At 20:11 1999/06/14 -0700, you wrote:
>Chuck Kuecker writes:
> > Has anyone read 'The Weapon Shops of Isher" by A E Van Vogt? Smart guns
> > with integral defensive shields...immortals..great old sci-fi story.
>
>Isn't it "Ishtar"?
Nope. Isher. There were a series of stories set in that universe. I seem to
remember that the _shops_ had integral shields, and were of the
now-you-see-it-now-you-don't variety. That was the part that appealed to me
the most: like the Lone Ranger, from time to time in an oppressed culture,
a Shop would *insert* itself in a corridor or alley between existing shops,
do some business, then *disappear* leaving no trace. Way cooler than the
old "empty office" bit. :)
And there seemed to be some way the door could tell if you were "the right
stuff", so no cooling off period or formal background check (_Pace_ JD).
MMB