This carefully crafted ebook: "The Pirates of Ersatz" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The Pirates of Ersatz tells the story of Bran Hodder, a one-time engineer who sets out on a career of interstellar piracy ostensibly to further more legitimate goals. The revised version of this tale was nominated for the 1960 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Frederik Pohl reviewed Pirates favorably, saying "It would not seem possible that after thirty years of space-pirate stories any writer could make one come alive; but Bron Hoddan is a rather unique space pirate, and Murray Leinster is a nearly unique science-fiction writer".

Sometimes it seems nobody loves a benefactor ... particularly nobody on a well-heeled, self-satisfied planet. Grandpa always said Pirates were really benefactors, though. Murray Leinster weaves a science fiction masterpiece!

This science fiction novel - an early version of Leinster's The Pirates of Zan - was originally published in Astounding Science Fiction under the editorship of the legendary John W. Campbell, Jr.

The Pirates of ErsatzBy y Murray Leinster

It was not mere impulsive action when Bron Hoddan started for the planet Walden by stowing away on a ship that had come to his native planet to hang all his relatives. He'd planned it long before. It was a long-cherished and carefully worked out scheme. He didn't expect the hanging of his relatives, of course. He knew that they'd act grieved and innocent, and give proof that they were simple people leading blameless lives. They'd make their would-be executioners feel ashamed and apologetic for having thought evil of them, and as soon as the strangers left they'd return to their normal way of life, which was piracy. But while this was going on, Bron Hoddan stowed away on the menacing vessel. Presently he arrived at its home world. But his ambition was to reach Walden, so he set about getting there. It took a long time because he had to earn ship-passage from one solar system to another, but he held to his idea. Walden was the most civilized planet in that part of the galaxy. On Walden, Hoddan intended, in order (a) to achieve splendid things as an electronic engineer, (b) to grow satisfactorily rich, (c) to marry a delightful girl, and (d) end his life a great man. But he had to spend two years trying to arrange even the first....

The Pirates of Ersatz tells the story of Bran Hodder, a one-time engineer who sets out on a career of interstellar piracy ostensibly to further more legitimate goals. The revised version of this tale was nominated for the 1960 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Frederik Pohl reviewed Pirates favorably, saying "It would not seem possible that after thirty years of space-pirate stories any writer could make one come alive; but Bron Hoddan is a rather unique space pirate, and Murray Leinster is a nearly unique science-fiction writer".

Because Bron Hoddan was a serious electronics engineer, he didn't want any part of his particular planetary heritage. For he was from Zan - and Zan's only occupation was spaceship piracy! So Bron went to Walden, the most civilized planet of them all. His first step to making himself a good reputation was to invent a machine that would save the government millions. But when instead he was seized and jailed as the most unspeakable criminal in Walden's history, he realized that there was only one way open to remedy this "civilized" disaster. And that was by putting into use some of Zan's old-fashioned buccaneering techniques!