One Berserker computer has suddenly developed a tactical strategy unlike anything the human opposition has ever seen. Shiva, like the Hindu god of destruction after which it was named, annihilates entire colonies with the help of its fiendish subordinates. It's up to Commander Claire Normandy to prepare for Shiva's attacks, with the help of Pilot Harry Silver. When the Berserkers approach, a decision is made to destroy the destroyer, whatever the cost. But will Normandy and Silver be ready to discover that something wholly unexpected yet eerily familiar lies gnarled within the steel?
Shiva In Steel (Saberhagen's Berserker Series)
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This is another installment in Fred Saberhagen's ongoing saga of war between humanity and the almost-sentient death machines known as Berserkers. For long years the war has been at a stalemate, with humanity managing to fend off the bulk of Berserker attacks and even strike back from time to time. But on a remote planet called Hyperborea, things are about to change. The Berserkers have developed a new tactical computer that has proven unbeatable, and it could spell the death of all living things in the galaxy. A last-ditch effort to destroy the machine, code-named Shiva, has failed, and now the only thing that stands between Shiva and certain victory is a handful of humans that circumstance has thrown together on Hyperborea. In this Berserker book, Saberhagen returns to all of the things that have made his series such a mainstay in science fiction. His heartless enemy machines are as treacherous as ever, and the fragile humans who most stop them may not be perfect, but they are resourceful. --Craig E. Engler
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Super saber-rattler Saberhagen strikes again, with the eighth installment of his popular Berserker series (Berserker Fury, etc.). Solarian humanity is fighting galaxywide for survival against ultimate-weapon machines able to redesign themselves and bent on exterminating all forms of life. With Shiva, a newly developed artificially intelligenced Berserker, heading her way, Commander Claire Normandy musters her slim force of converted courier ships piloted by a motley assortment of pickup crews in order to defend her top-secret code-breaking installation on the planetoid Hyperborea. While Normandy fights off the invading swarm of Berserkers, space-weary combat pilot-turned-smuggler Harry Silver and his lost-found-lost-again love Becky Sharp lead Saberhagen's crisply drawn characters through complicated maneuvers involving an autodog Sniffer, military monomaniac Major Marut, self-anointed Galactic Emperor Julius and an escaped homicidal lunatic. Saberhagen's taut tough-guy dialogue counterpoints the satisfying punch of man-vs.-machine combat, and his settings?especially aboard ship and in the lofty tech areas of Hyperborea?are convincing. When the moondust and starship debris settle, Commander Normandy's good guys have won some breathing room, but odds are Shiva's out there lurking for episode #9?and so is the durable Harry Silver.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Five thousand light-years from old Earth, on an airless planetoid code-named Hyperborea, inside the small Space Force base that was really a sealed fortress, unexpected visitors were rare, and even more rarely were they welcome. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Five thousand light-years from old Earth, on an airless planetoid code-named Hyperborea, inside the small Space Force base that was really a sealed fortress, unexpected visitors were rare, and even more rarely were they welcome. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Jeff Askew
Format:Hardcover
First, let me say that in general I like the way Fred Saberhagen writes, and his stories and plots are exceptional. I got hooked on the berserker series after reading "Berserker Base", and went to my local half price bookstore and bought every book in the series I could find. This book, Shiva in Steel, has proved to be the worst. The hype over the big bad Shiva is never resolved! Did it die? Is it hiding in our hero's ship as he makes his get away? We never know. Mr. Saberhagen repeats himself a lot, and his prose isn't very smooth in this novel for some odd reason. He's done fine in the past, but this one was sloppy. New editor? No editor? The plot wasn't bad, but the execution was poor. This should have been a draft rather than the final product. If this is your first Berserker book, don't give up on the series. This was the worst of the bunch; the others are pretty good.
Format:Hardcover
______________________________________________
I made it through Saberhagen's new Berserker novel, but just barely
-- the opening moves like rush-hour traffic in L.A.: S - L - O - W.
Once it gets moving [around p. 160(!)] it's not too bad. Inside the
padding is a pretty decent novellette struggling to get out. Maybe. The
characters are so flat, cardboard looks well-rounded. Plot-threads
dangle, and logical holes gape. Saberhagen clearly lost interest at the
first draft, and his editor didn't send it back for a badly-needed rewrite
(bad Tor!). Is he in poor health?
I made it through Saberhagen's new Berserker novel, but just barely
-- the opening moves like rush-hour traffic in L.A.: S - L - O - W.
Once it gets moving [around p. 160(!)] it's not too bad. Inside the
padding is a pretty decent novellette struggling to get out. Maybe. The
characters are so flat, cardboard looks well-rounded. Plot-threads
dangle, and logical holes gape. Saberhagen clearly lost interest at the
first draft, and his editor didn't send it back for a badly-needed rewrite
(bad Tor!). Is he in poor health?
Shiva in Steel somehow got a good review in Locus, which is why I
bought it (besides having liked previous Berserker stories). So I
suppose YMMV, but I doubt it. Trust me -- you don't want to read
this one. Reread an old Berserker book instead. It's bad enough, I feel
guilty recycling it to the used bookstore.
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I'd swear I read this beserker story before. First, I thought this was a poor expansion of a previous short story. I've loved a lot of Saberhagen's work including a lot of the Beserker stuff. I'd suggest he put away this milieu until gets some real new inspiration.
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1.8 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
weak...
This is really quite weak compared to Saberhagen's earlier writings. Not terribly engrossing. if you're new to the Berserker series, start with a much earlier book. Read more
Published on Feb 19 2000 by Omar Siddique
2.0 out of 5 stars
I'm fond of Saberhagen, but what a mess!
The editor needs a good talking to. While this book has a number of suspenseful moments, and I don't feel completely cheated, I think Fred needed to do another draft of his... Read more
Published on Nov 30 1999 by Peter Basch
1.0 out of 5 stars
the horror, the horror...
When Saberhagen is not repeating himself in every other paragraph, heis contradicting himself. The reader is left scratching his head as characters will often describe something... Read more
Published on Nov 29 1999 by mitch van der leest
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Solid, Fascinating Addition to the Berkserker Canon
Well, hey, I've been reading Berserker stories for over 20 years, and I truely enjoyed this one. The premise: a Berserker machine has been showing tactical genius, Shiva. Read more
Published on Oct 27 1999 by Kevin M. Christensen
2.0 out of 5 stars
What is going on?
Not only is it hard to follow, but I truly have no idea if they got Shiva or not! I happen to be a great fan and have all the books and stories, but I have to say, Mr. Read more
Published on Mar 24 1999 by Michael Valdivielso
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boring, nothing new.
Re-hash of old plots and scenarios. Not much excitement
Published on Dec 13 1998
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wish the Berserker's had one this one.
I've been a fan of the Berserker books for more than 20 years: To the point that I've been known to rebuy a Berserker novel at the airport because there's nothing new I'd rather... Read more
Published on Nov 18 1998
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