There is quite a lot of good physics in this: weight, mass, momentum, laws of motion, etc. in zero or low gravity. The plot concerns a two-person expedition to the asteroid belt by the one-world Earth government to investigate the steep fatality rate among asteroid prospectors. The Earth has turned into a welfare state, so naturally they are highly concerned about their asteroid colonies' citizens.
If you like, you can pretend it was written by Ayn Rand, though the science, character development, plotting, descriptions are much better than she ever managed.
Each morning, two of the dominant life form of Arz are eaten by dragons, which are eaten by squid-things. Farrell couldn't figure out why, and he got a little involved in his investigation.
Not a bad story, nothing special; you'll probably figure out what's going on before the space ship crewmen do.
Jimmy comes home from MIT and invents an anti-gravity panel whose effects don't stop when you turn it off.
It's a mildly amusing story full of stereotypes. I could see it acted out by the cast of the Ozzie and Harriet Show.
After their space craft crash lands, the alien crew soon learns that Earth does not have their best insterests at heart.
The advertising division of a coffin manufacturer finds that a computer glitch increased its budget 100 times. Rather than correct the error, they spend the money, resulting in the end of an economic downturn, boom times for the U.S., the collapse of political systems all over the world, and the end of human life on Earth. The hint of beastiality at the end is a pleasing addition.
A great satire on advertising and business. Recommended.
Plot bullets
Plot bullets
Plot bullets
Vogel, a scheming, manipulative man, hires an illegal alien, Amenth, to work in his machine shop, and finds him not only clever, but a real alien. And a convict.
Good characterizations, and an imaginative ending; the descriptions are good too.