The Rim Worlds series - author   short story   novel   novella   science fiction  
Alternative title: John Grimes Rim Worlds
Issue Details: First known date: 1950... 1950 The Rim Worlds
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Chronicled by A. Bertram Chandler, in a series of stories written between 1959 and 1984, the Rim Worlds are situated on the far bleak and cold edge of the galaxy - the last frontier of space. The stories are told from the perspective of several characters, the most significant being John Grimes, who begins his journey as a newly graduated Ensign from the Federation Survey Service Academy and eventually rises to the rank of Commodore in the Rim Worlds Naval Reserve. John Grimes was a relatively minor player on the Rim. He didn't make an appearance until the fifth or sixth published Rim Worlds tale.

The first story to be set in the Rim Worlds was called 'Edge of Night.' Written in January 1958 and sold to Venture, it never appeared under that title as the magazine folded shortly afterwards. By the time it appeared in Fantasy and Science Fiction (1959), Chandler had renamed the story 'The Man Who Could Not Stop.' The next tale to be set in the far edges of the universe was 'Wet Paint,' although Chandler has acknowledged that 'it wasn't a proper Rim World story, being more concerned with the wet paint gimmick than with the Rim mythology.' It wasn't until 'To Run the Rim,' that he really emigrated to the Rim Worlds. In his 1965 Mentor article, Chandler notes:

I suppose it was, like so much of my stuff, ['To Run the Rim'] was really a disguised sea story. And Rim Runners, too, bear a certain resemblance to my present employers. Just as their ships are officered by refugees from the Interstellar Transport Commission, Trans-Galactic Clippers, the Waverley Royal Mail and so on, so are the vessels of the Union Steam Ship Company officered by refugees from Shaw Savill, Port Line, Royal Mail, and even Cunard White Star.

The early Rim World stories also include: "The Outsiders" (a follow-up to "To Run The Rim"), "The Key," "Chance Encounter," "Rimghost" and "To Hell For a Pastime." The final published chapters of the series are "The Wild Ones" and "The Last Amazons" (both 1984).

In addition to John Grimes, the Rim Worlds series also includes a number of other key characters, some of whom are the focus of entire stories. These include: Derek Calver (who makes his way to the Rim shortly after Grimes' arrival), Kitty Kelly (star human-interest reporter of the galactically distributed Bronson Star newspaper), the Empress Irene (who inhabits an alternate-reality version of the galaxy), Sonya Verril (a member of the Federation Survey Service's Intelligence Branch who later marries Grimes), Drongo Kane (one of Grimes' arch-rivals), Frank Delamere (another rival), and Princes Marlene von Stolzberg (the mother of Grimes' first child).

In the Rim Worlds Concordance, Steve Davidson writes: "The Rim Worlds stories are as much about the place as they are about the people that inhabit it. Cold, dark and forlorn, the worlds on the edge of the galaxy are mankind's last, and perhaps most mysterious, frontier."

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction entry on Chandler provides the following insigh into the Rim Worlds series and its hero John Grimes:

Through these books Grimes's somewhat melancholy temperament and consistent ingenuity often remind one of C S Forester's Horatio Hornblower, an influence Chandler acknowledged (though Grimes's sexual forthrightness strikes a new note); but it is of course more than Hornblower's character that is drawn from the earlier genre. The Grimes/Rim World sequence is very clearly a Hornblower in Space transposition - much more directly than is usually the case - of the maritime world into a dream of interstellar commerce: ships into spaceships, seas into the blackness between the stars, seaports into starports, hinterlands into planets, the South Sea Islands into constellations. Much of the warmth and detail of Chandler's work derives from this direct translation of venues, and Grimes himself establishes a loyalty in his readers rather similar to that felt by readers of Hornblower. Indeed, Chandler's Space Operas are among the most likeable and well constructed in the genre, and his vision of the Rim Worlds - cold, poor, at the antipodean edge of intergalactic darkness, but full of all the pioneer virtues - are the genre's homiest characterization of that corner of space opera's galactic arena.

[Sources: The Rim Worlds Concordance - online (sighted 24/1/2012); A. Bertram Chandler "To Run the Rim," in A. Bertam Chandler - online (sighted 17/1/2012), first published in The Mentor No. 6 May 1965]; and "Chandler, A. Bertram." Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (sighted 10/05/2013).

Includes

Grimes Among the Gourmets A. Bertram Chandler , 1978 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Other Worlds 1978; (p. 89-102) John Grimes : Reserve Commodore 2004; (p. 345-358) The Rim Gods 2007;
The Last Hunt A. Bertram Chandler , 1973 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Galaktika , no. 21 1976; (p. 53-66)
— Appears in: Galaxy Science Fiction , March vol. 33 no. 5 1973; (p. 134-152) John Grimes : Rim Commander 2005; Catch the Star Winds 2007;
y separately published work icon The Anarch Lords A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : DAW Books , 1981 Z810901 1981 single work novella science fiction 'His wild career as a space pirate ended, Grimes faced his toughest assignment - he was "punished" by being made governor of the anarchists' own planet! John Grimes, living legend of the spaceways, had been in and out of some cosmic catastrophes but this threatened to reach his luck's ultimate breaking point! An influx of planetary refugees had made that world a paradise of cheap labor and the original anarchist colonists had become such masters of wealth that no mere outsider could hope to dictate "law and order" to them. They had their own ideas which included slavery, treachery, and utter villainy. Grimes' first task as governor would be simply to stay alive with a whole world plotting his murder!'

[Source: www.goodreads.com]
y separately published work icon The Wild Ones A. Bertram Chandler , St Kilda : Void Publications , 1984 Z810910 1984 single work novel science fiction

'They called the robomaid "Clockwork Kitty" until she informed them of her right name. She was a triumph of Japan's far-future robotics industry and she was a present to John Grimes as he set out aboard Sister Sue for a voyage to the planet called New Salem.

New Salem was a colony of blue-nosed religious fanatics and Grimes knew it meant trouble. For in addition to his sexy-looking robot he had Shirl and Darleen aboard, two wild ones of kangaroo ancestry, sure to be problems. And trouble came, not merely from the fire-wielding bigots but from Grimes' old enemy, Drongo Kane.'

(Source: www.baenebooks.com)
y separately published work icon Star Courier A. Bertram Chandler , London : Robert Hale , 1977 Z810913 1977 single work novella

Having resigned his commission in the Survey Service rather than face a court martial, John Grimes is now owner and master of Little Sister, a pinnace spacecraft made of modified gold. Formerly the property of the Baroness d'Estang of El Dorado, the ship has come to Grimes in lieu of back pay, and provides him with the opportunity to run his own courier service. Unable to transport anything other than small loads at a time Grimes's first job is to ferry the attractive post-mistress Tamara Haverstock and her mail from the planet Tiralbin to Boggarty. What should be a easy run turns upside down when they encounter the insectoid Shaara. After being taken by force to an uncharted planet Grimes and Haverstock are tortured and publicly humiliated in front of the indigenous population as a show of superior Shaara might. However, things go awry for the Shaara when the pair escape and are mistaken for gods by the planet's resistance army. Grimes must not only defeat the Shaara to save their lives and that of the planet but also complete his contract and get the mail delivered.
y separately published work icon The Far Traveller The Far Traveler A. Bertram Chandler , London : Robert Hale , 1977 Z810916 1976 single work novella
— Appears in: Urania , February no. 822 1980; Urania Millemoni Estate : Il Pianette del Tesoro 1997; (p. 270-426)

Having resigned from the Federation Survey Service rather than face a court-martial for losing his ship in a mutiny (see The Big Black Mark), John Grimes finds himself stuck on the Planet Botany Bay and in urgent need of employment. His saviour comes in the form of the lofty Baroness Michelle d'Estang and her ship the Far Traveller. Built of gold and designed to be a rich woman's plaything the ship is piloted and run by an advanced computer known as Big Sister. And thus while Grimes might be the human Master (in so far as the ship's insurer is concerned), its Big Sister who rules the roost.

'Take one thoroughly spoiled, fabulously wealthy El Doradan baroness, one solid gold spaceyacht complete with almost human pilot-computer, one piratical space tramp captain, add the accident-prone John Grimes, late of the Federation Survey Service, stir and mix thoroughly-and the things that happen shouldn't happen to a Morrovian dog!' (1977 Hale edition).
y separately published work icon To Keep the Ship A. Bertram Chandler , London : Robert Hale , 1978 Z810919 1978 single work novella science fiction Having resigned his commission in the Survey Service rather than face a court martial, John Grimes is now owner and master of Little Sister, a pinnace spacecraft made of modified gold. Formerly the property of the Baroness d'Estang of El Dorado, the ship has come to Grimes in lieu of back pay. Grimes is at a low point in his ever-shifting space career. His last delivery ended in disaster and he's now stuck on a planet with Little Sister impounded and awaiting a law-suit. Financial necessity forces him to take on the lowest space job of them all - caretaker captain of a decommissioned orbiting spaceship. Then Grimes falls into the clutches of terrorists and needs all his luck to get out alive. Even when he does, with the help of Susie and her comrade, he bounces from one danger to another - this time in the form of tiny female-like sharp-toothed creatures whose only reason for existing is to eat Grimes alive!'
y separately published work icon Matilda's Stepchildren A. Bertram Chandler , London : Robert Hale , 1979 Z810922 1979 single work novel science fiction
— Appears in: Urania , June no. 841 1980; (p. 3-182) 'John Grimes, owner of the deep space pinnace Little Sister, could not afford to be fussy about whom he carried. But there were compensations, for if his ship had not been chartered to take Fenella Pruin, muckraking reporter, to exclusive New Venusberg he would never have been able to visit that fabulous pleasure planet. But there was to be a little pleasure in it for him. Among the visitors was a Shaara princess who owed him vengeance. The planet's authorities were after Fenella's blood to prevent her snooping. Had it not been for the boomerang throwing abilities of two sexy dancers from New Alice, the spaceman and the journalist would have been sacrificed to make a Roman holiday. The spectator sports of the very rich and very depraved involve a high mortality rate among the players.'

[Source: www.fictionwise.com]
y separately published work icon The Broken Cycle A. Bertram Chandler , London : Robert Hale , 1975 Z810925 1975 single work novel science fiction Newly promoted to Lieutenant Commander, John Grimes find himself assisting sky marshall Una Freeman in the attempted recovery of Delta Geminorum. Things go haywire, however, when they find temselves lost in the colossal alien spacecraft. Complicating matters is there discovery that the universe they thought they were in is not their own but an alternate and that they've been captured by the omnipotent force of that entire other cosmos. Grimes and the comely policewoman soon find out theat they have been selected as the only inhabitants of a Garden of Eden. But there were two serpents in this one—both of them bicycles!'

[Source: www.baenbooks.com]
y separately published work icon The Way Back A. Bertram Chandler , London : Robert Hale , 1976 Z810928 1976 single work novella science fiction 'Because the universe was vast and they had been out beyond the Galactic Lens. Because time is infinite and they had slipped beyond their own epoch. Because in whatever universe they were in they could raise no etheric word, no telepathic beacon, no other star vessel. But for John Grimes, a veritable Commodore Hornblower of the future space seas, there had to be a way back. The first step was to locate Earth, the launching place for all humanity. But Earth turned out to be legend and myth and faith - and Grimes' rebellious crew were to enact roles already fabled before they were all born.'

[Source: www.fictionwise.com]
y separately published work icon The Rim of Space A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : Avalon Books , 1961 Z810937 1961 single work novel science fiction
— Appears in: Cosmo : I Capolavori della Fantascienza , August no. 54 1966; (p. 3-93)
— Appears in: Science Fiction : The Gold Collection, Volume II 1996;
— Appears in: Legendy Prigranich'ya 2003; (p. 7-86)
— Appears in: A Galaxy Trilogy : Volume 4 2009;

A Rim Worlds story based around the adventures of Derek Calver, The Rim of Space sees Chandler's hero determined to join the Rim Runners in their exploration of desolate planets. He joins the crew of Lorn Lady and sets forth for Mellise, a planet inhabited by intelligent amphibians. He later visits Groller, where the natives have just qualified as humanoids; Stree, with its tea-loving lizards; and Tharn, the home of a pre-industrial civilization.
y separately published work icon The Rim Gods A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : JABberwocky Literary Agency , 2002 Z810940 1969 single work novella
— Appears in: Urania , November no. 527 1969; Le Vie Della Frontiera : Ciclo Galattico di A. Bertram Chandler 1979; (p. 197-320)

'Gods! Dragons! Fairies! Frog Princess! Knights! and much more. John Grimes faces them all.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Orion ed.)
y separately published work icon The Road to the Rim A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : JABberwocky Literary Agency , 2002 Z810946 1967 single work novella
— Appears in: Urania , October no. 499 1968; (p. 3-119) Le Vie Della Frontiera : Ciclo Galattico di A. Bertram Chandler 1979; (p. 5-96)
— Appears in: Коммандер Граймс 2004; Ensign John Grimes of the Federation Survey Service is fresh out of the Academy and as green as they come. After boarding the Interstellar Transport Commission's merchant spaceship Delta Orionis as a passenger bound for deep space, Grimes finds himself involved, reluctantly, in salvaging another ship which has been attacked by space pirates. It doesn't help that his decision-making process has been influenced by the more than attractive Jane Pentecost (and Grimes is as green with women as his he is as a spaceman), or as a consequence of having been put under guard as a mutineer. As much as the odds will be stacked against him, Grimes soon begins to earn his infamous reputation as a 'lucky bastard.'
y separately published work icon The Winds of If Catch the Star Winds A. Bertram Chandler , 1963 selected work novella
— Appears in: Amazing Stories , September vol. 37 no. 9 1963; (p. 44-121)
— Appears in: Legendy Prigranich'ya 2003; (p. 321-418)
— Appears in: Catch the Star Winds 1969; John Grimes : Reserve Commodore 2004; (p. 415-519) John Grimes : Rim Worlds Commodore 2007; Catch the Star Winds 2007; Ride the Star Winds : The John Grimes Saga IV 2012; 'Unable to exceed the speed of light, he found ways around the law of nature, twisting space and time to his bidding. But the lure of FTL speeds could would not be forgotten...and the crew of the Flying Cloud - casts-offs from the great civilisations of the galaxy- found themselves breaking through the barriers of the past to discover new worlds - worlds from which they could never return!'

[Source: www.bertramchandler.com]
y separately published work icon The Big Black Mark A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : DAW Books , 1975 Z810958 1975 single work novella

'Commander John Grimes, Federation Survey Service, should have been happy but he was not.' Although recently promoted, much to his surprise, Grimes finds himself consigned once again to being captain of a non-war ship. It doesn't help that his new vessel, Discovery (another Census ship) is a badly neglected rust-bucket. Worse still is the crew - a bunch of malcontents comprising the worse the Survey Service has to offer.

Before long a mutinous atmosphere begins to pervade the ship, with the situation spiraling downhill after Grimes is forced to cite the leader of the ship's marines, Major 'Mad' Swinton with the court-martial offence of murdering citizens from another planet. Grime's own misgivings about the voyage also manifest themselves through snatches of memory relating to the 'Wild Colonial Boy' and the ill-fated Bounty.

When the Commander and a few of his faithful crew are eventually dispatched into space aboard a tiny escape craft, he begins to understand how Captain William Bligh must have felt. Not only about the big black mark against his service record, but also about surviving against impossible odds.
y separately published work icon Contraband from Otherspace Edge of Night A. Bertram Chandler , London : Orion , 2016 Z810964 1966 single work novella science fiction
— Appears in: Zvezdnyi Put' 4 1993; (p. 331-424)
— Appears in: Gammel'nskaya Plague 2004; (p. 111-206)

Grimes and Sonya embark on a wholly different adventure: marriage. But running their own little shipping company takes a back seat to danger when a distress call leads the pair to an alien ship from an alternate universe—a ship carrying contraband from otherspace— mutant rats which evolved to rule their universe...and threaten to breakthrough to ours. This deadly cargo threatens to sheer through the fabric of reality, like a knife through soft butter.
y separately published work icon The Inheritors A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : JABberwocky Literary Agency , 2002 Z810970 1972 single work novel
— Appears in: Urania , February no. 637 1974; (p. 3-119) Le Vie Della Frontiera : Ciclo Galattico di A. Bertram Chandler 1979; (p. 97-196)
— Appears in: Коммандер Граймс 2004; 'Drongo Kane never broke the law.... He was a cunning, ruthless opportunist who paid when he had to and stole when he could -- but never when there was the slightest chance of getting caught. That's what had John Grimes worried: here was Kane directly under the watchful eyes -- and guns -- of a Federation Survey vessel, openly engaging in kidnapping and trafficking in human flesh! Despite the fact that the beautiful inhabitants of this Lost Colony faced a fate worse than death, a more cautious -- or less gallant -- officer would do nothing -- secure in the knowledge that regardless of appearances there would be some loophole that placed the Law squarely on Kane's side. But Grimes, being Grimes, would have to act -- knowing full well that to "interfere with a merchantman on her lawful occasions" meant a blasted career... and knowing too that Drongo Kane never broke the law..'

[Source: www.fictionwise.com]
y separately published work icon The Dark Dimensions A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : JABberwocky Literary Agency , 2002 Z810973 1971 single work novella science fiction
— Appears in: Коммандер Граймс 2004; In a John Grimes Rim adventure, strange things happen out where the stellar medium grows thin, out where it is difficult to say if you remain within the galaxy or you're falling through the intergalactic void. Add to that strangeness an Outsider ship filled with technology so far in advance of the human as to appear magical, and the catalytic presence of Commodore John Grimes, and anything can happen... anything at all.

[Source: www.fictionwise.com]
y separately published work icon Alternate Orbits The Commodore at Sea A. Bertram Chandler , Wake Forest : Baen EBooks , 2007 Z810976 1971 selected work short story
— Appears in: Gammel'nskaya Plague 2004; (p. 207-356) Alternate Orbits, also published as Commodore of the Sea, is a four-story collection from the John Grimes/Rim Worlds series, comprising 'Hall of Fame' (1969, aka 'The Kinsolving's Planet Irregulars'), 'The Sister Ships' (1971), 'The Man Who Sailed the Sky' (1971), and 'The Rub' (1970).
Bring Back Yesterday A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : Ace Books , 1961 Z810988 1961 single work novel science fiction detective
— Appears in: Legendy Prigranich'ya 2003; (p. 87-217) 'Second Officer John Peterson is finished as far as the Galactic clippers are concerned. Branded a deserter, stranded on Carinthia and desperate for a job, there are few places left to go. Private detective Steve Vynalek needs Petersen. Has a fanatical scientist on the planet Wenceslaus really found a way to beat the time travel problem, a way to bring back yesterday?' (www.bertramchandler.com)
Into the Alternate Universe A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : JABberwocky Literary Agency , 2002 Z811000 1964 single work novella science fiction
— Appears in: Zvezdnyi Put 3 1993;
— Appears in: Gammel'nskaya Plague 2004; (p. 5-110) Practical and hard-headed John Grimes is not the sort to believe in ghosts but he's willing to give psychics a chance when shapely Sonya Verrill, a commander in the Federation Survey Service, proposes a ghost-hunting expedition in the sector around Kinsolving's Planet. Out where the fabric of space wears thin, ships have encountered Rim Ghosts—apparitions of craft and crewmates from alternate universes. When Grimes organizes a séance to make contact, their ship is yanked into an alternate universe, and their only hope of getting home lies in a lost relic - a sleeper ship from the first age of space exploration.
y separately published work icon Star Loot A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : DAW Books , 1980 Z811015 1980 single work novella science fiction 'In luck and out of luck, John Grimes was a living legend of the spaceways. He had been an officer of the service, he had been the victim of a mutiny, he had discovered lost worlds, he had served under strange masters and on strange ships, but he had never turned space pirate. Until this adventure. How it happened was a complex story to begin with, but typical Grimes luck. How he became the terror of the star lanes developed, as usual, from his own efforts to make an honest living and other's efforts to use him for devious diversions.

[Source: www.goodreads.com]
y separately published work icon Rendezvous on a Lost World When the Dream Dies A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : Ace Books , 1961 Z811018 1961 single work novella
— Appears in: Urania , May no. 619 1973; (p. 3-124) Le Vie Della Frontiera : Ciclo Galattico di A. Bertram Chandler 1979; (p. 321-420)
— Appears in: Gammel'nskaya Plague 2004; (p. 357-458) 'His was a dream few spaceman ever saw come true. In a second-hand, obsolete space ship, Kemp and his three comrades took off determined to set up a shuttle service between the planets at the rim of the galaxy. But trouble - in the form of two lost colonies, one inhabited by giant mechanical insects and the other by the descendants of a murderous pirate - threatened. Kemps crew began to wonder: just how much will one man sacrifice to realize a dream.'

[Source: www.bertramchandler.com]
y separately published work icon The Last Amazon A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : DAW Books , 1984 Z811024 1984 single work novella science fiction 'John Grimes's career as a space pirate has ended, he faces his toughest assignment yet. He has been made governer of the anarchist's own planet. His first task is to stay alive with a whole world plotting his murder!'

[Source: 1984 DAW edition]
y separately published work icon To Prime the Pump A. Bertram Chandler , New York (City) : Curtis Books , 1971 Z811048 1971 single work novel

By now a Lieutenant in the Federation Survey Service, Grimes, finds himself serving aboard the cruiser Aries bound for the planet El Dorado. Abundantly wealthy, and inhabited only by the super-rich and their android servants, the population nevertheless has an increasingly urgent problem. The men are infertile, cause unknown, and the women want someone to do something about it. After crash-landing the advance party rocket boat on a lake, Grimes meets the beautiful but haughty Princess Marlene von Stolzberg. Once again out of his depths Grimes will need every ounce of his famous luck to get him back in the good books and hopefully salvage his career prospects.
The Bird-Brained Navigator A. Bertram Chandler , 1968 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: If : Worlds of Science Fiction , June vol. 18 no. 6 1968; (p. 133-160)
Last Dreamer A. Bertram Chandler , 1968 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: If : Worlds of Science Fiction , August vol. 18 no. 8 1968; (p. 50-77)
The Rim Gods A. Bertram Chandler , 1968 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: If : Worlds of Science Fiction , April vol. 18 no. 4 1968; (p. 63-87)
The Tin Fishes A. Bertram Chandler , 1968 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: If : Worlds of Science Fiction , December vol. 18 no. 12 1968; (p. 67-98)
The Dutchman A. Bertram Chandler , 1972 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Galaxy Science Fiction , November vol. 33 no. 3 1972; (p. 119-137, 173-175) John Grimes : Rim Commander 2005; (p. 133-156) Catch the Star Winds 2007;
Rim Change A. Bertram Chandler , 1975 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Galaxy Science Fiction , August vol. 36 no. 7 1975; (p. 82-124) John Grimes : Rim Commander 2005; (p. 201-244) Catch the Star Winds 2007; 'Far out on the edge of the Galaxy, the Rim Worlds lie clustered in their isolation. They are all lonely worlds, and cold. One in particular is frightful - and here more than anywhere the employees of the Dog Star Line should get Siriurs!' (www.bertramchandler.com)
The Man Who Could Not Stop Edge of Night A. Bertram Chandler , 1959 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , May vol. 16 no. 5 1959; (p. 108-130) Venture Science Fiction , October no. 14 1964; (p. 92-112) Venture Science Fiction [Australia] , December 1964; Beyond the Galactic Rim 1982;
— Appears in: Fiction , February no. 75 1960; Clavering steals the Shaara crown jewels and flees Earth. After many more crimes, including murder, on various worlds, he ends up on Faraway on the Rim. Once there, he can't be extradited, but he can be deported. Local laws make it virtually impossible for him to fence the jewels. He ends up going to jail and learns the name of a fence there. Upon looking up the fence, he learns that the jewels (which he stashed) have already been returned to the Shaara. He gets sent to jail again for the murder of the fence, and ends up press-ganged (as part of his sentence) into becoming a crew member aboard a ship that is leaving the galaxy entirely.

[Source: Todd Bennett. The Rim World's Concordance]
Grimes and the Jailbirds A. Bertram Chandler , 1984 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , May vol. 66 no. 5 1984; (p. 54-68) John Grimes : Reserve Commodore 2004; (p. 383-399) The Rim Gods 2007;
Grimes and the Great Race A. Bertram Chandler , 1980 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine , April vol. 4 no. 4 1980; (p. 97-121) Aliens and UFO's : Extraterrestrial Tales from Asimov's Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction and Fact 1993; (p. 369-396) John Grimes : Reserve Commodore 2004; (p. 323-344) The Rim Gods 2007;
The Key A. Bertram Chandler , 1959 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Fantastic , July vol. 8 no. 7 1959; (p. 60-87) Great Science Fiction , July no. 7 1967; (p. 43-70) Beyond the Galactic Rim 1982;
Grimes at Glenrowan A. Bertram Chandler , 1978 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine , March - April vol. 2 no. 2 1978; (p. 22) Asimov's Choice : Comets and Computers 1978; (p. 12-36) John Grimes : Reserve Commodore 2004; (p. 307-322)

'Commodore John Grimes Reminisces: Lt. Grimes, on leave from Aries on Earth, travels back in time to become entangled in the arrest & capture of Ned Kelly.'

Source: http://www.bertramchandler.com/anthology/anth414.aspx (Sighted: 28/06/2017)
To Run the Rim A. Bertram Chandler , 1959 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Astounding Science Fiction , January vol. 62 no. 5 1959; (p. 8-39) Astounding Science Fiction [UK] , April vol. 15 no. 4 1959; (p. 4-16)
y separately published work icon Spartan Planet False Fatherland A. Bertram Chandler , Sydney : Horwitz , 1968 Z810931 1968 single work novel science fiction
— Appears in: Коммандер Граймс 2004; (p. 231-352)

Lt Commander Grimes arrives on the forgotten planet Sparta where humans had long ago settled and have since modelled their society on the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. Indeed, Sparta, originally an early Federation colony, has been out of touch for so long the people have forgotten they’re a colony. Over time a civilisation based on war and violence and crude pleasures has developed. It is also a planet where human beings (all men) are produced by birth machines and women are unknown.

The story is told from the perspective of Brasidus, one of the small planet's policemen. Never having laid eyes on a woman, or imagined that such strange beings exist, he and most other residents of the planet Sparta think that the female crew of Grime's ship, including Margaret Lazenby (Grime's sometimes sex partner) are deformed men, and they can’t fathom what the peculiar bumps on their chests are.

Although Grimes and his crew have the best intentions during their stay on the planet they eventually manage to turn the whole society on its head. Horrific events unfurl and truths become known, setting in motion changes that have a profound effect on the Spartan society.
Forbidden Planet A. Bertram Chandler , 1959 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Fantastic Universe , July vol. 11 no. 4 1959; (p. 44-60) Beyond the Galactic Rim 1982; Originally titled "To Hell for a Pastime" before being published in Fantastic Universe as "Forbidden Planet," this story is one of the earliest stories to be set in the bleak cold edge of the Galaxy known as the Rim Worlds.
Wet Paint A. Bertram Chandler , 1959 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Amazing Science Fiction Stories , May vol. 33 no. 5 1959; Thrilling Science Fiction , June no. 31 1973; Beyond the Galactic Rim 1982; 'You're liable to find anything - or anybody - out on the gloomy, lonely Rim Worlds. But when the Survey Group on unihabited Kinsolving found a cave painting with the paint still wet...well...'

[Source: www.bertramchandler.com]
Grimes and the Odd Gods A. Bertram Chandler , 1983 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , June vol. 64 no. 6 1983; (p. 89-111) Frontier Worlds 1983; (p. 5-42) John Grimes : Reserve Commodore 2004; (p. 359-382)
On the Account A. Bertram Chandler , 1973 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Galaxy Science Fiction , May vol. 33 no. 6 1973; (p. 92-115) John Grimes : Rim Commander 2005; (p. 177-200) Catch the Star Winds 2007; If you want to catch lightspeed, try standing just before it! (www.bertramchandler.com)
Rimghost A. Bertram Chandler , 1967 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Famous Science Fiction , Spring vol. 1 no. 2 1967; (p. 72-82) 'In the Psionic Officer's room, the tissue of dog brain was radiating stark fear ... and the they saw the other ship, almost touching them...'

[Source: www.bertramchandler.com]

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1950
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Works about this Work

y separately published work icon Rim Worlds Steve Davidson , Steve Davidson , 1997- Z1938596 1997 website

Established by Steve Davidson, the Rim Worlds website began as a single project, a place to compile and display the growing body of notes he had gathered for a Rim Worlds Concordance project. The site includes the following sections: Rim Worlds Concordance; A. Bertram Chandler Bibliography; The Rim Worlds; Articles; A. Bertram Chandler Store; and Links

The Concordance is a database gleaned from more than twenty novels, several collections and numerous short stories. Its pages contain a compilation of the notes gathered to date. These are organised in a variety of different ways that make it relatively easy to learn about the planets, ships, people and places on the Rim.

The Bibliography pages contain various organizations of Chandler's works and serve as supplements to the comprehensive bibliography that can be found on David Kelleher's official authors site - www.BertramChandler.com.

The Rim Worlds section contains bits and pieces of information about the Rim that are not convienently located elsewhere.

The Articles section contains several pieces written on a variety of Rim Worlds and Chandler related topics.

The A. Bertram Chandler store is more of a search assistant for those who may be looking for Chandler's works.

The Links section contains a huge number of links that are at least parenthetically related to Chandler, his characters or the Rim Worlds.

[Source: Rim Worlds website]
[Untitled] A. Bertram Chandler , 1979 single work correspondence
— Appears in: Australian Author , January 1979; A. Bertram Chandler 2004-; (p. Letters)

Chandler writes briefly about his positive experiences with Japanese publisher Hayakawa Shobo and illustrator Koichiro Masahiro Noda.
My Life and Grimes A. Bertram Chandler , 1978 single work autobiography
— Appears in: Marcon XIII , March no. 45-47 1978; Chicon IV , September 1982; (p. 10-11) A. Bertram Chandler 2004-;

Chandler provides insight into his life and career as both a merchant seaman and a writer. He also talks brielfy about his Rim World's character John Grimes and his desire to write an alternative history novel based on Ned Kelly.
John Grimes : Autobiographical Notes A. Bertram Chandler , 1978 single work essay
— Appears in: Marcon XIII , March no. 45-47 1978; A. Bertram Chandler 2004-;

An autobiographical overview of Bertram Chandler's fictional hero, John Grimes (The Rim Worlds series).
[Untitled] A. Bertram Chandler , 1975 single work correspondence
— Appears in: Philosophical Gas , July no. 31 1975; A. Bertram Chandler 2004-; (p. Letters)

Chandler writes about his recent retirement as a merchant seaman and his subsequent part time employment as a ship's caretaker in Sydney Harbour. He also refers to Japanese publisher Hayakawa and the connection between John Grimes and C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower.
y separately published work icon Rim Worlds Steve Davidson , Steve Davidson , 1997- Z1938596 1997 website

Established by Steve Davidson, the Rim Worlds website began as a single project, a place to compile and display the growing body of notes he had gathered for a Rim Worlds Concordance project. The site includes the following sections: Rim Worlds Concordance; A. Bertram Chandler Bibliography; The Rim Worlds; Articles; A. Bertram Chandler Store; and Links

The Concordance is a database gleaned from more than twenty novels, several collections and numerous short stories. Its pages contain a compilation of the notes gathered to date. These are organised in a variety of different ways that make it relatively easy to learn about the planets, ships, people and places on the Rim.

The Bibliography pages contain various organizations of Chandler's works and serve as supplements to the comprehensive bibliography that can be found on David Kelleher's official authors site - www.BertramChandler.com.

The Rim Worlds section contains bits and pieces of information about the Rim that are not convienently located elsewhere.

The Articles section contains several pieces written on a variety of Rim Worlds and Chandler related topics.

The A. Bertram Chandler store is more of a search assistant for those who may be looking for Chandler's works.

The Links section contains a huge number of links that are at least parenthetically related to Chandler, his characters or the Rim Worlds.

[Source: Rim Worlds website]
John Grimes : Autobiographical Notes A. Bertram Chandler , 1978 single work essay
— Appears in: Marcon XIII , March no. 45-47 1978; A. Bertram Chandler 2004-;

An autobiographical overview of Bertram Chandler's fictional hero, John Grimes (The Rim Worlds series).
My Life and Grimes A. Bertram Chandler , 1971 single work
— Appears in: Scythrop , April no. 22 1971; A. Bertram Chandler 2004-;

Chandler discusses several aspects of his career as a writer, including his early stories, the influence of the sea and Australia on his writing, his favourite character John Grimes and some of the problems he had with magazine publishers.
To Run the Rim A. Bertram Chandler , 1965 single work essay
— Appears in: The Mentor , May no. 6 1965; Australian Science Fiction Review , September no. 3 1966; A. Bertram Chandler 2004-; A. Bertram Chandler 2004-;
Still Running the Rim A. Bertram Chandler , 1966 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Science Fiction Review , December no. 5 1966; A. Bertram Chandler 2004-;
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