The Eschaton Sequence — (1996-1999) An omnibus edition is available. Publisher: Earth, 2031: Alien contact. Signals are received: a crude depiction of creatures pantomiming the cataclysmic destruction of the universe. Soon after, scientists note unusual radiation emanating from an abandoned Earth-orbital observatory. When a group of scientists and astronauts board the observatory to investigate, they are taken prisoner. An unsuspecting Earth has just become part of a vast interstellar war. For the human prisoners, this minor skirmish in a vast war becomes a fantastic adventure. The hunters become the hunted, the prey the predators, and nothing is as it seems. The only sure thing is that the winners will rule eternity at… The Other End of Time.

Stand-alone novels:

Search the Sky — (1954) With C M Kornbluth. Publisher: Earth Colonists’s voyage to settle the far planets beyond our universe. Spaceships have been unable to evoke responses from these planets, and in a novel that is as well-written as it is ingenious, one man starts out form Halsey’s Planet to find the answer. But is there an answer? By the co-authors of the SPACE MERCHANTS and WOLFBANE.

Gladiator-at-Law — (1955) With C M Kornbluth. Publisher: This satirical science fiction novel was first serialized in 1954 and published in book form in 1955. Whereas in the authors’ earlier novel “The Space Merchants” the world was ruled by advertising agencies, here corporate lawyers have gained a stranglehold on the world.

Preferred Risk — (1955) With Lester del Rey. Publisher: The Company was a powerful, efficient, and monstrous insurance organization that controlled the entire world, scientifically regulating everything in life: war, epidemics, one-a-day food pills and test-tube sex…all through the use of its patented, terrifying human deep-freeze vault. Claims Adjuster Wills, a great believer in the Company, begins to have second thoughts when he meets beautiful and sorrowful Rena, whose radical father lies in a frozen subterranean vault.

Presidential Year — (1956) With C M Kornbluth. Publisher: A novel of the floodlit arena of American politics, where the prize is the presidency — and only one man can win.

Slave Ship — (1956) Publisher: The novel was first serialized in Galaxy Magazine in 1956, and published in book form the following year. Pohl has a reputation of one of SF’s master satirists; this novel is about a world in the throes of a low-intensity global war, which appears to be an amplified representation of the Vietnam War (in which the U.S. was just becoming involved).

Wolfbane — (1957) With C M Kornbluth. Publisher: The earth has forcibly been taken from it’s orbit. It began with an extra-terrestrial pyramid on top of Mt. Everest. And then a “runaway planet” took the Earth as it’s binary. And now harsh generations have passed since the inhabitants last saw the light of their sun, Sol. Society has grown rigid. The meek lambs have inherited the earth, even it’s a very poor earth, indeed. It’s a hard world for all. But Glenn Tropile is no lamb and if his citizens finds out he’s a wolf, it will be the wolf that goes to slaughter.

Drunkard’s Walk — (1960) Publisher: He was a master teacher-respected, successful, his life well rewarded in past accomplishments and rich in the promise of achievements to come. And yet he was fighting a bitter battle with a savage, bewildering driveto self-destruction. But when he really began to probe the reasons for his “madness,” the battle with himself became a puny thing beside the power him new information could release. If he could live that long. This novel first appeared in a short version, copyright 1960 by Galaxy Publishing Corp.

A Plague of Pythons — (1964) Also published as Demon in the Skull. Publisher: The pythons had entered into Mankind. No man knew at what moment he might be Possessed! On Christmas the world’s freedom died. Every man, woman and child lay in the grip of fear, for no one knew at what moment his nearest friend or a casual stranger might suddenly be possessed by some brutal mind… and begin to murder and destroy. For Chandler it was worse than for most. He was both victim and executioner. He had suffered himself, and he had committed a violent crime while under the strange domination. Accusing of hoaxing he was driven from his home. He wandered the world and found it smashed like a spoiled child’s plaything ― now Chandler was in the very presence of the destroyers! But what could one person do against such power? — the power of gods!

The Age of the Pussyfoot — (1965) Publisher: MAN ALIVE. Charles Forrester was out of the deepfreeze. It had taken several centuries to bring him back to life. But what a life it was! The 26th Century offered pleasure at the flip of a button — everything from gourmet food to stupendous sex right there for the asking. And for a rich man like Forrester, the possibilities of delight were endless. Of course, everything else was endless too. But by the time Forrester realized that he had had enough of a good thing — even too much! — he realized that he would somehow have to kill himself if he were ever to survive! It was the Age of the Pussyfoot.

The Cool War — (1981) Publisher: Fred Pohl, multiple winner of science-fiction’s top awards, presents a breathtaking romp through the energy-poor world of the 2020s — a gripping chase-intrigue novel with a highly unlikely stand-in for James Bond. One day, the Reverend Hornswell Hake had nothing worse to contend with than the customary power shortages and his routine pastoral chores, such as counseling the vivacious Alys Brant – and her husbands and wife. At nearly forty, his life was placid, almost humdrum. The very next day, Horny Hake was first enlisted as an unwilling agent of the Team — secret successor to the long-discredited CIA — and then courted by an anti-Team underground group. Picaresque and fast-moving, THE COOL WAR is also a deeply ironic, often hilarious, yet thought-provoking look at where we could be, some forty years from now.

Syzygy — (1982) Publisher: The worst disasters are of the human kind.

Starburst — (1982) Publisher: THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST. The crew of the Constitution — scientists cum astronauts — had been carefully screened for extremely high intelligence and superb physical qualities. They were to be the first explorers sent to another stellar system. There they would explore the planet Alpha-Aleph and then return. They were the toast of the world press — true heroes, for they were to go where no man had gone before. Or so they thought. Dr. Dieter von Knefhausen knew otherwise–for there was no planet, no place to go… and no place from which to return. Knefhuasen had planned it that way. Of course, Knefhausen realized his plan wasn’t exactly ethical. But then, he knew the ends often justify the means. And Knefhausen’s plan worked better then even he had ever hoped!

The Years of the City — (1984) Publisher: In the New York City of the next century, twin domes over Manhattan control extremes of weather, illegal hang-gliding is common, and many old problems have been solved–but the rage of some Gothamites cannot be controlled.

Black Star Rising — (1985) Publisher: When a mysterious alien spacecraft approaches Earth and demands to speak with the President of the United States, the destroys a large Pacific island to demonstrate its strength and underscores its seriousness, you would expect the President to talk. Problem is in the late twenty-first century, there is no President — not even a United States. In fact, in this world of the future, China rules the Americas; and to most people, “USA” and “USSR” are just quaint abbreviations in historical dictionaries. Then the aliens prove unreasonable about accepting substitutes… and so one Anglo rice-cultivator from the Heavenly Grain Collection Farm — near Biloxi Mississippi-is forced to begin an adventure that will take him from peasant to President. from Pettyman to Spaceman.

The Coming of the Quantum Cats — (1986) Publisher: A breakthrough in quantum physics has shattered the boundaries between alternate worlds. History is in chaos as billions of possible futures collide. As a conquering army mounts an invasion of neighboring realities, a handful of men and women from a dozen different timelines risk their lives to safeguard an infinity of worlds. Blending thrilling suspense with brilliant scientific speculation, Frederik Pohl’s THE COMING OF THE QUANTUM CATS is a triumph of the imagination by a Hugo and Nebula winning master of science fiction.

Terror — (1986) Publisher: The military’s ultimate doomsday weapon has been discovered — by terrorists.

Chernobyl — (1987) Publisher: This novel starts April 25, 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station which supplies the eastern Ukraine with one quarter of its electrical energy. While the characters are fiction, actual Soviet persons are referred to in the book. Dedicated to the people who kept a terrible accident from becoming far more terrible.

Narabedla, Ltd. — (1988) Publisher: Years ago, Nolly Stennis had been a promising baritone. On the threshold of a great career with Narabedla Ltd., illness had ruined his voice. Then a cellist friend received an offer from Narabedla, only to disappear shortly thereafter. When Nolly set out to investigate, he found intergalatic intrigue beyond imagination. Now Narabedla is determined to keep him quiet — by making his greatest dreams come true . . .

The Day the Martians Came — (1988) Publisher: Henry Steegman is hardly “Mr. Personality” aboard the Mars-bound Algonquin 9. Yet it is he who bungles upon the spectacular Macy’s-like city beneath the Red Planet’s crust. For better or worse, the name Steegman will be immortalized by a discovery that will transform millions of lives. For a struggling screenwriter, the Martian beings could mean a big story, big bucks, headlines… and more women than any many his size has ever known… For an exhiled Russian rocket man, the are a possible route to America’s space program, and the land of opportunity… For a flying-saucer faker of flickering fame, the possibilities are out of this world. In a brilliant near-future look at the human condition, Frederick Pohl has honed his satire-sharp science fiction to a steely new edge.

Homegoing — (1989) Publisher: Sandy Washington was a pretty normal guy. The only unusual thing about him was that Sandy had been raised by aliens on their spaceship. The Hakh’hli had done everything they could to give Sandy an Earth-type boyhood. Now, finally, the Hakh’hli were bringing Sandy home to Earth. And while they were at it, they intended to give humanity some extraordinary gifts. The Hakh’hli seemed to have Sandy’s — and humanity’s — best interests at heart. But the people of Earth weren’t so sure . . .

Outnumbering the Dead — (1990) Publisher: In a future where medical science has all but eliminated death, vid star Rafiel is faced with his own demise and learns many poignant lessons about life as he struggles with this reality.

The World at the End of Time — (1990) Publisher: Wan-To was the oldest and must powerful intelligence in the universe, a being who played with star systems as a child plays with marbles. Matter occupied so tiny a part of his vast awareness that humans were utterly beneath his notice. The colonists of Newmanhome first suffered the effects of Wan-To’s games when their planet’s stars began to shift, the climate began to cool down, and the colony was forced into a desperate struggle to survive. Viktor Sorricaine was determined to discover what force had suddenly sent his world hurtling toward the ends of the universe. And the answer was something beyond the scope of his imagination — even if he lived for 4000 years…

Stopping at Slowyear — (1992) Publisher: Eager for a home of their own, the crew of Nordvik, an antiquated trading ship, decide to set up camp on Slowyear, a rarely visited planet whose population must live underground during bitter winters lasting five Earth-years.

Mining the Oort — (1992) Publisher: Mars was harsh and unforgiving, but for the colonists who called it home, its future was as bright as the comets that hung in the night sky, for locked in those icy bodies were the water and gases that would make Mars live again, mined from the vast Oort Cloud beyond Pluto. Young Dekker DeWoe yearned to become an Oort miner. But when he finally arrived on Earth to begin training, the mining project was abruptly canceled. Then he began to hear rumors of a plan to force the restoration of the mining — a plan that would result in the deaths of millions…

The Voices of Heaven — (1994) Publisher: Barry di Hoa had the good life on the Moon: steady work and the love of a good woman. But a rival slipped him a mickey, and he next awoke aboard Gerald Tscharka’s ship as it neared the colony planet, Pava, eighteen light-years away. Pava was the frontier, complete with earthquakes, primitive conditions and hard physical work. The local “doctor” wouldn’t treat Barry’s little manic-depressive problem without medicine from the Moon. And the Millernarist colonists, who thought suicide was cool fun, didn’t thrill him. Then he made friends with the leps. The large, caterpillar-like, odd-speaking gentle beasts were helping the humans to fashion a life on their planet. In their strange way, they knew things about Pava that might make the difference in the colony’s survival. He started to believe he could really enjoy life in this fragile paradise. Except Tscharka was up to something bad, something that would change everything. Barry knew only he could stop the mad captain, and the captain knew it, too. What neither knew was whether Barry could be manic enough to do it.

O Pioneer! — (1998) Publisher: The overcrowded Earth isn’t room enough for Evesham Giyt, a solitary and brilliant computer hacker who yearns for the long-gone frontiers of the past. Chasing stories of unspoiled beauty and endless possibility, he takes a leap across the stars to the rugged colony world of Tupelo and soon finds himself a respected member of the community and mayor of the colony’s human population. Humanity isn’t the first race to colonize Tupelo: as mayor, Giyt is part of a council of races trying to peacefully coexist despite wildly disparate cultures and traditions. But as Giyt learns to like his alien neighbors, he begins to realize that his fellow humans may have other plans for Tupelo, plans that don’t include peace but do include lots of dead aliens. It will be up to Giyt to crack the human conspiracy and carve out a future for all of Tupelo… before it gets him killed!

CLICK HERE FOR STORY COLLECTIONS BY FREDERIK POHL.

Undersea — (1954-1958) With Jack Williamson. An omnibus edition is available. Publisher: When Jim Eden’s uncle, the inventor of a valuable undersea device, disappears while testing a new undersea mining process, Eden heads for the undersea mining colony to investigate on his own.

Starchild — (1964-1969) With Jack Williamson. An omnibus edition is available. Publisher: Earth in the near future is governed by the Plan of Man — a complex set of laws enforced by a worldwide computerized security network, necessary for the survival of humankind. Or, so the authorities say. But one man knows better… The mysterious being, Starchild, threatens to extinguish the Earth’s sun and destroy its ruler, the Plan of Man.

The Saga of Cuckoo — (1975) With Jack Williamson. An omnibus edition is available. Publisher: Ben Pertin traveled the galaxy on life-and-death missions — but never left Earth!

Stand-alones:

Land’s End — (1988) Publisher:  When Comet Sicara brushed near enough to strip the ozone layer form the Earth’s atmosphere, civilization effectively ended–in fact, life on Earth was nearly extinguished. But the underwater cities survived, and some heavily protected land enclaves as well. When the “ozone summer” years were ending, submarine captain Ron Tregarth rediscovered his lost love, Graciela Navarro. but their triumph against all odds was only the beginning, for the alien known as the Eternal stood between them and threatened to destroy all they held dearest. The Eternal’s goal was to absorb the minds of every living thing, to create a death-in-life to enslave the planet.

The Singers of Time — (1991) Library Journal: A race of turtle-like creatures conquers Earth, imposing a gentler set of values on humankind, outlawing destructive technology, and denying the validity of human scientific theories. When their home planet disappears into a black hole, however, the aliens’ only hope for the future hinges on the possibility that humanity’s flawed sciences might contain a glimmer of truth. Two veteran sf authors combine their strengths to produce a novel that both explains and explores the ”mysteries” of modern science.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE TITLES BY FREDERIK POHL.

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