The Upsydaisy makes regular voyages from Earth to *Venus* not Mars as I wrote below. Sorry about that.

A couple of years ago I had the luck of finding a hardcover edition, (in pristine condition I might add) to replace my badly worn paperback copy. Our narrator is sergeant at arms aboard the merchant spaceship Upskadaska City, known to seasoned spacers as the 'Upsydaisy', making regular voyages between Earth and Mars until holed by an errant glob of space debris that sends the Upsydaisy hurtling directly into the sun. The ship survives thanks to her captain's navigating, the skill of her rather unusual emergency pilot and the grit displayed by all hands. As a reward captain and crew are given the new interstellar explorer ship 'Marathon' and sent to explore 'strange new worlds' all of which prove somewhat inhospitable to aliens. Our band of brothers is augmented a staff of government experts and a smart mouthed official photographer. And includes a Martian repair crew, goggle eyed ten tentacled beings who frequently complain about thick air, human odor and want to play chess at the most inopportune times. Dispite frequent interspecies bickering and banter when the chips are down Terran and Martian alike know they can depend on each other to the bitter end.

I got a copy of this book when I was about 9 yrs old and have probably read it so often that I've nearly memorized it over the last 30 yrs. What draws me into the book are the unforgettable characters---Jay Score (was he the inspiration for Mr. Spock?), Capt. McNulty, the chess-fanatic Martians---Kli Yang, Kli Morg, Sug Farn, et al, and the narrator, the sergeant at arms who is never identified by name. The stories are told in the first person and in a way it lets the reader become that character. The only downside of the book is that, as far as I know, Russell never wrote any further stories about the crew of the Marathon.

This is a very funny book. It's not so much a novel as three
stories linked together. Russell writes about what he calls "the Great Explosion," when ... interstellar travel allows people
to easily escape the Earth. After a few centuries, a Terran spaceship visits a few of this planets to see what's up. All they visit are a...little odd. The first one is a planet of criminals originally deported from Earth. After all the time that has passed, they're still criminals, stealing whatever they
can from the ship. The second planet is full of nudists, hysterical about germs, obsessed with health. The third planet is actually the most famous in the book. It was originally published as the short novel, "....and Then There Were None," and is about a worldful of people who have perfected a system that allows no one to conquer them. Russell writes in a weird,
screwball style that I have never encountered before. The whole
book is very funny, and very much worth reading.

This was one of EFR's great books written well before the current 20 years of SF movies came out. It is an excellent book portraying the aftermath of the Great Explosion of humanity from earth and the attempt to bring them back together. However the independent nature of man shows that it is not that easy. EFR had a humerous style that was easy to read and enjoy. The sooner this book is reprinted the better for a new generation to enjoy the delightful style of EFR.

I too had not read it in years, but it is still a surprisingly profound book, especially the part separated and sold as "And Then There Were None." It is a lot of fun, since Russell is able to write a slanguage no other writer I know of can match; it is stimulating, because no other writer, except maybe L. Neil Smith, has proposed a free society with such detail. It really seems possible.

A wonderful collection of stories that you'll dip into over and over. Russell's social and political concerns (freedom, equality, social justice) are combined with clever, witty stories that use the SF genre without getting bogged down in science.

Russell has a wonderful and unique sense of humor. This is a priceless picture of one of the special authors of the "Golden Age". These stories will stay with you for many years.

Excellent Short Stories you won't find anywhere else (unless you kept all your Analog's like I did).

Selected Novels Of Eric Frank Russell: Entities provides the complete novels of Wasp, Sinister Barrier, Call Him Dead, Next Of Kin and Sentinels Of Space plus three bonus short stories. Russell specializes in plots which blend humor with psychological insights. From a battle which will decide the destiny of the human race to a telepath's struggles with microscopic life, these novels offer twists and perspectives not seen in modern science fiction. Highly recommended both for newcomers and prior fans of Russell's hard to find works.

I read this book when I was eleven or so and have spent the rest of my reading life in search of something that fascinated me more. Tolkien's was the only fiction that may have done so, but it is, of course, nothing like Wasp.

WASP is a short, simply written book, but it has some quality that makes people mad for it. I think it is the sardonic omniscient voice that adds so much to the flavor of WASP: the voice of the Author himself.

A new edition was published not long ago that was completely unabridged. I felt the slightly abridged version read better (It's always good to cut out the fancy talk.). But I may just be used to the same slightly shorter edition most people have read.

If you want a guaranteed fascinating read (and be swept away on wings of reading enjoyment!), buy this book now. Be forewarned, however, that some might say it kind of glorifies terrorism.

This rather hard to find little book is a true classic. You'll need to get past the first few paragraphs where it seems that the author is in fact a 14 year-old... but then it grabs you and you won't have a moment's peace until it's read. So read it when you have plenty of free time ahead of you! The SF setting is somewhat irrevelevant in this novel - really it's about subversion and terrorism but the alien world is convincing enough. Russell has some novel ideas. The most amazing thing about this book is that it isn't also a film (unless you know different). It feels like a film. Buy it!

Since I first read it (and Russell's other brilliant books such as Men, Martians and Machines and Three to Conquer) in my early teens, I have regarded Wasp as one of the true SF classics. It ranks with Bester's The Demolished Man and Tiger! Tiger!, as well as the best of Clarke and Heinlein, although its sardonic tone has more in common with Robert Sheckley.

Although set in a future a few centuries ahead, when Earth is at war with the Sirian Combine, Wasp is directly transplanted from conventional warfare of the Second World War era. Indeed, I don't know why it took so long to dawn on me that the Sirians are analogues of the Japanese, while the noble Earthmen are essentially 1950s Americans. Oh sure, the Sirians are purple instead of yellow - but they are short, bandy-legged, and fanatical. To clinch it, their dreaded secret police is called the Kaitempi: compare the actual Japanese Kampeitei.

The Sirians have a great advantage in numbers, but the Earthmen are smarter. How to make the most of their quicker wits and superior technology? One way is to drop secret agents behind enemy lines to sow confusion, dissension and destruction. The result is dramatic, convincing and (in parts) riotously funny.

Most of Eric Frank Russel's books have one thing in common, the quick witted humans outsmarting the dim-witted aliens. And this is no exception to the rule. While this may seem rather predictable and boring he always manages to avoid duplication. Each time the basic plot is worked out in a new and refreshing way.

Do not read this book if you want to read serious science giction or military science fiction. That is not what this book is about. It was written to tell a story that should not be taken seriuos and that leaves a smile on your face. And this is exactly what it does, and brilliantly so.

This time the aliens being outwitted are on the other side of an intergalactic war, and they have made the unfortunate mistake of capturing and imprisoning an earthling. But that was not their biggest mistake, the biggest mistake was teaching him their language. For once they learn to communicate their war is as good as lost.

Eric Frank Russell remains my favorite SF writer; the only one who could make me both laugh and cry. There's no crying in this book, based on the short story that to this day received the highest "anlab" rating ever recorded for a story published in Astounding/Analog magazine. Russell's unique voice came from a blending of British reserve and humor with American slang and culture, as if John Cleese had been signed to play Sam Spade. Though Russell's science was pure '50's and often suspect, you won't care as you giggle, then chuckle, and finally roar your way through this story...which was inspired by an actual incident involving an English prisoner-of-war confined in a Turkish jail. Here's a perfect example of a superb "cross-over" SF story that could be filmed on a modest budget...I keep seeing Mel Gibson in the title role.

So sad he died before Cliton. One of the best less known authors of his time -- and his insite is timeless. This book deals with one major character..what a character. Also I would recommend WASP as another fine book to read. He is also one of the best short story writers that I have ever read. He has been used in many compenium volumes. Highly reccomend you read Jay Score and Manna. Join me in my sorrow that he did not write more.

In 1958, when I was eight years old, my older cousin was cleaning out his bookcase as I played solitaire on his bed. "Here," He said, handing me a paperback. "you like this kind of stuff". It was an Ace double novel - "Two Complete Novels, 35 cents". One side was Doomsday Eve, by Robert Moore Williams (forgettable), and the other was Three to Conquer. What impressed me most about this novel was the character development. The hero was not your ordinary lantern-jawed he-man type prevalent at the time; Wade Harper was a squat, hirsute, ape of a man who was contrary enough to have a job developing instruments to manipulate the very small. Oh yeah, he also read minds, which is the catalyst for the story. The plot is simple Bodysnatchers fare, the good guys are good and the bad guys lethal, and you can read it in one evening. I still do. What more can you ask?

As usually, E.F. Russell has created an excellent scanario with three aliens dressed as humans and only one man who can stop them. Wade Harper, a telepath, needs all his wit, wisdom and inspiration not only to stop the conquerors from enslaving all humans but also to keep his little telepathic secret for himself. A must for every true SF lover. I've bought two copies just to be sure to find at least one if I feel the urge to read it again (every year or so).

Our Hero is able to see the surface thoughts of others. Its been more of a hassle than a gift, Who wants to know that the guy next to you wants a hamburger or has an itch? Then one day he passes a hideous (sic?) alien intelligence wearing a human body. If he goes to the government with what he knows and HOW he knows it, they're likely to disect HIM to figure out how he works!!! Killer The realistic attitude and sense of humor of the hero has to be experienced to be believed! I read this about 10 years ago and can't remember the character's name. I wish I had never loaned this one out! (ie. gone!)

I hesitated a long time before buying this book, doubting that it could add anything to the great short story by Eric Frank Russel it was based on. Eventually I decided to buy it anyway because I loved the short story so very much and in years of searching had not been able to get a copy of the original which I had borrowed from a friend.

Though all elements of the orginal story where there, what I feared was proven right, the extension from short story to novel became boring. The lengthening of the story without really adding anything to it made it awkward rather than captivating and in the end I paged to the latter fourth of the book, no longer able to finish it.

The sad thing about it all is that it's not a bad story, just one that does not manage to capture the grandeur of the original. My advice: If you read the orginal story, don't read this one, try to get hold of one of the `flinx' books instead which are far more worthwhile.

Classic Russell material, fun and witty, using social and political avenues to defeat bad guys who could almost be government but portrayed as aliens instead!! If you dislike big government and being controlled by it, you will really enjoy this book!

The story covers what sorts of things might happen when different cultures, er "species", encounter each other. War, obviously, is one possible result. The really interesting aspect that Foster delves into is fanatical narrow-mindedness. The antags in this story can't really see how to make use of their resources to prosper. The protags very much can, and do. Also, the protags are very open-minded - in more ways than one. Plus they are quite intelligent and quite well-equiped to deal with intergalactic relations. Prosperity in this book, doesn't come from power or wealth but in a state of mind, a noble pursuit, and the willingness and ability to communicate and cogitate.

The plot is very upbeat and yet at the same time not without its share of suspense. The characters are interesting and likeable.

This collection of seven short stories was first published in the seventies though the stories themselves first appeared in "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine in its glory days. The stories are packed full with interesting ideas and they are often very funny. Having said that, it is important to point out also that modern readers will find that the stories themselves have a rather dated feel. The author's novels have stood the test of time far better than have his shorter works.

My favourite story from the collection is "Allamagoosa" which projects a "Sgt Bilko" view of military life into a future of interstellar space ships and hyperspace drives. The stories are not all humorous: "Ultima Thule" lands its protagonists in a pretty bleak scenario with no light relief.

If you are a fan of period SF, then you may well enjoy this but, if you are new to the author, I'd suggest that you try some of his novels first. "Wasp" and "Three to Conquer" would be a good place to start.