Grimmer Than Hell

A collection of short stories.

• Introduction: Coming Home by the Long Way
• Rescue Mission (1988)
• When the Devil Drives (1988)
• Team Effort (1989)
• The End (1990)
• Smash and Grab (1990)
• Mission Accomplished (1991)
• Facing the Enemy (1992)
• Failure Mode (1993)
• The Tradesmen (2000)
• Coming Up Against It (2003)
• With the Sword He Must Be Slain (1998)
• Nation Without Walls (1977)
• The Predators (1979)
• Underground (1980)

THE FLEET

The Khalians are weasel shaped and weasel vicious; their main concern with humanity is the way humans taste. Behind the Khalians are others: stronger, smarter, and more vicious still.

Captain Miklos Kowacs and the men and women of Marine Reaction Company 121, the Headhunters, have faced the Khalians on the front lines: now they're taking the war to the enemy, freeing captured planets from their bestial conquerors and penetrating even the Khalian horneworld.

But the worst dangers to Kowacs and his Headhunters come from traitors who wear the same uniform!

BATTLESTATION

The only chance of defeating the Ichtons is to capture one one alive. No human battlefleet could hope to do that - but just maybe a lone scout like Sergeant Dresser could.

Anyway, he has to try. The Ichtons don't conquer their enemies: they destroy them utterly.

LACEY

In the not-too-distant future, government cameras watch every soul in North America. Only the most cunning and powerful imagine they can commit a crime and escape punishment, and they become the prey of hunters like Jed Lacey.

Lacey has neither hopes nor fears, and he has no mercy at all. There's never been anybody better at what he does.

WARRIORS ALL

There've always been men and women willing to stand between humanity and the worst the universe has to offer. The trouble is, they can't stay human and do their jobs - and they must do their jobs.

Fourteen stones of vivid conflict, including one never before published