Donaldson, Connie Willis, and Roger Zelazny among others. It was then edited by Fred Saberhagen who did some final touches with some short-short stories to piece it all together. In it, these brain probe victims as they were basically have visions of stories where various planets come in contact with the Berserkers and what happens shortly after. Then those stories have a bearing on the events at the station.
It comes together pretty darn well. I got this because I'm a huge Roger Zelazny fan and even though I have this story reprinted in one of his short story volumes, it never really made sense. So when I saw this on a shelf, I grabbed it pretty quickly to understand the whole story. I like that most of the stories focus on the human (and not so human) relationships rather than trying to follow the moves of the Berserker force. All of the stories are well written and the characters all play their parts in the much bigger story.
Interestingly, Zelazny's story while good isn't the best story in the bunch. Donaldson's "What Makes Us Human" is probably the strongest. I also particularly liked Poul Anderson's "Deathwomb" even if I did find it a bit wordy in parts. I wasn't a huge fan of Connie Willis' or Ed Bryant's story but they didn't distract from the overall intention of the book. Furthermore, Saberhagen did a really good job of making these work together cohesively.
The only problem I had was with the ending, it felt a little bit too haphazard and I think it would have lent itself better to something a little more grim and ominous. I don't want something deeply depressing but darker wouldn't have hurt the overall situation. In either event, this gets a solid recommendation and a good book to read quickly. There is no filler here and that should make for a fun and spirited read. Enjoy.
May 8, 2022
Berserker Base is a compilation of short stories by several authors set in Fred Saberhagen's Berserker universe. Each individual story is tied together by one main story by Fred Saberhagen. The authors included in this compilation are Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, Fred Saberhagen, Edward Bryant, Stephen R. Donaldson, Connie Willis, and Roger Zelazny. I read a couple of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker novels many years ago. Reading this book makes me want to revisit those books and his entire Berserker series.
May 3, 2016
Fred Saberhagen had his first berserker story published in 1963. Since then there have been 17 novels or collections of short stories published in this series. The premise is that millions of years ago when two planets were at war with each other, one of them, "The Builders", developed a computerized, self-controlled war ship which could repair and replicate itself and adapt to new conditions, then pass on everything that it had learned to all of the other copies. These machines worked so well that they totally wiped out the opposing race, "The Red Race", and then proceeded to also wipe out the Builders. They then adapted their programming to treat all life of any kind as enemies and started destroying all life anywhere they found it in the galaxy. Ultimately, as mankind started colonizing other planets, they met.
After 20 years of publishing Berserker stories and novels, Fred Saberhagen solicited six other major science fiction writers to write a story about the Berserkers. He then wrote segments to tie all of the stories together and published it as the book "Berserker Base". It worked! He ended up with a collection of stories that flow into each other. They include love, bravery, sacrifice, ingenuity, self centeredness, everything that you would hope to find in humans, aliens, and even computer intelligence. Also, this book stands well on its own. You don't need to read any of the other Berserker books before this one. It deserves four stars.
After 20 years of publishing Berserker stories and novels, Fred Saberhagen solicited six other major science fiction writers to write a story about the Berserkers. He then wrote segments to tie all of the stories together and published it as the book "Berserker Base". It worked! He ended up with a collection of stories that flow into each other. They include love, bravery, sacrifice, ingenuity, self centeredness, everything that you would hope to find in humans, aliens, and even computer intelligence. Also, this book stands well on its own. You don't need to read any of the other Berserker books before this one. It deserves four stars.
December 2, 2019
My father-in-law gave me this book to read after we had a conversation about some of the sci-fi books I had been reading. So a shout out to him for putting this book in my hands.
This is one of those mass market paperbacks that was published before I was born. It has plenty of creases and yellowed pages and a light musty smell to it. I feel like that in itself is a large part of the experience. I find that to be a really cool aspect of reading and the shared experience we readers partake in.
Things that I liked.
The concept of this novel was the reason I read it and it turned out to be the main draw as well. I probably spent more time thinking about how this book was written and edited than I did about the actual story it was telling. I even threw together a quick spreadsheet to see which author wrote which chapters and who wrote the most pages for this story. It is Edward Bryant for the record. He takes up 69 pages of this edition and sit atop the page count.
For those unfamiliar, the Berserker series is Fred Saberhagen's brain child and this book is the ninth installment. He wrote the opening chapter and the closing chapter and then he wrote short chapters in between each of the short stories the other authors wrote. These interlude chapters serve to tie everything together and grant some kind of coherent story line. He is also credited as an editor which makes me assume that he had some interesting conversations with these other authors. In today's world I would expect some kind of podcast or mini documentary to go with the book. Especially considering the star studded cast of writers.
On the actual content of the book, it has a great and consistent atmosphere and theme. While many of the stories are rather different they all give you a sense of large scale space exploration and the terror and somewhat helplessness of facing down a berserker. I especially enjoyed the chapters by Roger Zelazny and Edward Bryant.
Things that I did not like.
As you would think based on the concept, this book is a bit up and down. Some chapters I liked, others I did not. It can be jarring at times jumping from one story to the next. Adding to that, for about the first half of the novel I felt like this was a hopeless endeavor. The bleak outlook and shear dominance of the berserkers did not hook me right away. Maybe this was because I haven't read any of the other books in the series and I was not familiar with anything going into it but it was hard to get into at the start. I did get into eventually and then it was smooth sailing from then on.
Altogether, I liked this book. It wasn't great to me. The concept outweighed the execution but it can serve as a good conversation starter because of it.
This is one of those mass market paperbacks that was published before I was born. It has plenty of creases and yellowed pages and a light musty smell to it. I feel like that in itself is a large part of the experience. I find that to be a really cool aspect of reading and the shared experience we readers partake in.
Things that I liked.
The concept of this novel was the reason I read it and it turned out to be the main draw as well. I probably spent more time thinking about how this book was written and edited than I did about the actual story it was telling. I even threw together a quick spreadsheet to see which author wrote which chapters and who wrote the most pages for this story. It is Edward Bryant for the record. He takes up 69 pages of this edition and sit atop the page count.
For those unfamiliar, the Berserker series is Fred Saberhagen's brain child and this book is the ninth installment. He wrote the opening chapter and the closing chapter and then he wrote short chapters in between each of the short stories the other authors wrote. These interlude chapters serve to tie everything together and grant some kind of coherent story line. He is also credited as an editor which makes me assume that he had some interesting conversations with these other authors. In today's world I would expect some kind of podcast or mini documentary to go with the book. Especially considering the star studded cast of writers.
On the actual content of the book, it has a great and consistent atmosphere and theme. While many of the stories are rather different they all give you a sense of large scale space exploration and the terror and somewhat helplessness of facing down a berserker. I especially enjoyed the chapters by Roger Zelazny and Edward Bryant.
Things that I did not like.
As you would think based on the concept, this book is a bit up and down. Some chapters I liked, others I did not. It can be jarring at times jumping from one story to the next. Adding to that, for about the first half of the novel I felt like this was a hopeless endeavor. The bleak outlook and shear dominance of the berserkers did not hook me right away. Maybe this was because I haven't read any of the other books in the series and I was not familiar with anything going into it but it was hard to get into at the start. I did get into eventually and then it was smooth sailing from then on.
Altogether, I liked this book. It wasn't great to me. The concept outweighed the execution but it can serve as a good conversation starter because of it.
January 8, 2020
What a collection of stories! all woven into a single narrative. To read a Berserker story is one thing, but to read a segmented story, written by Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, Fred Saberhagen, Roger Zelazny, Stephen R. Donaldson, and others is readers' heaven. Wow.
March 8, 2018
Good read; one of the better Berserker collections. This novel is comprised of several themed short stories by various authors, linked via short stories by Saberhagen. 3.5 stars
October 19, 2020
Usually old sci fi is weird in a way that appeals to me, but this was not it. The frame device didn't have interesting characters, and then the rest of it was a bit jarring and disconnected.
September 12, 2024
A cleverly designed set of short stories by different authors tied together by an overarching plot. Some pretty classic Berserker.
September 13, 2024
Kind of a guided anthology of berserker stories from good authors all tied together by a Saberhagen narrative.
July 10, 2014
I started reading this series at Uni - I will admit I had sort of heard of it in references in passing several time but never really paid much attention - now however it seems like its own cliche - there ad killing machines self aware on a single minded mission to eradicate all life from the universe the war they were designed for long forgotten their mission however still burning bright - they can self replicate and they can learn and in all the universe only mankind appears to have the potential to thwart them.
Ok this seems to have been played out so many times but like all these things there has to be someone who did it first who set the mould and wrote the rules and Fred Saberhagen to me was that one - ok he may not have been but with the Berserker series I think he did.
So this book - its a collection of short stories from various renowned authors putting their own touches to the canvas of the Berserker world. The stories vary immensely (i think that is one of the reasons i like this books is that you seen all aspects - or at least a very great many of them) and from one page to the next you really have no idea what will assail you next. The series I think is stronger for this book but this book is not really a suitable standalone title you need to know a bit more about the Berserker war before that is the case.
Ok this seems to have been played out so many times but like all these things there has to be someone who did it first who set the mould and wrote the rules and Fred Saberhagen to me was that one - ok he may not have been but with the Berserker series I think he did.
So this book - its a collection of short stories from various renowned authors putting their own touches to the canvas of the Berserker world. The stories vary immensely (i think that is one of the reasons i like this books is that you seen all aspects - or at least a very great many of them) and from one page to the next you really have no idea what will assail you next. The series I think is stronger for this book but this book is not really a suitable standalone title you need to know a bit more about the Berserker war before that is the case.
January 29, 2010
A very good book. I enjoyed the Zelazny and Willis stories perhaps most of all. Poul Anderson's story was good, but I've always found his prose to be more parsimonious and thus less fluid. I get off track when I read Poul Anderson, but he does put out good stories and keeps things scientifically well-fixed.
The Ed Bryant & Stephen Donaldson stories were the least satisfying - both brought in a bit of fantasy to the more traditional SF context in which the Berserker stories are written.
Also, the Bryant story seemed a bit long-winded, so it slowed down the pace. Appearing second-last, the rest of the stories had already gone fairly quickly. Suddenly Bryant feels the need to explain how the denizens of a new system learn about berserkers (called "Boojums" in his story). It was okay, but it almost caused me to rate this 3 stars instead of 4.
Read this for the Connie Willis and Roger Zelazny stories alone. Or else read this because the Berserker franchise is probably the most under-rated SF series, unappreciated for the elegance and depth it has. If Hollywood were smart, there would be Berserker movies made that would reach the mainstream.
The Ed Bryant & Stephen Donaldson stories were the least satisfying - both brought in a bit of fantasy to the more traditional SF context in which the Berserker stories are written.
Also, the Bryant story seemed a bit long-winded, so it slowed down the pace. Appearing second-last, the rest of the stories had already gone fairly quickly. Suddenly Bryant feels the need to explain how the denizens of a new system learn about berserkers (called "Boojums" in his story). It was okay, but it almost caused me to rate this 3 stars instead of 4.
Read this for the Connie Willis and Roger Zelazny stories alone. Or else read this because the Berserker franchise is probably the most under-rated SF series, unappreciated for the elegance and depth it has. If Hollywood were smart, there would be Berserker movies made that would reach the mainstream.
September 9, 2012
Berserker Base is a collaborative novel written by Poul Anderson, Ed Bryant, Stephen R. Donaldson, Larry Niven, Fred Saberhagen, Connie Willis, and Roger Zelazny that tells a rambling story about a group of humans captured and imprisoned on a Berserker Base. There is more to the story than meets the eye and the main protagonist Lars Kanakuru is connected to a series of apparently disconnected events by Berserker telepathic device. These events make up the various stories of the novel.
The stories are largely well-written by masters of the short story genre typical of the mid 1980’s and each works well alone and as part of the whole. As usual humans and aliens battle against the implacable Berserker foe and generally defeat them.
I recommend this novel to any lover of the Berserker series in general and to science fiction fans as well.
October 20, 2013
Saberhagen's series on the berserkers: AI's that wish to destroy all organic life was one of the earliest examples of this idea in fiction for modern space opera. Yet, his pulp style and simplistic morals hark beck to the verities of pulp fiction: honour, self secrifice, the hero gets the simpering, cardboard cut-out girl and so on.
To spice up his narrative, Saberhagen conjures up a counter-earth where time travel is permitted and a history of humanity follows with interventions (including a Catholic Church, a Galileo and so on). This deterministic history is reinforced by the interventions of the moderns who lack the authenticity and depth of their predecessors (observed by the Rousseauian Noble Savage brough to the present who is incongruously called Matt).
Saberhagen's text shows how it is easier to plunder history than invent your own. And the vision of a skeletal berserker trying to kill off a Hero brings back the memory of a similar device some fifteen years later where the time traveller again attempts to defend the timeline against intervention from an AI?
To spice up his narrative, Saberhagen conjures up a counter-earth where time travel is permitted and a history of humanity follows with interventions (including a Catholic Church, a Galileo and so on). This deterministic history is reinforced by the interventions of the moderns who lack the authenticity and depth of their predecessors (observed by the Rousseauian Noble Savage brough to the present who is incongruously called Matt).
Saberhagen's text shows how it is easier to plunder history than invent your own. And the vision of a skeletal berserker trying to kill off a Hero brings back the memory of a similar device some fifteen years later where the time traveller again attempts to defend the timeline against intervention from an AI?
April 6, 2021
Saberhagen's Berserker series is an underrated creation. His stories and novels set in this universe of explored the vast possibilities of the central concept--an implacable machine intelligence is set on the destruction of all life! This books brings several collaborators to the project. Now, the stories are diverse in auctorial voice as well as concept. Donaldson brings a depth of characterization. Willis brings this and a sharp wit. Zelazny lends a mythic touch to his story of an ancient anti-berserker Berserker. Bryant's story is the most unusual in the collection, bringing a touch of cyberpunk to a story of professional starfighter pilots that must defeat the Berserkers. The stories by Anderson and Niven are typical for both authors and close to Saberhagen in style. A fun read. Shame that more collections did not follow.
August 16, 2025
A number of good to great stories, organized with connecting material. This volume contains two of the best Berserker stories, "Itself Surprised " and "A Teardrop Falls", each of which serves the Berserkers with a serious piece of their own
Read
August 22, 2008Berserker Base by Fred Saberhagen (1987)
July 18, 2010
In this book, Saberhagen lets some other writers write their own stories about the Berserkers.
A read a bunch of these books in high school. A real under rated sci-fi series.
A read a bunch of these books in high school. A real under rated sci-fi series.
Read
September 23, 2010Berserker Base by Poul Anderson (1987)
August 7, 2011
Two of my favorite short stories appear in this collection, "Itself Surprised" by Roger Zelazny and "A Teardrop Falls", by Larry Niven. Don't miss these stories.
December 21, 2011
A very interesting series, I've liked both the Berserker series books that I've read so far. I've enjoyed other books by Saberhagen, and I enjoyed this one.
March 15, 2013
Read this book when I was in High School and just came across it while cleaning the basement. Most the short stories are very good and I enjoyed reading it again.
August 24, 2014
Good SiFi stories in a shared universe about an ultimate space weapon called the beserker. Recommended
April 23, 2016
Stories by various writers set in Fred Saberhagen's Beserker universe. Good space opera.
September 19, 2016
One of my favorite authors, one of my favorite series.
A shared-universe anthology set in Saberhagen's Berserker universe. And not a clinker in the bunch!
A shared-universe anthology set in Saberhagen's Berserker universe. And not a clinker in the bunch!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews