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World Breakers

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AWESOME STORIES OF MILITARY SF FROM TOP AUTHORS DAVID WEBER, LARRY CORREIA, WEN SPENCER, TONY DANIEL, CHRISTOPHER RUOCCHIO, AND MANY MORE!

Brute force. Intransigent defiance. Adamantine will.

These are the hallmarks of the AI tank. Formed from cold steel and superpowered computing brains, these gigantic tanks with the firepower of an entire army have been the decisive factors in interplanetary battle. But are humans worthy of the extraordinary instruments of war that they have created? Are the world breakers the greatest protector of human liberty, or its worst threat? For, while these world breakers very definitely have minds of their own, the question within their iron and superluminal quantum breasts, does there lie a faithful heart? Stories of world breakers and world makers in the great tradition of Keith Laumer’s Bolos from David Weber, Larry Correia, Wen Spencer, and more!

With stories
David Weber
Larry Correia
Wen Spencer
Kevin Ikenberry
Patrick Chiles
Tony Daniel
Hank Davis
Kacey Ezell
Christopher Ruocchio
Monalisa Foster
Robert E. Hampson
Lou J Berger

About World Breakers :
"'Dyma Fi’n Sefyll' by David Weber may be the finest MilSF short story I have ever read in the fifty-seven years I have been reading science fiction. It alone is worth the price of the book."— Tangent

About Star Destroyers, edited by Tony Daniel & Christopher
“. . . spectacular 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

“. . . stories 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

“. . . you’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

About Sword & Planet, edited by Christopher
"...the wide mix of stories, and the surprising places they go make this anthology a particular joy from start to finish... ofers a glimpse into everything that made stories like these a popular standby since the pulp era, with enough creativity, variety and talent showcased to prove that there's still plenty of life in the century-old genre... I recommend it heartily."— Analog

" Sword & Planet breathes new life into a genre that many understandably felt was left moldering in the grave. It’s old-school wonder with twenty-first century polish - what’s not to like?" — Warped Factor

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 2, 2021

46 people are currently reading
65 people want to read

About the author

Tony Daniel

98 books75 followers
Tony Daniel is an author of science fiction novels, short stories, and radio dramas.

For the comic book author, see Tony S. Daniel.

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5 stars
56 (41%)
4 stars
50 (37%)
3 stars
25 (18%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Michael.
1,240 reviews45 followers
August 12, 2021
World Breakers is an anthology of stories mostly about AI Tanks. Not all of the stories are about tanks despite what the blurbs would have you believe. One story, in particular, is about a sentient 4x4 pickup truck. Despite this, all of the stories are very enjoyable with my favorite being "Dyma Fi'n Sefyll" by David Weber.

This anthology contains stories by,

David Weber
Larry Correia
Wen Spencer
Kevin Ikenberry
Patrick Chiles
Tony Daniel
Hank Davis
Kacey Ezell
Christopher Ruocchio
Monalisa Foster
Robert E. Hampson
Lou J Berger
Profile Image for Bill.
2,445 reviews18 followers
September 8, 2021
4's and 5's across the board. Nice to see (read) Weber writing in a 'Bolo' universe again.
Profile Image for Linda.
1,026 reviews13 followers
October 2, 2023
Military science fiction lightened with some humorous stories

Majority of the stories dealt with the theme head on, so the book is heavy on classic military science fiction. Fans of David Weber will probably like this book. In fact he has a story in the book! My favorite stories were the ones that took a lighter approach with a lot of humor. Anvil by Wen Spencer has an AI controlled tank rebuilding civilization, starting with training the chickens to stay off the gun turret. Amarillo by Fire Fight by Keith Hedger has an AI tank desperate to win the battle quickly to get to her date. Tanknological Superiority by Hank Davis has an AI tank who has to deal with a bickering mom and dad (the scientists who created her) onboard while going into battle.
Profile Image for Bryan Brown.
269 reviews9 followers
May 20, 2023
I've been in a reading doldrums for a bit. Maybe with better weather I'll be motivated to escape yard work via reading.

This is a collection of short stories mostly by people I've never heard of, one by someone who has offended me so badly I just don't read any more, and a few others I know of.

That means the stories are very uneven, and some of the stories I read the first two pages and just flipped past them to the next story they were so awful. Overall the book provided entertainment for a while so three stars it is.

David Webers story is the anchor for the volume and also the best of the bunch so that at least leaves a pleasant aftertaste when you finish.
946 reviews11 followers
July 21, 2021
Like many a themed anthology, not every writer listens to what the editor wanted.

The first two, and last stories are military scifi but some of the others are romance and love stories. I really don't want to read about tanks falling in love or soldiers falling in love with their tanks.

I think that the author could have done a better job at revising or weeding out the weak stories. This could have been a much better book.
Profile Image for William Bentrim.
Author 59 books76 followers
August 3, 2021
World Breakers edited by Tony Daniel

The book purports to be about sentient tanks. Well, some of the stories are but others are more like AIs with weapons.
As in any short story collection it is hard to review without going over every story. There wasn’t a story in this I didn’t like. Weber’s might have been my favorite but not by any more than a nose.
If you like sentient tanks, really who doesn’t, I highly recommend the book.
Honor is not reserved for mere organic beings.
51 reviews4 followers
December 6, 2021
Truly outstanding book .

If you're like me and you missed the bolo books that I read as a young man this book is for you! I'd forgotten how much I missed this type of book And I'm so glad that I found it and read it.

all the stories are truly excellent!

If I had one complaint, that the book wasn't long enough !
20 reviews
November 9, 2023
Bolo fans, rejoice!

Inspired by Keith Laumer's Bolo series, all of these stories are pretty good, but I wonder what some are doing here. Nevertheless, a pretty good addition to the robotank mythos.

Highly Recommended.
69 reviews
March 14, 2025
Worthy of Bolo

Many have tried but very few authors bring the mix of realistic detail with a dash of humor to stand in the picture with Keith laumer and his bolo stories. This work is among the few.
Profile Image for Jas.
13 reviews
July 3, 2022
Excellent Reading

Really really enjoyed these. Can see where the inspiration comes from and these stories are right up there with my favorites from Laumer.
264 reviews3 followers
September 28, 2022
Short story collection loosely based around the idea of super-tanks.
Several very good stories but I didn’t read the last few.
3 reviews
September 27, 2023
Fantastic set of stories

As always I love anthologies based around the subject. I was not let down by this book . I give it my highest recommendations.
443 reviews2 followers
August 14, 2024
Short storing about intelligent tanks, some good stories.
Profile Image for Graham Bradley.
Author 24 books43 followers
Read
August 28, 2024
No rating since I haven't finished them all. The ones I read were pretty good, I liked the varied settings among the writers.
Profile Image for James.
722 reviews13 followers
November 26, 2021
Just finished the first story, World Enough by Robert E Hampton. 5 stars for me.
Just finished the last story by David Weber he did not disappoint. 5* for me.
Overall the anthology worked, I would give it 4*. There should be something for everyone there.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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