Overruled!

ORDER IN THE COURT! A new anthology of science fiction stories that explores what the future of jurisprudence might well be like, with thrilling, hilarious, and downright entertaining results! So much fun, it oughta be illegal! Stories by Robert A. Heinlein, Larry Correia, Clifford D. Simak, Sarah A. Hoyt, and more.

LAWYERS, RAY GUNS, AND MONEY

Whatever the future may hold, one thing is certain: whenever two people get together, the possibility for disagreement will always be present. And when there are conflicts that need settling, lawyers won’t be far behind. From ambulance chasers out to line their own pockets with the client’s money to champions of Justice and Law with a capital J and L, attorneys of all stripes will no doubt follow us to the stars and beyond. Here then, a collection of science fiction tales of men and women who try to balance the scales of justice on a cosmic scale.

An artist tries to disprove the old adage of a man who acts as his own attorney having a fool for a client when he finds himself accused of the heinous crime . . . of drawing portraits on an alien world in Tom Kidd’s “The Sketcher.” An attorney has the unenviable job of defending a computer program accused of murder in Tony Daniel’s “Checksum, Checkmate.” And in Larry Correia’s “Lawyer Fight,” the battle for justice becomes literal when Monster Hunter International is called in to clean up a law office overrun by zombies.

Plus, classics by Robert A. Heinlein, Larry Niven, Clifford D. Simak, Robert Silverberg, and more, and newer stories by Sarah A. Hoyt, Alex Shvartsman, and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, and still other stellar talents bringing down the judge’s gavel with a verdict of excellent entertainment.

Praise for the contributors:

Robert A. Heinlein: “[Stories] as sleekly engineered as a starship.” –Publishers Weekly

Larry Niven: “[A] writer of supreme talent . . .” –Tom Clancy

Clifford D. Simak: “[W]armth, imaginative detail . . . finely rendered . . .” –John Cllute, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

Robert Silverberg: “. . . when Silverberg is at the top of his form, no one is better.” –George R. R. Martin

Sarah A. Hoyt: “. . . fanciful and charming.” –Library Journal

Praise for previous anthologies edited by Hank Davis:

In Space No One Can Hear You Scream:

“. . . the 13 tales in this collection blend sf with horror to demonstrate the resiliency of both genres . . . offers strong tales by the genre’s best storytellers.” —Library Journal

“. . . first-rate science fiction, demonstrating how short stories can still entertain.” —Galveston County Daily News

A Cosmic Christmas 2 You:

“This creative and sprightly Christmas science fiction anthology spins in some surprising directions. . . . A satisfying read for cold winter evenings . . . a great stocking stuffer for SF fans.” —Publishers Weekly

As Time Goes By:

“As Time Goes By . . . does an excellent job of exploring not only romance through time travel—relationships enabled or imperiled by voyaging through time—but the intrinsic romance of time travel itself. . . . The range of styles and approaches is as wide as the authors' sensibilities and periods might suggest . . . full of entertaining and poignant stories . . .” —Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, IntergalacticMedicineShow.com

About Star Destroyers, coedited by Christopher Ruocchio:

“. . . spectacular space battles and alien contacts . . .  themes of military ethics, the uses of artificial intelligence, and the limits of the capacity of the human mind. . . . It is the human interactions and decisions that ultimately drive the stories. . . . Will appeal to fans of military and hard science fiction and any readers fascinated by the possibilities of space travel.”—Booklist

“. . . stories of giant spaceships at war, at peace, and in the often-gray areas between. . . . A worthy addition to a long tradition of ship-based fiction, and its authors portray captains, arcane astrogators, and civilian child passengers with equal depth. It’s recommended for fans of military SF and space adventure.”—Publishers Weekly 

“. . . you’d probably expect some tight, action-filled space opera stories of giant space battles . . . and there’s some of that. But there are also espionage stories, rescue missions, political conflicts, alternate histories, even a few humorous tales. . . . Each author took the premise in a different direction . . . if I had to identify one common feature to all the stories, it would be that they’re all fun. . . . Like it says, big ships blowing things up. What’s not to like?”—Analog

Hank Davis is Senior Editor at Baen Books. He served in the Army in Vietnam and has had stories in Analog Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and anthologies If and Orbit.

Christopher Ruocchio is the author of The Sun Eater, a space opera fantasy series, as well as a former assistant editor at Baen Books, where he has edited several anthologies. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where he studied English Rhetoric and the Classics. Christopher has been writing since he was eight and sold his first novel, Empire of Silence, at twenty-two. To date, his books have been published in five languages.

Christopher lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, Jenna.