Rebels In Hell - James Morris

Second in the longrunning Heroes In Hell series, Rebels In Hell consists of nine linked short stories (although a couple of them push novella-length). Most are by established, well-known authors - David Drake, CJ Cherryh, Nancy Asire and others - who deliver as they always have. Drake's is as solid and cynically realistic as his work always is, and the second of Asire's stories about odd-couple neighbors Wellington and Napoleon is twistedly entertaining.

But three of them really stand out. There's Robert Silverberg's 'Gilgamesh In The Outback' - tightly-plotted, meticulously researched, brilliantly written. Won the 1987 Hugo for Best Novella. Thoroughly deserved to, for all the right reasons. Worth the price of this book in itself.

Martin Caidin was the guy who coined the term 'cyborg' and conceived the TV series 'The Six Million Dollar Man.' He was also an experienced pilot, and nobody alive or dead writes a dogfight like he does. 'There Are No Fighter Pilots Down In Hell' contains three of his best. And when it comes to air combat, 'Caidin's best' is really saying something.

Janet Morris' biography doesn't say anything about having worked extensively in espionage or special ops... but I suppose it wouldn't. Certainly she writes, in 'Graveyard Shift', as though from serious first-hand experience. The story has a hard, readable realism that LeCarre would envy; my only complaint was that it was too short.

Most short-story collections are lucky to have a single standout entry; Rebels In Hell has three. You want this book.

Small tear to back cover art