Berserker Wars (edition 1981)

Berserker Wars is another volume of vignettes from Fred Saberhagen dealing with the continuing battle of mankind against the formidable robotic nightmares - the berserkers. In this volume, like in the first volume called "Berserker", Saberhagen presents a series of vignettes, apparently acquired by the telepathic Carmpan race directly from the minds of the primary actors in each set of scenes. This volume, was to me, a darker set of stories than either of the other Berserker volumes that I've read so far.

In fact, there was some overlap between this volume and the original Berserker volume. In this volume, we get the following stories: Stone Place, The Face of the Deep, What T and I Did, Mr. Jester, The Winged Helmet, Starsong, Some Events at the Templar Radiant, Wings Out of Shadow, The Smile, Metal Murderer, and Patron of the Arts. Stone Place, The Face of the Deep, What T and I Did, Mr. Jester and the Patron of the Arts were all included in the original Berserker volume.

The Metal Murderer had an interesting cameo with Sherlock Holmes. All in all, though, this volume was about the sacrifices that mankind made to ensure status quo against the berserkers. Those sacrifices were made nobly - knowingly and valiantly but they didn't win the war - and perhaps that fact is the most telling. That mankind's heroes will knowingly do everything within their power to resist even when that resistance does not guarantee victory. Then again, that appears to be Saberhagen's main thrust - that the berserkers can be beaten but it's a war of attrition and that it takes individual efforts in their individual ways to overcome the machines. ( )

http://www.webscription.net/chapters/0743498860/0743498860.htm?blurb

Berserker Wars has been reprinted as part of an omnibus from Baen, Berserker Death, as well as in previous versions, and you will in fact find all the contents online there, just not under Berserker Wars.

Originall the second collection of Berserker Stories put together, if you have read later books and the earlier ones, you may have come across them before.

Still, as usual, the Berserker stories are worth reading, and this volume includes 3 of the top handful of Berserker tales.

Berserker Wars : Stone Place - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : The Face of the Deep - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : What T and I Did - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : Mr. Jester - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : The Winged Helmet - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : Starsong - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : Some Events at the Templar Radiant - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : Wings Out of Shadow - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : The Smile - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : Metal Murderer - Fred Saberhagen
Berserker Wars : Patron of the Arts - Fred Saberhagen

High Command faction Berserker fleet action decision.

4 out of 5

Hypermass falling engagement rescue.

3.5 out of 5

Facing prison brain surgery.

3 out of 5

Levity defense exile return politics.

4 out of 5

Time Ops again has a protection from Berseker job to do, this time with a barbarian Chieftain.

3.5 out of 5

Even though human brains are really nifty, still won't help that old underworld lookback tragedy.

4.5 out of 5

Berserker recreation interrogation history.

3 out of 5

Dream and persona Berserker strategies.

3.5 out of 5

Berserker Tyrant artwork.

3 out of 5

Berserker past game.

3 out of 5

Berserker no critic, more of a collector.

3.5 out of 5

http://freesf.blogspot.com/2008/03/berserker-wars-fred-saberhagen.html ( )