This is a collection of short stories by a variety of Baen authors, mostly in their own worlds, whether SF or Fantasy (generally dystopias). The common theme is Chandler's vision of the hard-boiled PI with a heart of gold. I bought this after noting how many of the books I enjoyed were fix-ups, and because it does allow you to sample the works, or worlds, of a variety of authors. These authors have kept very faithfully to their briefs - perhaps too faithfully for true surprise and suspense. My favourite is probably Larry Corriea's story, in Chandler's place and time of post-war Hollywood, but with elements from the Monster Hunter universe. The atmosphere isn't quite so dystopian, and his PI is not so much a damaged man as a man with a self-imposed quest, so the story is lighter than most of the others there, and it ends on a nice note.

Andrew McDowell wrote:

> This is a collection of short stories by a variety of Baen authors,
> mostly in their own worlds, whether SF or Fantasy (generally dystopias).
> The common theme is Chandler's vision of the hard-boiled PI with a heart
> of gold. I bought this after noting how many of the books I enjoyed were
> fix-ups, and because it does allow you to sample the works, or worlds,
> of a variety of authors. These authors have kept very faithfully to their
> briefs - perhaps too faithfully for true surprise and suspense. My
> favourite is probably Larry Corriea's story, in Chandler's place and time
> of post-war Hollywood, but with elements from the Monster Hunter
> universe. The atmosphere isn't quite so dystopian, and his PI is not so
> much a damaged man as a man with a self-imposed quest, so the story is
> lighter than most of the others there, and it ends on a nice note.

Notice: thread hijack in progress.

PR "Nr. 87 Die Schläfer der ISC" / "#97 The Sleepers" debuts a PI named
Richard Kennof. (You never know when a character will pop up again in a
subsequent story.)
Kennof's hired to discover the whereabouts of deepsleep candidate
Maurice Dunbee, last seen in Wyoming in the vicinity of Yellowstone
National Park, on the premises of Intertime Sleeping Corporation (ICS).
The government, the Department of Interior, reportedly regulates ICS to
ensure everything's on the up and up.
In order to get on the inside as a deepsleeper, Kennof needs to
convince ICS he wants to sleep for 300 years in order to escape
financial ruin and a slutty fiancée. Ackerman's Ace says it this way:

When he paid a last visit to the Department of Interior
he was already a marked man-except to a few in whom he
confided-who had nothing but creditors and a slut as a fiancée.

Meanwhile, the German Moewig pulp uses "verachtungswürdige Braut" or
"contemptible bride." LOL.

###

Anyhow Ted, this installment's yet another Voltz. So ... you know.
Allow me to return to the "though as tho" and "although as altho"
Ackerman argot. Upon further reflection, it now seems an editorial
oversight whenever either is /correctly/ spelled. Ackerman most likely
prefers "altho" and "tho."

###

Lynn, "#112 Planet Mechanica" will soon be finished by me. Only a half a
dozen Aces remain to be read.
Then it's time to bid a fond adieu to the Ackerman part of the Ace
portmanteau with a hardy "don't let the door hit you where the Good Lord
split you" reserved for its arrogant publisher.
English PR pulps persevere next under Master Publications.

Danke,

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In article <20220925c@crcomp.net>, Don <g@crcomp.net> wrote:
>Andrew McDowell wrote:
>
>> This is a collection of short stories by a variety of Baen authors,
>> mostly in their own worlds, whether SF or Fantasy (generally dystopias).
>> The common theme is Chandler's vision of the hard-boiled PI with a heart
>> of gold. I bought this after noting how many of the books I enjoyed were
>> fix-ups, and because it does allow you to sample the works, or worlds,
>> of a variety of authors. These authors have kept very faithfully to their
>> briefs - perhaps too faithfully for true surprise and suspense. My
>> favourite is probably Larry Corriea's story, in Chandler's place and time
>> of post-war Hollywood, but with elements from the Monster Hunter
>> universe. The atmosphere isn't quite so dystopian, and his PI is not so
>> much a damaged man as a man with a self-imposed quest, so the story is
>> lighter than most of the others there, and it ends on a nice note.
>
>Notice: thread hijack in progress.
>
>PR "Nr. 87 Die Schläfer der ISC" / "#97 The Sleepers" debuts a PI named
>Richard Kennof. (You never know when a character will pop up again in a
>subsequent story.)
> Kennof's hired to discover the whereabouts of deepsleep candidate
>Maurice Dunbee, last seen in Wyoming in the vicinity of Yellowstone
>National Park, on the premises of Intertime Sleeping Corporation (ICS).
>The government, the Department of Interior, reportedly regulates ICS to
>ensure everything's on the up and up.
> In order to get on the inside as a deepsleeper, Kennof needs to
>convince ICS he wants to sleep for 300 years in order to escape
>financial ruin and a slutty fiancée. Ackerman's Ace says it this way:
>
> When he paid a last visit to the Department of Interior
> he was already a marked man-except to a few in whom he
> confided-who had nothing but creditors and a slut as a fiancée.
>
>Meanwhile, the German Moewig pulp uses "verachtungswürdige Braut" or
>"contemptible bride." LOL.
>
>###
>
>Anyhow Ted, this installment's yet another Voltz. So ... you know.
> Allow me to return to the "though as tho" and "although as altho"
>Ackerman argot. Upon further reflection, it now seems an editorial
>oversight whenever either is /correctly/ spelled. Ackerman most likely
>prefers "altho" and "tho."
>
>###
>
>Lynn, "#112 Planet Mechanica" will soon be finished by me. Only a half a
>dozen Aces remain to be read.
> Then it's time to bid a fond adieu to the Ackerman part of the Ace
>portmanteau with a hardy "don't let the door hit you where the Good Lord
>split you" reserved for its arrogant publisher.
> English PR pulps persevere next under Master Publications.
>
>Danke,
>

I've always heard "screen door" in that context. May be a Southern thing.

After parting with Ace, Ackerman continued PR as a series of staple-bound
subscription pamphlets, which I should have boxed somewhere, until he
lost the rights and finished out the subscription terms with
issues of "Starman" by Stuart J. Byrne.

As for the Baen collection -- Chandler is surprisingly important as an SF
inspiration.
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