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Cosmic Corsairs
NEW FICTION AND CLASSICS OF THE GENRE COLLECTED BY THE EDITORIAL TEAM BEHIND SPACE PIONEERS AND OVERRULED!
SPACE PIRATES!
Words that conjure up rousing tales of adventure, derring-do, and brave heroes battling the scurvy vermin of the galaxy. Those vermin have taken to pillaging cargo ships and, even worse, space liners, relieving the helpless passengers of their valuables, and worse with the comely women passengers, then spacing the lot—unless one or more of the aforementioned brave heroes arrive in the nick of time and turn the tables, making the spaceways safe again for the innocent and helpless. On the other hand, perhaps the pirate captain is a woman, and it’s the comely male passengers who need rescuing. And on the third hand (we’re talking space pirates here, possibly aliens with four or more arms), perhaps those ships traversing the interstellar void are not so innocent, and the pirates, fighting an evil despotic star empire and defending the freedom of the space lanes, are the good guys and gals. The possibilities are many, and the daring exploits set the blood racing in the veins of any reader with even a trace of buccaneering spirit in their hidden self.
So board a battered but spaceworthy fighting starship with such star-spanning and award-winning crewmates as Robert Silverberg, Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, Larry Niven, Fritz Leiber, and Sarah A. Hoyt, plus James H. Schmitz, Leigh Brackett, Stanley G. Weinbaum, and more, and set sail—er, thrusters—for a universe of freebooting adventure!
About Cosmic Corsairs :
“Who doesn’t like space pirates? (Well, their victims I guess, but that’s beside the point.) . . . Hank Davis has a fine sense for choosing a wide mix of stories, and this book is no exception. No story is like another, yet they manage to form a whole greater than the parts. From sapient ships to piratical sibling rivalry, pirate detectives to ingenious captives seeking freedom, from alien biology to orbital mechanics, the stories share some of the same elements—pragmatic thinking, moral complexity, loyalty, and betrayal. Definitely a fun one.”— Analog
Praise for previous anthologies edited by Hank
I n Space No One Can Hear You
“[T]he 13 tales in this collection blend sf with horror to demonstrate the resiliency of both genres . . . offers strong tales by the genre’s best storytellers.” — Library Journal
“[F]irst-rate science fiction, demonstrating how short stories can still entertain.” — The G alveston County Daily News
A Cosmic Christmas 2
“This creative and sprightly Christmas science fiction anthology spins in some surprising directions. . . . A satisfying read for cold winter evenings . . . a great stocking stuffer for SF fans.” — Publishers Weekly
A s Time Goes
“ As Time Goes By . . . does an excellent job of exploring not only romance through time travel—relationships enabled or imperiled by voyaging through time—but the intrinsic romance of time travel itself. . . . The range of styles and approaches is as wide as the authors' sensibilities and periods might suggest . . . full of entertaining and poignant stories . . . ” —Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, IntergalacticMedicineShow.com
About Star Destroyers , coedited by Christopher
“[S]pectacular space battles and alien contacts . . . themes of military ethics, the uses of artificial intelligence, and the limits of the capacity of the human mind. . . . It is the human interactions and decisions that ultimately drive the stories. . . . Will appeal to fans of military and hard science fiction and any readers fascinated by the possibilities of space travel.”— Booklist
“[S]tories of giant spaceships at war, at peace, and in the often-gray areas between. . . . A worthy addition to a long tradition of ship-based fiction, and its authors portray captains, arcane astrogators, and civilian child passengers with equal depth. It’s recommended for fans of military SF and space adventure.”— Publishers Weekly
“[Y]ou’d probably expect some tight, action-filled space opera stories of giant space battles . . . and there’s some of that. But there are also espionage stories, rescue missions, political conflicts, alternate histories, even a few humorous tales. . . . Each author took the premise in a different direction . . . if I had to identify one common feature to all the stories, it would be that they’re all fun. . . . Like it says, big ships blowing things up. What’s not to like?”— Analog
SPACE PIRATES!
Words that conjure up rousing tales of adventure, derring-do, and brave heroes battling the scurvy vermin of the galaxy. Those vermin have taken to pillaging cargo ships and, even worse, space liners, relieving the helpless passengers of their valuables, and worse with the comely women passengers, then spacing the lot—unless one or more of the aforementioned brave heroes arrive in the nick of time and turn the tables, making the spaceways safe again for the innocent and helpless. On the other hand, perhaps the pirate captain is a woman, and it’s the comely male passengers who need rescuing. And on the third hand (we’re talking space pirates here, possibly aliens with four or more arms), perhaps those ships traversing the interstellar void are not so innocent, and the pirates, fighting an evil despotic star empire and defending the freedom of the space lanes, are the good guys and gals. The possibilities are many, and the daring exploits set the blood racing in the veins of any reader with even a trace of buccaneering spirit in their hidden self.
So board a battered but spaceworthy fighting starship with such star-spanning and award-winning crewmates as Robert Silverberg, Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, Larry Niven, Fritz Leiber, and Sarah A. Hoyt, plus James H. Schmitz, Leigh Brackett, Stanley G. Weinbaum, and more, and set sail—er, thrusters—for a universe of freebooting adventure!
About Cosmic Corsairs :
“Who doesn’t like space pirates? (Well, their victims I guess, but that’s beside the point.) . . . Hank Davis has a fine sense for choosing a wide mix of stories, and this book is no exception. No story is like another, yet they manage to form a whole greater than the parts. From sapient ships to piratical sibling rivalry, pirate detectives to ingenious captives seeking freedom, from alien biology to orbital mechanics, the stories share some of the same elements—pragmatic thinking, moral complexity, loyalty, and betrayal. Definitely a fun one.”— Analog
Praise for previous anthologies edited by Hank
I n Space No One Can Hear You
“[T]he 13 tales in this collection blend sf with horror to demonstrate the resiliency of both genres . . . offers strong tales by the genre’s best storytellers.” — Library Journal
“[F]irst-rate science fiction, demonstrating how short stories can still entertain.” — The G alveston County Daily News
A Cosmic Christmas 2
“This creative and sprightly Christmas science fiction anthology spins in some surprising directions. . . . A satisfying read for cold winter evenings . . . a great stocking stuffer for SF fans.” — Publishers Weekly
A s Time Goes
“ As Time Goes By . . . does an excellent job of exploring not only romance through time travel—relationships enabled or imperiled by voyaging through time—but the intrinsic romance of time travel itself. . . . The range of styles and approaches is as wide as the authors' sensibilities and periods might suggest . . . full of entertaining and poignant stories . . . ” —Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, IntergalacticMedicineShow.com
About Star Destroyers , coedited by Christopher
“[S]pectacular space battles and alien contacts . . . themes of military ethics, the uses of artificial intelligence, and the limits of the capacity of the human mind. . . . It is the human interactions and decisions that ultimately drive the stories. . . . Will appeal to fans of military and hard science fiction and any readers fascinated by the possibilities of space travel.”— Booklist
“[S]tories of giant spaceships at war, at peace, and in the often-gray areas between. . . . A worthy addition to a long tradition of ship-based fiction, and its authors portray captains, arcane astrogators, and civilian child passengers with equal depth. It’s recommended for fans of military SF and space adventure.”— Publishers Weekly
“[Y]ou’d probably expect some tight, action-filled space opera stories of giant space battles . . . and there’s some of that. But there are also espionage stories, rescue missions, political conflicts, alternate histories, even a few humorous tales. . . . Each author took the premise in a different direction . . . if I had to identify one common feature to all the stories, it would be that they’re all fun. . . . Like it says, big ships blowing things up. What’s not to like?”— Analog
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 4, 2020
6 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 7, 2022
Looking for space pirates? Hank Davis and Christopher Ruocchio have you covered in this collection of reprints and new tales. Leiber, Blish, Silverberg, and Schmitz have tales here along with Bear & Monette, Hoyt & Hoyt, Ruocchio, and Trent. The pirates come in all forms with some being problems, and some trying to solve problems. My favorite tale was Brian Trent's "Breaking News Regarding Space Pirates" with Christopher Ruocchio's "The Night Captain" a close second. I always enjoy story collections because I get to sample so many authors in one place. This volume is no exception. So, if you like short stories or space pirates, hop aboard and enjoy the ride!
September 16, 2024
An interesting but uneven collection of “space pirate” stories. Some stories are great (“Boojum”, “The Night Captain”), some are good (“Teen Angel”, “Blackout in Cygni”), and some, well, I guess they needed to pad it out to book length. “Captives of the Thieve-Star” was just incomprehensible, for example. Worth a quick read.
January 14, 2023
Actually three and half stars. Most stories are so-so. There are four excellent stories in the book. I have learned of two more writers I did not know about from this book and I plan to find their novels to read.
October 16, 2023
A fun group of adventure on the high seas, er, stars? Well, you know what I mean. David and Ruocchio do a great job of mixing older stories and new material, giving readers a wide swath of stories within the genre.
A lot of fun to read!
A lot of fun to read!
October 16, 2020
That was great!!
An anthology of stories about "space pirates" by a collection of well renowned science fiction writers - some old, some new. Some of the stories are classics and some new fiction. Each story has a nice introduction and afterword by one of the editors.
Lots of tough characters, living ships (with minds of their own), great adventures and fast paced action.
A great read. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Edelweiss, the publisher and the authors for sending me this ARC.
An anthology of stories about "space pirates" by a collection of well renowned science fiction writers - some old, some new. Some of the stories are classics and some new fiction. Each story has a nice introduction and afterword by one of the editors.
Lots of tough characters, living ships (with minds of their own), great adventures and fast paced action.
A great read. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Edelweiss, the publisher and the authors for sending me this ARC.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews