Name that book!

trout

OK ... I'm having trouble remembering a book I read, back in the 80's.

It was a collection of short stories. I can remember a little of one story; it had a central character called Anton, and the first paragraph was an allusion to people's lives as pieces of music ... basically, a successful high flyer might be a symphony ... but poor Anton was a flat note played on a busted trumpet.

There was another story, about some kind of ultimate handgun, which didn't make a noise when fired. The hero of that story ended up (somehow) in a forest/jungle wilderness, surrounded by wild animals. The animals didn't learn to fear the gun (it made no noise) so they kept trying to hunt him down. When he was eventually found by the people who invented the gun ... he was using it as a hammer, to create more crude but noisy weapons ... which in the circumstances were more effective.

I know it's a long shot - but does this ring any bells ?

I think the title of the collection had "awe" or "wonder" in it ... that's all I've got

chin_grin

Sounds really like something Philip K Dick would write, but can't be sure. Sorry man.

trout

Pretty sure that it's not Phillip K Dick ... I've a feeling the book was from the 60's.

I've just had another flashback of one of the short stories ... it was about soldiers who die on the field of battle, and are brought back to life, to fight again, and again, and again. The doctors in the story were called Brahmins ... think I'll do some googling.

trout

I remembered enough to google ... Robert Sheckley ... The gun without a bang.

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2000/20000925/Article_Sheckley_Horwich.shtml

Now I'm off to see if I can track it down

Trojan

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/9055 -- Bad Medicine by Robert Sheckley
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/20919 -- The Status Civilization by Robert Sheckley