Complete Science Mystery Fantasy of Randall Garrett

Contents

Damned If You Don't (1960)

Anchorite (1962)

Heist Job on Thizar (1956)

The Unnecessary Man (1959)

The Bramble Bush (1962)

Dead Giveaway (1959)

Or Your Money Back (1951)

But, I Don't Think (1959)

By Proxy (1960)

In Case of Fire (1960)

Suite Mentale (1956)

The Man Who Hated Mars (1956)

A World by the Tale (1963)

The Measure of a Man (1960)

Hail to the Chief (1963)

What The Left Hand Was Doing (1960)

The Foreign Hand Tie (1961)

That Sweet Little Old Lady (1959)

Thin Edge (1963)

Hanging by a Thread (1961)

Fifty Per Cent Prophet (1961)

Viewpoint (1960)

Out Like a Light (1960)

Tinker's Dam (1961)


Damned If You Don't-

We've all heard of the wonderful invention that the Big Corporation or the Utilities suppressed...? Usually, that Wonderful Invention won't work, actually. But there's another possibility, too.

Anchorite-

There are two basic kinds of fools--the ones who know they are fools, and the kind that, because they do not know that, are utterly deadly menaces!

Heist Job on Thizar-

In the future, we may discover new planets; our ships may rocket to new worlds; robots may be smarter than people. But we'll still have slick characters willing and able to turn a fast buck--even though they have to be smarter than Einstein to do it.

The Unnecessary Man-

Sometimes an organizational setup grows, sets its ways, and becomes so traditional that once-necessary jobs become unnecessary. But it is sometimes quite hard to spot just which man is the unnecessary one. In this case ... not the one you think!

The Bramble Bush-

Usually, if a man's gotten into bad troubleby getting into something, he's a fool to go back. But there are times ...

Dead Giveaway-

Logic's a wonderful thing; by logical analysis, one can determine the necessary reason for the existence of a dead city of a very high order on an utterly useless planet. Obviously a shipping transfer point! Necessarily.

Or Your Money Back-

There are lots of things that are considered perfectly acceptable ... provided they don't work. And of course everyone knows they really don't, which is why they're acceptable.

But, I Don't Think-

As every thinking man knows, every slave always yearns for the freedom his master denies him.

By Proxy-

It's been said that the act of creation is a solitary thing--that teams never create; only individuals. But sometimes a team may be needed to make creation effective.

In Case of Fire-

There are times when a broken tool is better than a sound one, or a twisted personality more useful than a whole one. For instance, a whole beer bottle isn't half the weapon that half a beer bottle is ..

The Man Who Hated Mars-

To escape from Mars, all Clayton had to do was the impossible. Break out of a crack-proof exile camp--get onto a ship that couldn't be boarded--smash through an impenetrable wall of steel. Perhaps he could do all these things, but he discovered that Mars did evil things to men; that he wasn't even Clayton any more. He was only--THE MAN WHO HATED MARS.

A World by the Tale-

This is about the best-hated author on Earth. Who was necessarily pampered and petted because of his crime against humanity.

The Measure of a Man-

What is desirable is not always necessary, while that which is necessary may be most undesirable. Perhaps the measure of a man is the ability to tell one from the other... and act on it.

Hail to the Chief-

A great politician need not be a statesman ... but it is inherently futile to be a great statesman, and no politician. Except, of course, for a miracle .

What The Left Hand Was Doing-

There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth. And no cover-story so convincing.

The Foreign Hand Tie-

Just because you can "see" something doesn't mean you understand it—and that can mean that even perfect telepathy isn't perfect communication..

That Sweet Little Old Lady-

Usually, the toughest part of the job is stating the problem clearly, and the solution is then easy. This time the FBI could state the problem easily; solving it, though was not. How do you catch a telepathic spy?

Thin Edge-

There are inventions of great value that one type of society can use—and that would, for another society, be most nastily deadly!

Hanging by a Thread-

It's seldom that the fate of a shipful of men literally hangs by a thread—but it's also seldom that a device, every part of which has been thoroughly tested, won't work.

Fifty Per Cent Prophet-

That he was a phony Swami was beyond doubt. That he was a genuine prophet, though, seemed ... but then, what's the difference between a dictator and a true prophet? So was he....

Viewpoint-

A fearsome thing is a thing you're afraid of--and it has nothing whatever to do with whether others are afraid, nor with whether it is in fact dangerous. It's your view of the matter that counts!

Out Like a Light-

Kenneth Malone--sometimes known as Sir Kenneth of The Queen's Own FBI--had had problems with telepathic spies, and more than somewhat nutty telepathic counterspies. But the case of the Vanishing Delinquents was at least as bad..