In a sector of the Galaxy occupied by Earth-descended people, one Berserker computer has suddenly and mysteriously developed a tactical strategy unlike anything the human opposition has seen before. Shiva, like the Hindu god of destruction after which it was named, annihilates entire colonies with the help of its fiendish subordinates.
Commander Claire Normandy struggles to prepare for Shiva's attacks, while Pilot Harry Silver realizes that he must deal with his own demons in order to help her. When a decision is made to destroy the destroyer, neither side is prepared for the incredible risks that emerge as the attack becomes imminent. Can either side face the possibility that something wholly unexpected and eerily familiar lies gnarled within the steel?
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“The berserkers, in their single-minded pursuit of their preprogrammed course of destruction, attain a kind of perverse stature that makes them worthy stand-ins for the dark side of human nature.”
— New York Times
“The berserker stories are war stories but war stories in the tradition of The Red Badge of Courage or All Quiet on the Western Front.”
— Baltimore Evening Sun“In this Berserker book, Saberhagen returns to all of the things that have made his series such a mainstay in science fiction.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review“This fast-paced sf military adventure belongs in most sf collections.”
— Library Journal“The fast action, the plethora of well-conceived hardware, and deft bits of characterization all go to show that, in the hands of an old pro, even the most shopworn ideas make for fine reading.”
— Booklist" I did not like this. I used to love the Berserker series. Was this a fluke? Or did I read the series long ago and my tastes have changed? I did not like the characters and was one or more steps ahead of them in the story. "
— Vinny, 10/4/2012" I did not like this. I used to love the Berserker series. Was this a fluke? Or did I read the series long ago and my tastes have changed? I did not like the characters and was one or more steps ahead of them in the story. "
— Vinny, 5/9/2011Fred Thomas Saberhagen (1930–2007), a native of Chicago, served with the US Air Force then worked as an electronics technician and as a science writer and editor for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. He began writing science fiction for Galaxy in 1961. His first novel, The Golden People, was published in 1964. He is most renowned for the Berserker series of stories and novels.
Edward Lewis (a.k.a. David Hilder) is a stage, film, and television actor. He has narrated unabridged audiobooks for over eighteen years and has recorded more than two hundred titles, spanning works of fiction and nonfiction.