Isher (was Re: High-tech weaponry)

Michael M. Butler (butler@comp-lib.org)
Mon, 14 Jun 1999 21:12:00 -0700

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