King David’s Spaceship was written by the, alas, late Jerry Pournelle; and if you have not read it, it is an excellent story that manages to incorporate espionage, medieval-era combat, and interstellar travel into a seamless mass that only looks easy when you’re not trying to duplicate the trick. Not his best-known work, but I think that I read this before I really got into anything else that Pournelle wrote. Go check it out; I wonder where my own copy is.
And so, adieu to Golden Age and Other Stories.
I want to say God damn it, but his was a full life, well lived. I only met him a couple of times, but he was an immensely knowledgeable and entertaining speaker.
Your choice of King David’s Spaceship is a good one, an excellent introduction to the future of The Mote in God’s Eye and The Gripping Hand. His writing and that of his friend, H. Beam Piper, had a profound influence on my interest in military history and my decision to write.
Thank you, Dr. Pournelle. The pleasure was mine.
I am just about in tears. So much joy in reading his creations. King David’s is a personal favorite. Think I must pull it out and read again. Not sure if it is a dozen times… but close!
If you really want to treat yourself sometime (and for not too many $, too) track down the original version, “A Spaceship For The King,” in the December 1971 and January 1972 issues of Analog. The 12/71 issue has an absolutely gorgeous Kelly Freas cover for the story, which ISTR is also available as a print from Freas’ estate.