This curated lot of four science fiction novels is a treasure trove for readers who appreciate the "hard" science and investigative mystery subgenres. Featuring work by SFWA Grand Master Poul Anderson and archaeological sci-fi specialist Jack McDevitt, this collection spans the late 1990s through the early 2000s. These stories prioritize technical realism and grand-scale world-building, from the relativistic time-dilation challenges in "Starfarers" to the far-future cold case mystery presented in "Polaris."
Vintage Lot of 4 Sci-Fi, Fantasy Books. Lot Includes:
1. Starfarers, Poul Anderson. 1999. 495 pages. Authored by SFWA Grand Master Poul Anderson, this novel is a quintessential example of "hard" science fiction, exploring the consequences of relativity and time dilation on the crew of a starship on a multi-generational voyage.
2. Enemies, Lee Hogan. 2003. 406 pages. This is a military science fiction novel and the sequel to author Lee Hogan's debut, Belarus.
3. The Man-Kzin, Larry Niven with Poul Anderson and Dean Ing. 1993. 289 pages. It is noted on the inside that the book was discarded by the library. This is not a single novel, but a shared-world anthology, the fourth in a long-running series set in Larry Niven's "Known Space" universe. The stories, written here by Niven, Anderson, and Ing, chronicle the brutal conflicts between humanity and the aggressive, cat-like aliens known as the Kzinti.
4. Polaris. Jack McDevitt. 2004. 385 pages. This is the second novel in Jack McDevitt's celebrated "Alex Benedict" series. The series is often described as far-future archaeological mystery, following an antiquities dealer who uncovers long-lost secrets about humanity's past in space.
As former library editions, these books carry the authentic marks of their journey through the hands of many readers. They feature the classic stamps, stickers, and reinforced spines typical of library circulation, which only adds to their nostalgic, "found" aesthetic. While they show the expected shelf wear and patina of well-loved volumes, they remain sturdy reading copies that display beautifully together. This set is a perfect fit for a Dark Academia-inspired shelf or for a collector who values the "marks of provenance" found in decommissioned library archives. It is a fantastic way to acquire a substantial block of high-concept fiction in one go.
This lot is vintage, over 20 years old.
