Far Frontiers 5: Spring 1986

Far Frontiers

by Jerry Pournelle (Editor), Jim Baen (Editor), John Dalmas

The Paperback Magazine of Science Fiction and Speculative Fact, Vol V. Short stories about adventures in outer space and the world of the future accompanied by articles on the strategic defense initiative and space flight. A quarterly paperback anthology series, of 7 issues, published by Baen Books, edited by Jerry Pournelle and Jim Baen. and successor to Destinies, succeeded by New Destinies.
Contents:

A Lion to the Sea [Haven] / novella by John Dalmas
Space Transportation (Oct 1985) • essay by Charles Sheffield
Dancing with the Straw Man / shortstory by Gregory Benford
The High Reach / shortstory by Edward A. Byers
There is a Tide [Retief] / novella by Keith Laumer
Escape from Planet Earth • essay by G. Harry Stine
The Space Beat: Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop • essay by G. Harry Stine
Ranks of Bronze [Gaius Vibulenius] (excerpt) / shortfiction by David Drake
Aftermaths [Cordelia Vorkosigan] / shortstory by Lois McMaster Bujold
32 page catalog of Baen Books publications
Cover art by David Egge

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Genres: Anthologies

270 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1986

About the author

Dr Jerry Eugene Pournelle was an American science fiction writer, engineer, essayist, and journalist, who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte, and from 1998 until his death maintained his own website and blog.

From the beginning, Pournelle's work centered around strong military themes. Several books describe the fictional mercenary infantry force known as Falkenberg's Legion. There are strong parallels between these stories and the Childe Cycle mercenary stories by Gordon R. Dickson, as well as Heinlein's Starship Troopers, although Pournelle's work takes far fewer technological leaps than either of these.

Pournelle spent years working in the aerospace industry, including at Boeing, on projects including studying heat tolerance for astronauts and their spacesuits. This side of his career also found him working on projections related to military tactics and probabilities. One report in which he had a hand became a basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative, the missile defense system proposed by President Ronald Reagan. A study he edited in 1964 involved projecting Air Force missile technology needs for 1975.

Dr. Pournelle would always tell would-be writers seeking advice that the key to becoming an author was to write — a lot.

“And finish what you write,” he added in a 2003 interview. “Don’t join a writers’ club and sit around having coffee reading pieces of your manuscript to people. Write it. Finish it.”

Pournelle served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1973.