The Hub and Beyond

James H. Schmitz was, at one point, one of the more popular authors to appear in the pages of Astounding/Analog. Coming in when folks like Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov were at their peak, he eventually (along with others such as H. Beam Piper) became one of John W. Campbell's primary authors.

The bulk of his work takes place in The Federation of the Hub, a portion of our galaxy made up of thousands of linked worlds. Schmitz had a couple of characters that appear in the majority of the stories: Telzey Amberdon and Trigger Argee. He also wrote a second series, the Vega tales as well as a number of independent works. The tales eventually made their way into book publication, but, sadly, went out of print even before Schmitz died. I knew of some of his works, but not (in those pre-internet days) in any organized fashion.

Several years ago, Baen Books author and editor Eric Flint started bringing back into print the works of various classic SF authors. Schmitz was one of them. Working with long-time Schmitz fan and scholar Guy Gordon (who has a great resource here), Flint brought out four volumes of tales set in the Federation of the Hub (Telzey Amberdon, T.N.T.: Telzey & Trigger, Trigger & Friends and The Hub: Dangerous Territory), one collection of the Vega tales, one collection of independents (Eternal Frontier) and even the novel The Witches of Karres (followed, eventually, by a sequel written in the spirit of Schmitz).

I've read several of the tales, as I said, but it has been scattered. This will be my first "organized" exploration of this universe. These tales are very much in the spirit of the young adult books of Robert A. Heinlein: interesting settings, interesting aliens, fun (and scary can be fun) adventures. Most importantly: intelligent, capable main characters. I would definitely recommend them for any science fiction fan not familar with them, and I would also recommend them as a way of introducing science fiction to young adults (teenagers). I know I'll leave them around when my daughter gets older!

Telzey Amberdon (co-edited by Eric Flint and Guy Gordon; Baen Books; ISBN 0-671-57851-0; cover by Bob Eggleton) (the entire book is available in the Baen Free Library).

Made up of: Novice; Undercurrents; Poltergeist; Goblin Night; Sleep No More; The Lion Game; Blood of Nalakia; The Star Hyacinths; Afterword (Eric Flint); and The Federation of the Hub: An Overview (Guy Gordon).

Counts as 7 entries in the 2007 Year in Shorts.

Counts as 3 entries in the 2008 Year in Shorts.

T.N.T.: Telzey & Trigger (edited by Eric Flint; Baen Books; IBSN 0-671-57879-0; cover by Bob Eggleton) (the entire book is available in the Baen Free Library).

Made up of: Company Planet; Resident Witch; Compulsion; Glory Day; Child of the Gods; Ti's Toys; The Symbiotes; Afterword (Eric Flint); and That Certain Something (Guy Gordon).

Trigger & Friends (edited by Eric Flint; Baen Books; ISBN 0-671-31966-3; cover by Bob Eggleton) (the entire book is available in the Baen Free Library)

Made up of: Harvest Time; Lion Loose; Aura of Immortality; Forget It; Legacy; Sour Note on Palayata; Afterword (Eric Flint); The Psychology Service: Immune System of the Hub (Guy Gordon); The Hub Series: Editor's Commentary, Part II (Eric Flint).

The Hub: Dangerous Territory (edited by Eric Flint; Baen Books; ISBN 0-671-31984-1; cover by Bob Eggleton) (the entire book is available in the Baen Free Library).

Made up of: The Searcher; Grandpa; Balanced Ecology; A Nice Day for Screaming; The Winds of Time; The Machmen; The Other Likeness; Attitudes; Trouble Tide; The Demon Breed; Afterword (Eric Flint); Recurring Characters in the Hub Series (Guy Gordon).

Agent of Vega (edited by Eric Flint and Guy Gordon; Baen Books; ISBN 0-671-31847-0; cover by Bob Eggleton) (the entire book is available in the Baen Free Library).

Made up of: That Was An Epiphany... (Mercedes Lackey); The Confederacy of Vega; Agent of Vega; The Illusionists; The Second Night of Summer; The Truth About Cushgar; The Custodians; Gone Fishing; The Beacon to Elsewhere; The End of the Line; Watch the Sky; Greenface; Rogue Psi.

Eternal Frontier (edited by Eric Flint; Baen Books; ISBN 0-7434-3559-1; cover by Bob Eggleton).

Made up of: Adventures in Time and Space (Eric Flint); The Big Terrarium; Summer Guests; Captives of the Thieve-Star; Caretaker; One Step Ahead; Left Hand, Right Hand; Homo Excelsior; The Ties of Earth; Spacemaster; The Alturist; Oneness; Dark Visions; We Don't Want Any Trouble; Just Curious; Would You?; These Are the Arts; Clean Slate; Time for Crime; Crime Buff; Ham Sandwich; Where the Time Went; An Incident on Route 12; Swift Completion; Faddist; The Eternal Frontiers; Afterword (Eric Flint); James H. Schmitz Chronography (Guy Gordon).

The Witches of Karres (edited by Eric Flint; Baen Books; ISBN 978-0-7434-8837-2; cover by Kurt Miller).

The Wizard of Karres (by Eric Flint, Mercedes Lackey and Dave Freer; Baen Books; ISBN 978-0-7434-8839-6; cover by Stephen Hickman).