Have you read any of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker books? If so, what did you think? Did you love or hate any particular book? Why?
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One of the later ones I didn't like much, as it was basically a science fiction retelling of the battle of Midway.
I may be biased, but my favourite Berserker story is called (I think) "Itself Surprised" and it was written by Roger Zelazny for a compilation of Berserker stories by other authors, that Saberhagen put together.
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Originally posted by Seroster One of the later ones I didn't like much, as it was basically a science fiction retelling of the battle of Midway.
"Berserker Fury", I just finished it up. I didn't think much of it.
The Berserker series of stories (most of them are shorts) started in 1963 with "Without a Thought". The series is all over the map quality-wise. One problem is that Saberhagen (at least to me) seems of have a difficult time writing people -- they seem somewhat without personality to me. Oddly, this doesn't seem to be as much a problem in his fantasy and horror work.
I'd pick up a book or two from a used bookstore and give them a shot.
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Originally posted by Seroster Hm... they're all right.
One of the later ones I didn't like much, as it was basically a science fiction retelling of the battle of Midway.
I may be biased, but my favourite Berserker story is called (I think) "Itself Surprised" and it was written by Roger Zelazny for a compilation of Berserker stories by other authors, that Saberhagen put together.
Good man. Zelazny's my favoritest. "Itself Surprised" was in the Berserker Base collection, IIRC, and was also reprinted in Zelazny's Frost and Fire short story collection.
At any rate, the Berserker stories work brilliantly when you look at them individually - each individual story is pretty good on its own rights. However, when he tries tying them together into a larger tapestry, it gets... enh.
You can probably find the originalBerserker in a used bookstore for a couple of bucks. Give it a shot.
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Seroster wrote:
One of the later ones I didn't like much, as it was basically a science fiction retelling of the battle of Midway.
My wife and I read Berserker Fury to each other during a long car trip. She did not care for it at all, but I enjoyed the historical parallels.
__________________ “Young-Earth creationism is a plot by Satan to make Christianity look foolish and turn people away from Jesus.” - atonal chaotic
“I’m about to drop the hammer and dispense some indiscriminate justice.” - Unknown Siege Tank Commander on the plains of Mar Sara
“You fiend! Never have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the Church?” - His Grace, the Bishop of Bath and Wells to the Lord Edmund Blackadder
“I would defend the liberty of consenting adult creationists to practice whatever intellectual perversions they like in the privacy of their own homes; but it is also necessary to protect the young and innocent.” - Arthur C. Clarke
Originally posted by DivineCoffeeBinge Good man. Zelazny's my favoritest. "Itself Surprised" was in the Berserker Base collection, IIRC, and was also reprinted in Zelazny's Frost and Fire short story collection.
I have pretty much everything published by him.
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You can probably find the originalBerserker in a used bookstore for a couple of bucks. Give it a shot.
Oh, I have read a few Berserker books, including that one... Was it one of the stories in that volume which had the humans using computer recordings/recreations of historical fighter pilots to man their robot(?) fighters, one of which was the Red Baron? That was pretty good.
Originally posted by PatP ... One problem is that Saberhagen (at least to me) seems of have a difficult time writing people -- they seem somewhat without personality to me....
I think that's exactly it. His people stories are fairly weak. I think the series as a whole may be more appealing to people who are into military history more than anything else.
The best of the bunch, as mentioned before, is the collaborative piece, Berserker Base. The stories by Roger Zelazny and Larry Niven ("A Teardrop Falls") stand out, and there are also stories by Donaldson and Anderson. The two purely Saberhagen stories that I liked are "Wings of Shadow", and "Patron of the Arts". Both focus on the disfunction of their protagonists, and that seems to work better with his writing style. They're both in Berserker Wars, which is a collection of short stories.
Fred Saberhagen's Berserker Series
"Itself Surprised" was in the Berserker Base collection, IIRC, and was also reprinted in Zelazny's Frost and Fire short story collection.
I have pretty much everything published by him. 
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