Forge of the EldersCapitalist Monsters from Outer Space!Just when the 21st century thought it was safe to throw Marxism on the ash heap of history once and for all, a worldwide economic collapse suddenly made freedom seem less desirable than security, and the Total State turned out to be the comeback kid. In the US, where the power elite had long shown heartfelt affection for collectivism and making the trains (nationalized, of course) run on time, communism had a second coming. Which meant that Earth was now the Red Planet. The few holdouts and counterrevolutionaries would be dealt with in good time. Of course, collectivization only made the worldwide depression worse. But then the Peoples Astronomers noticed an asteroid with unusual spectrographic properties, seemingly a treasure trove of valuable minerals that might rejuvenate the Earths economy. So three aged NASA shuttles were pulled out of mothballs. crewed by a team of handpicked misfits whom no one would miss, and sent to the asteroid. However, someone else was there first, under an airtight canopy made by genetically engineered trees. And they werent human, even if they were from Earth. The Elders were nautiloids, like intelligent giant squids in Volkswagen-sized shells, from a parallel universe where they were Earths dominant species. Worst of all, they were CAPITALISTS! ABOUT THE AUTHORWriting in the libertarian tradition of Robert A. Heinlein, L. Neil Smith may be the most widely-published and prolific living libertarian author in the world, with over 20 books to his credit, two of them winners of the Prometheus Award for Best Libertarian Fiction: The Probability Broach and Pallas. He has also published numerous short stories and articles, has contributed gags to such comic strips as Ziggy and Frank and Ernest, and has lectured annually in the Colorado State University Physics Department on the physics of alternative realities. He attended the same university 1964-69, majoring in philosophy and psychology. He has served as a reserve police officer for the city of Fort Collins, Colorado, is a skilled competitive shooter, and is a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. Smith was born in Denver, Colorado on May 12, 1946 to an Air Force family, which led to his growing up all over North America. A highly prophetic author, his writings have predicted, among other things, the collapse of the Soviet Empire, the internet as we now know it, and the digital watch. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife Cathy, his daughter Rylla, and two cats, Amber and Ambrose. Illustration
and cover design by Bob Eggleton |
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This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. First paperback printing, April 2001 Distributed by Simon & Schuster Printed in the United States of America |
ISBN: 0-671-31982-5Copyright © 2000 by L. Neil Smith All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form. A Baen Books Original Typeset by Windhaven Press Electronic version by WebWrights |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSMy personal thanks to Mr. Frank Harris at Kahr Arms, 630 Route 303, Blauvelt, NY 10913—and to Tom Creasing, my friend and attorney, who made it all happen—for their invaluable aid in making make-believe a little more real. Also, the lyrics at the top of Chapter Forty-Four are from the folk song "Cumberland Mountain Deer Chase" as sung and played by Uncle Dave Macon. |