The Sam Gunn Omnibus

By Ben Bova

Book Overview

THE IRREPRESSIBLE SAM GUNN A hero without peer or scruples, Sam Gunn has a nose for trouble, money, and women--though not necessarily in that order. A man with the ego (and stature) of a Napoleon, the business acumen of a P. T. Barnum, and the raging hormones of a teenage boy, Sam is the finest astronaut NASA ever trained and dumped. But more than money, more than women, Sam Gunn loves justice. (And he really "does" love money and women.) Whether he's suing the Pope, helping twin sisters entangled in the "virtual sex" trade, or on trial for his life on charges of interplanetary genocide, you can be sure of one thing: this is one space jockey who'll meet every challenge with a smile on his lips, an ace up his sleeve and a weapon in his pocket. Now, for the first time between covers, Hugo-winner Ben Bova presents all the tales of Sam Gunn to date, including three never before collected in book form. Here is the entire chronicle of Sam Gunn, trailblazer and scoundrel, as he scams his way from one end of the Solar System to the other, giving bold new meaning to the term "venture capitalist.""

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076531617X
• ISBN13: 9780765316172
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 704 Pages
• Weight: 1.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.7" x 1.9" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

JDHAYS

THIS IS TYPICAL Ben Bova with real life people in every quandry you can imagine but in a SciFi setting. I was unable to put it down and it lifted my dire mood about the economy!

Sam Gunn, Unforgettable

The Sam Gunn Omnibus (2007) is an omnibus edition of ALL the Sam Gunn stories. It includes stories from Sam Gunn, Unlimited and Sam Gunn Forever. It also contains a very interesting -- and rather old fashioned -- framing story tying the others together. The following short stories concern Sam Gunn himself. Many were previously published and then incorporated into the Sam Gunn collections: "The Supervisor's Tale" (F & SF, 1983) tells of a stranded group of NASA astronauts on the Moon who have to wait for a rescue mission. The physicians suggest using tranquilizers, but Sam finds an alternative. "The Long Fall" relates the story of a sadistic space station commander and a video company technician. When Gloria Lamour iss rumored to be coming to Freedom station, everybody aboard gets excited. "Diamond Sam" (F & SF, 1984) uncovers the relationship between Sam and the Russian space station crew. Once Sam gets his foot in the door -- or airlock -- the Russians are beguiled by his words. "Tourist Sam" (Analog, 1998) depicts an early enterprise created by Sam to encourage rich tourists to experience space. Suspicious of his requested leave of absence, Sam's boss turns loose his niece -- a DEA agent -- to check out his operation. "Isolation Area" (F & SF, 1988) recounts the time that Sam is kept in quarantine within the Mac Dac Shack with a patient undergoing an experimental treatment for AIDS. Sam definitely impresses Malone with his total lack of fear of the disease and his efforts to seduce the nurses. "Vacuum Cleaner" (F & SF, 1989) shows the development of Vacuum Cleaners Inc. by Sam Gunn. Sam hires two graduate students who have come up with a different way of removing orbital debris. "Nursery Sam" (Analog, 1995) involves Sam with a US Senator, a teenaged boy and a sixteen month old child who loves microgravity. Sam is trying to steal a space sickness medication, but ends up a hero instead. "Sam's War" (Analog, 1994) exposes the beginning of Sam's partnership with Ecuador. It all starts with the Presidential daughter who goes to work for Sam as a spy and saboteur. "Grandfather Sam" extols Sam's role in the construction of a free and unstructured playground within the New Chicago habitat. A large construction company wants to build a giant condominium on the lot, so Sam gains the permit by winning a game of sandlot baseball on the disputed field. "Two Years Before the Mast" discloses the events of the voyage of Sam and his partners to the asteroid belt. After the first month of a two year voyage, the partners are ready to kill each other as well as Sam. Then the sabotage becomes evident. "A Can of Worms" conveys the conflicts between the Peruvian sculptress Elverda Apacheta and a Moralist Sect building a space habitat. The sect tries some underhanded manipulations with the International Astronautical Authority to evict Elverda from her asteroid to use it for building material. "Einstein" (Omni, 19

The Definitive Sam Gunn Anthology

Described by author Ben Bova as "a combination of Huckleberry Finn and Long John Silver with a bit of Chuck Yeager thrown in," Sam Gunn is one of the most important literary heroes of the Space Age. For the first time ever, all of the Sam Gunn stories, about 50 in total, are together between the covers of one book, The Sam Gunn Omnibus. The tales of the legendary Sam Gunn are told by a journalist named Jane. As reporter Jane learns more about Gunn, she keeps her readers informed about his exploits ranging from suing the Pope to building a giant statue of himself to be placed on the Moon. Truly, Sam Gunn was a legend of his futuristic time. Sam Gunn is a capatalistic hero who comes across as a sort of private free enterprise version of James Bond except that Gunn basically worked for himself. Gunn goes from failed NASA astronaut to becoming a futuristic space jockey who becomes the most controversial figure of his time. Sam Gunn is author Ben Bova's greatest creation. If you have never tried one of Bova's books before, then The Sam Gunn Omnibus is a great work to try.

excellent anthology

If you have to ask who Sam Gunn is, then you probably need to pass on the exploits of this space faring hero (antihero to bureaucrats and business moguls) who vanished like an Alice down a black hole during one of his Grand Tours. His omnibus brings together all the Gunn tales that showcase a courageous, dedicated NASA drop-out who is always making a buck or a woman that is when he was not taking a time out defending the underdog. Fans of the Gunn galaxy will appreciate this compilation of the exciting exploits and escapades of a space cowboy; however reading them together in one massive tome (50 stories varying in size and 704 pages) is a revelation to the brilliance of Ben Bova as the link to the Grand tour novels (see TITAN and SATURN) suddenly seems obvious. Readers who enjoy a Napoleonic Hans Solo like protagonist (antagonist to the power abusers) will want to travel the galaxy with this man from NASA (not) and spend time with his Selene City moon-based anchor Jane "call me Jade" Avril Inconnu. Harriet Klausner