The Ultimate Enemy

Berserker #5

by Fred Saberhagen

BERSERKERS
The death machines are capable of any treachery, able to assume any disguise, motivated only by their prime directive: to seek out and destroy life wherever it may hide.

MAN
The fragile life-form that hides within its puny frame a curiously unquenchable something ... call it 'spirit'. This odd facet of an otherwise undistinguished example of the disease of life has been a source of deep annoyance to the berserkers since first the two forms met: no wonder then that for each the other is THE ULTIMATE ENEMY

Contents:
The Smile
Pressure
The Annihilation of Angkor Apeiron
Inhuman Error
Some Events at the Templar Radiant
Starsong
Smasher
The Game
Wings Out of Shadow

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction Fantasy, Military Science Fiction, Short Stories

242 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1979

About the author

Fred 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.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ultimate Enemy was the fifth book in Saberhagen's Berserker series, and the second to be a collection of stories rather than a novel. I believe I prefer the shorter lengths in this case, because Saberhagen did a terrific job of focusing on seemingly small historical or technological or sociological bits and putting an expanded Berserker spin on them. The stories all previously appeared 1967 - '79 in genre magazines including Destinies, Analog, F & SF, Galaxy, If, and a couple of less-likely sources, Algol and The Flying Buffalo's Favorite Magazine. My favorites were Some Events at the Templar Radiant, The Annihilation of Angkor Apeiron, Wings Out of Shadow... and the Michael Whelan cover.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series returns to short stories and Saberhagen knocks hit after hit. Some are merely base hits driven by a minor premise like "Smasher" with its animal vs machine concept or "The Game" with a slight artificial-feeling setup, but Saberhagen knows how to knock them over the fence too. "Some Events at the Temple Radiant" was good enough that Saberhagen expanded it into its own novel as The Berserker Throne. "Pressure" is another highlight: the premise fits perfectly in short story form and propels the reader straight toward the satisfying ending.

Firing on all cylinders with this one.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty decent read. I didn't realize when I picked it up that it was a number of short stories regarding the Berserker universe. The stories are interesting, the plots are compelling and I almost felt that the overarching stories each contained a bit of a poetic quality.

An enjoyable read in the Berserker series.

[Mike S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yougo said just what I was going to say, so I refer you to their review. Most of the stories in the book were good, a couple were really good.

[Surly Gliffs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back cover says it all. The Berserkers are implacably dedicated to the destruction of all life, only tenacious humanity stands in their way. This is a short story collection, and frankly the short story suits Saberhagen's writing style far better than novels.

As portentous as the conceit is, the stories are not really about violent threat. What we have here instead are a series of nice puzzle boxes. You're trapped with a killer robot, how do you escape? That question is variously answered by a farmer, a historian, an archaeologist, some marine biologists, and most amusingly, by an encyclopedia salesman. There were a couple non-puzzle stories but they're paid-by-the-word filler (the messy, unfocused "Events at the Templar Radiant"; the cheesy Orpheus retelling in "Starsong").

Mostly pulp, sometimes well done and sometimes not, with 70s style and sensibility. Modestly recommended for fans of the same. Available for $2 at Dreamhaven in south Minneapolis.

[Tim Deforest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent selection of short stories set in Saberhagen's Berserker universe, in which our galaxy is invaded by robot ships programmed to destroy all biological life. Though Saberhagen's Berserker novels were of various quality (usually good, often great, occasional "meh"), he hit it out of the ballpark pretty much every time with his short stories. Action, suspense, clever SF concepts and great characters abound, with stories often having a great twist at the end. In this volume, stand out twist endings are especially awesome in the stories "The Annihilation of Angkor Apeiron" and "Wings Out of Shadow."

[Corvid · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my most beloved sci fi microgenres is "this author has recently learned something and is going to incorporate it into his ongoing universe." It's a fun bonus when the universe itself deals mostly with inexorable killer robots and the interstellar war against them, and the things he's learned are just. Completely mundane. One of the short stories in this anthology revolves around a fun fact about encyclopedias and dictionaries. One is about mantis shrimp. Very fun read, going straight to my shelf.

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of short stories set in the same universe but with different people in each story. The common element is that the humans are fighting the Berserkers, machines that were built ages before and programmed to destroy organic life, and even after the creators are long gone the machines are still obeying their programming. There are 9 stories; I read 8 of them. One I started and didn't enjoy so went on to the next one. Very enjoyable.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories, of varying quality/interest. A let down after the first 4 books in the 'series'.

[Matthew Poehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb Characters!

There are few things better than brilliant character driven science fiction. Saberhagen truly nails it as one of the Masters of SciFi

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories in the Berserker universe. This format works very well for this series. This way, Saberhagen provides glimpses into the vast conflict that highlight key elements of the man vs. machine conflict--an artist gets his revenge, a gardener uses his unique knowledge, a historian has the last laugh, etc. Glad that I finally found the time for these books.

[Alec Baillargeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ultimate Enemy by Fred Saberhagen is a work of art. Written perfectly, Saberhagen draws you into a fascinating story full of mystery and danger. The Ultimate Enemy is a collection of short stories that Fred Saberhagen released over the years relating to his Berserker Series. The general plot line is the conflicts between the war machines called Berserkers - built by an ancient alien race, their only objective being to destroy all life in the universe - and humans, who had gradually spread throughout their galaxy. This is a great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in sci-fi.

I typically don't like re-reading books. The point, in my personal opinion, of reading a book is not knowing what's going to happen next. That's what keeps me on the edge, that is what keeps me invested in the book. Once you've finished it, it loses that. This book, however, is an exception. Even with knowing what is going to happen, it is so interesting to see how Saberhagen gives little clues that lead to the end of the chapter. Every chapter is its mystery, with an ending that you most likely will never see coming. Such a great book and I highly suggest you read it.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saberhagen is the Tolkien of Sci-fi. The stories in this book written in the 1960s have seeded a great many sci-fi productions. The confusing nature of the aggressive robotic intelligence leaves me wanting more... explanation. The colorful descriptions of complex scenes are like the gooey filling in the center of a special piece of chocolate.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine example of man verses machine.

[bluetyson]

Ultimate Enemy (1981)

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first return to Saberhagen after many years. It was part of my "stash". The Berserkers are not my favorite Saberhagen creation, but there are two very clever stories in this anthology.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthology from the Berserker Wars. Some better than others.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

read some time in 1985