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The Flying Sorcerers Kindle Edition

by David Gerrold (Author), Larry Niven (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 160 ratings
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This funny and insightful science fiction classic introduces Shoogar, the greatest wizard ever known in his village. His spells can strike terror in the hearts of even his most powerful enemies. But the enemy he faces now is like none he has ever seen before. The stranger has come from nowhere and is ignorant of even the most basic principles of magic. But the stranger has an incredibly powerful magic of his own. There is no room in Shoogar's world for an intruder whose powers match his own, let alone one whose powers might exceed his. So before the blue sun can cross the face of the red sun once more, Shoogar will show this stranger just who is boss.
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  1. Print length
    314 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    BenBella Books
  5. Publication date
    June 1, 2009
  6. File size
    1204 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Niven . . . lifts the reader far from the conventional world and does it with a dash." -- Los Angeles Times

"David Gerrold proves that he can do all the things that made us love Heinlein s storytelling and often better." -- Orson Scott Card, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author, Ender s Game and Speaker for the Dead

About the Author

David Gerrold is the author of the Hugo and Nebula award–nominated The Man Who Folded Himself and When HARLIE Was One, books that quickly established him in the hard science fiction genre during the 1970s. He also wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode of Star Trek, voted the most popular Star Trek episode of all time, and is the author of the popular Star Wolf, Dingillian, and Chtorr series. He lives in Northridge, CA. Larry Niven, author of The Integral Trees and Ringworld, has been the recipient of the Hugo, Nebula, Skylark, and Locus awards. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002IPG40A
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BenBella Books (June 1, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1204 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 314 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1937856313
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 160 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
160 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Madison Baird
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Humorous Sci Fi Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2019
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This story was never meant to be taken seriously. It's intended to be humorous, and the puns are very fitting because the biggest pun in the story is the name of Purple, the sorcerer, and the person whose name was made into a pun was himself a big fan of puns and word play. I've read this book many times, and enjoy it each time I reread it.
One person found this helpful
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PhilR540
4.0 out of 5 stars The Flying Sorcerers
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2012
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As the title indicates - expect many puns and sci-fi references in this book. Quite enjoyable as a bit of light reading to while away a bit of time.
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Hartvig Lein
5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten classic
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2014
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If you're a fan of Niven this is quite a departure from his normal fare. If you're a fan of the original Star Trek series however you might be interested in knowing that David Gerrold came up with the idea and wrote the script for The Trouble With Tribbles episode (and others as well). Together they have produced a really funny story about what happens when science and superstition collide.
3 people found this helpful
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judy
3.0 out of 5 stars Heavy on the sexism, and not REALLY all that funny.
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2015
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More like a 2 1/2 stars, but giving the benefit of the doubt and doing 3. The writing was fine. The story moved along. I just didn't find it all that amusing (the description calls it funny, as did some folks who reviewed it). And I am aware this book was published in 1971, but for a female reading it in 2015, the sexism is WAY over the top and offensive. I honestly don't think a modern-day publisher would put this on the market. As far as the story went, it was well written from the POV of an "alien" and so you had to think from his perspective all of the time--which was interesting, but really the over-arching story that was being told was just NOT that interesting. A lot of it was personalities clashing and mis-understandings between differing cultures. With of course some "wow your technology is so advanced that you must be magic!" tossed in. Not my cup of tea, but since the writing was done well, and the story had some brains to it, I am not giving it a lower rating. YMMV, but if you find overbearing sexism a problem, or someone just walking all over an alien culture because 'they are more advanced and they can' to be an issue, then this one is a good choice for the "skip it" pile.
3 people found this helpful
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Glen A. Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny and clever
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2014
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This book holds very fond memories for me. When I was in my teens I got turned on to a number of books in the science fiction and fantasy genre, including this one. Gerrold's story of Lant, Shoogar, and As-A-Shade-of-Purple-Gray is clever, tongue-in-cheek, and frankly, hilarious. He takes clear aim at a number of our own social practices, including the status of women in some cultures, belief systems, and societies, and causes us to ponder their overall worth while making us laugh at them, and by extension, at ourselves.
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George
4.0 out of 5 stars A David Gerrold AND Larry Niven work that I haven't read yet? Needed to fix That oversight.
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2020
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I'm a sucker for any variation on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. And this is an especially fun vacation on that theme. Recommend.
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Helen C. Chapman
5.0 out of 5 stars Never a big sci-fan but...
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2013
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I have become addicted to Gerrold's stories. When I was still in junior high, I read some Asimov. Since then, I compared every writer's work to the master. My next discovery was Heinlein. I enjoy his writing, but I admit, he makes the reader work quite a bit.

Flying Sorcerers flows from the page [or the screen, as the case may be]. The reader is not bogged down by scientific descriptions [I mean, why is it necessary to give the latitude and longitude coordinates, or the location of an asteroid in relation to Alpha Centauri? Yes, I've seen it done. Always seems like the writer is trying to bump up his word count]yet by the time you're done the book, you come away knowing everything necessary of the world of the Red and Blue Suns.

My grandson will be getting his own copy for his birthday.
4 people found this helpful
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Danny Hurles
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it..!
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2013
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I bought this book about 1975 at a used book store. I read it every 4 or 5 years, it's a truly fun read. Not too deep, with some laughs. It's a story told through the eyes of one of the inhabitants of a mostly water planet with two suns. And his dealings with the "alien" in the purple suit. I highly recommend it.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Mexico Fanatic
5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite science fiction novel
Reviewed in Canada on October 2, 2017
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This is my favourite science fiction book. It contains a lot of humour and sly jokes. It has a serious side as a result of mixing two cultures without thinking of the consequences.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A book I've loved for decades
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2014
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This is a wonderful book about a space traveller who makes an emergency landing on a non-tech planet. I've always tried to keep a copy in my collection, having first read it more than 30 years ago. I recommend it very highly.
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Eva
5.0 out of 5 stars The Flying Sorcerers
Reviewed in Germany on November 19, 2012
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Es ist eine kluge, einfallsreiche und amüsante Fantasy, vollgepackt mit fantastischen Einfällen, was der Autor klever eingebaut hat. Ein Buch, das ohne Gewalt auskommt und trotzdem spanend ist. Das Buch werde ich zum dritten Mal lesen. Ich möchte nicht viel verraten. Es mach ganz einfach Spass, dieses Buch zu lesen.
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Ian27
5.0 out of 5 stars David Niven as usual gives a great read, a book you cant put down even ...
Reviewed in Australia on December 6, 2014
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David Niven as usual gives a great read, a book you cant put down even on second read. ( actually, third read!)
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Bigo
4.0 out of 5 stars Immer wieder lesenswert
Reviewed in Germany on December 4, 2021
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Die Geschichte dreht sich um einen Wissenschaftler mit moderner Technik und einen Schamanen mit altem Zauberwissen. Eine Fantasygeschichte, die auch zum Nachdenken anregt, über unser Verhalten, über das Wahren des Gesichts, Status und gesellschaftlichen Druck, wenn man möchte; ansonsten ist es eine gut lesbare und teilweise amüsante Geschichte.
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