All You Can Books

Gun for Hire

Mack Reynolds

38 ratings
Gun for Hire | Mack Reynolds

Gun for Hire

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A gun is an interesting weapon; it can be hired, of course, and naturally doesn't care who hires it. Something much the same can be said of the gunman, too.
What is this, some religious crackpot hospital?"

Reston-Farrell said, "I am afraid, Mr. Salviati-Prantera, that these are the only garments available. I suggest you look out the window there."

Joe gave him a long, chill look and then stepped to the window. He couldn't figure the other. Unless he was a fruitcake. Maybe he was in some kind of pressure cooker and this was one of the fruitcakes.

He looked out, however, not on the lawns and walks of a sanitarium but upon a wide boulevard of what was obviously a populous city.

And for a moment again, Joe Prantera felt the depths of nausea.

This was not his world.

He stared for a long, long moment. The cars didn't even have wheels, he noted dully. He turned slowly and faced the older man.

Reston-Farrell said compassionately, "Try this, it's excellent cognac."

Joe Prantera stared at him, said finally, flatly, "What's it all about?"

The other put down the unaccepted glass. "We were afraid first realization would be a shock to you," he said. "My colleague is in the adjoining room. We will be glad to explain to you if you will join us there."

"I wanta get out of here," Joe said.

"Where would you go?"

The fear of police, of Al Rossi's vengeance, of the measures that might be taken by Big Louis on his failure, were now far away.

Reston-Farrell had approached the door by which he had entered and it reopened for him. He went through it without looking back.

There was nothing else to do. Joe dressed, then followed him.


In the adjoining room was a circular table that would have accommodated a dozen persons. Two were seated there now, papers, books and soiled coffee cups before them. There had evidently been a long wait.

Reston-Farrell, the one Joe had already met, was tall and drawn of face and with a chainsmoker's nervousness.

DOUGLAS J BERRY 03/20/2020
Sci fi -crime drama.

Mack Reynolds probably had a lot of fun writing the dialog on this one. A time travel tale revolving around assassination.
Neil 06/13/2012
This is one of my two favorite short stories from the time before all the nonsense we see now.

This is type of prose I haven't seen recently, its one or two sentences a paragraph yet the description is poignant, precise and delivers a sense of whats going on without be obtrusive; this kind of short
Lindsay 06/15/2011
I think sci-fi works best when it explores the human reaction to novel things, whereas this story seemed to look at a future humanity which was so altered in nature that it didn't ring true.

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