What do you think?
Rate this book
Hour of the Gremlins
Filled with adventure, humor, and excitement, a thrilling trio of stories, by two science fiction masters, features Gremlins, Go Home, in which Baneen devises a plan so that he and his fellow gremlins can leave Earth and return to Gremla. Original.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
65 people want to read
About the author
Gordon R. Dickson
587 books376 followersGordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 26, 2011
The book includes three sci-fi novels: Gremlins Go Home, Hour of the Horde, Wolfling. Unrelated and different.
Gremlins Go Home: * (1 star)
It is not a humorous or magical science fiction, and not even epic fantasy, but an early teens centered book. Not a genial and intellectual teen in a streamline fascinating plot, but self-centered complaining overgrown baby with "Whatever", "Show them off" and "How important I am" rudimentary type of speech and his demands for a new, better bicycle, right here, right now, as a topic worth your time and attention. No, thanks. Thankfully, it wasn't printed IN CAPITALS to make it even more important.
His secondary concern is about the animals he befriended in the nearby preserve, what serves as the place for his escape from everyday life and his kingdom. The last concern, if any, is about his family, who dare ho have own life and interests, and about what is right and is wrong - when it serves his interests at the moment.
Gremlins look and behave as leprechauns, different ethnicities of them, with the same difficult and troubled personalities, centered on creating even more troubles for the people around them in the most unnecessary complicated way, unpleasant, obnoxiously wordy trust trickerers.
If you miss this kind of personalities in your life, then it maybe worth of reading. Otherwise - not.
Apart from the main topic and characters, the book is well written and complicated. The dog and another, female teen are less primitive and egotistical.
Hour of the Horde: * (1 star)
Military fiction. The rising leader is most of all concerned about own interests, not getting along and pecking order. Another insulting, disagreeable egotist without moral "potty training" that most of us get to the age 3 to 5. Doesn't like to get orders but likes to give them.
I would like to see him in a any army, or in any employment - doing what you are told for a living, or just standing in line, or offering his seat to a weaker.
The "bad" good aliens, who gave him new body, invincibility and god-like abilities, babysit him preventing from harm in interactions with others stronger than him. Providing help and means to protect the galaxy. Contradictory and unconvincingly developed as characters.
The life-wiping Horde (weasels in the multitude of family spaceships, not barbarians on horsebacks) plays a marginal role of an expected mortal danger, then goes away in front of moral and psychic superiority of the opponents, backed by the good aliens technology.
Unless you are interested in petty matters, the book is not interesting or worth to plow through, unless you skim here and there sixty pages. The story telling is weaker than in Gremlins Go Home, even with much better potential of the story line. As with any good intentions, the result is what matters.
Wolfling: **** (4 stars)
Quite good classic science fiction, A. Dumas-type at the Galactic court. Original way of the space travel and personal transportation. Genetically superior and technologically unmatchable aristocracy vs leave-us-alone earthmen. Billions of dollars government operation relays on a single man, anthropologist, that went rogue. Have you ever heard of that?
Storyline has amazing possibilities, execution could be better. Leaves aftertaste of inconsideration, betrayal and cruelty that prevents from wanting to read this book again. The one who values own freedom enjoys serfdom of another man - definite down turner.
Gremlins Go Home: * (1 star)
It is not a humorous or magical science fiction, and not even epic fantasy, but an early teens centered book. Not a genial and intellectual teen in a streamline fascinating plot, but self-centered complaining overgrown baby with "Whatever", "Show them off" and "How important I am" rudimentary type of speech and his demands for a new, better bicycle, right here, right now, as a topic worth your time and attention. No, thanks. Thankfully, it wasn't printed IN CAPITALS to make it even more important.
His secondary concern is about the animals he befriended in the nearby preserve, what serves as the place for his escape from everyday life and his kingdom. The last concern, if any, is about his family, who dare ho have own life and interests, and about what is right and is wrong - when it serves his interests at the moment.
Gremlins look and behave as leprechauns, different ethnicities of them, with the same difficult and troubled personalities, centered on creating even more troubles for the people around them in the most unnecessary complicated way, unpleasant, obnoxiously wordy trust trickerers.
If you miss this kind of personalities in your life, then it maybe worth of reading. Otherwise - not.
Apart from the main topic and characters, the book is well written and complicated. The dog and another, female teen are less primitive and egotistical.
Hour of the Horde: * (1 star)
Military fiction. The rising leader is most of all concerned about own interests, not getting along and pecking order. Another insulting, disagreeable egotist without moral "potty training" that most of us get to the age 3 to 5. Doesn't like to get orders but likes to give them.
I would like to see him in a any army, or in any employment - doing what you are told for a living, or just standing in line, or offering his seat to a weaker.
The "bad" good aliens, who gave him new body, invincibility and god-like abilities, babysit him preventing from harm in interactions with others stronger than him. Providing help and means to protect the galaxy. Contradictory and unconvincingly developed as characters.
The life-wiping Horde (weasels in the multitude of family spaceships, not barbarians on horsebacks) plays a marginal role of an expected mortal danger, then goes away in front of moral and psychic superiority of the opponents, backed by the good aliens technology.
Unless you are interested in petty matters, the book is not interesting or worth to plow through, unless you skim here and there sixty pages. The story telling is weaker than in Gremlins Go Home, even with much better potential of the story line. As with any good intentions, the result is what matters.
Wolfling: **** (4 stars)
Quite good classic science fiction, A. Dumas-type at the Galactic court. Original way of the space travel and personal transportation. Genetically superior and technologically unmatchable aristocracy vs leave-us-alone earthmen. Billions of dollars government operation relays on a single man, anthropologist, that went rogue. Have you ever heard of that?
Storyline has amazing possibilities, execution could be better. Leaves aftertaste of inconsideration, betrayal and cruelty that prevents from wanting to read this book again. The one who values own freedom enjoys serfdom of another man - definite down turner.
Displaying 1 of 1 review