Tom Swift Invention Stories Now Available Novella Collections

I have been exploring the world of Tom Swift inventions over the past several years. Certainly we all know about his Flying Lab and his Giant Robot, but he has many, many others that we only hear a little bit about, as in:

"Tom headed for the door but grabbed his whack-a-doo gizmotron off the desk and shoved it into his pocket in case he needed it."

We are suppose to believe that he made that device weeks of months earlier and so we get almost zero explanation about it. What do you know the origin of his Fat Man diving suits? How about The Toad, one of his favorite small aircraft? His amazing eGun?

I have set out to rectify this oversight and to give you detailed explanations of how many of his, well, secondary inventions came about.

Each of these collections gather the stories about seven of his inventions. Ones that appear in the original Tom Jr. stories, some that appear in the newest incarnations, and a few that you have never read about before.

Inventions number 1

1 - Spaceball
Following a near-death experience at the Outpost in Space, Tom sets out to design a rescue pod that can get an injured crewman down to medical care in just a couple hours instead of up to two days it currently requires. It needs to be foolproof, self-piloting, and steerable so it can land near help. It get's put to the test sooner than he wishes.

2 - The Robot In My Garden
Faced with deep budget cuts, the U.S. Forestry Department turns to Swift Enterprises. Make something that can help cover for the many functions current Rangers perform such as trail clearing, providing tours and even fire fighting. The demonstration of his prototype is almost a disaster.

3 - Texas Walking Ranger
A deadly disease is sweeping through the stables at the Texas Rangers' headquarters. It comes at the worst possible time as it provided fodder for those who wish to phase out the mounted division. Can Tom come up with something to help bridge the gap?

4 - I And The Egg
Tom's eponomous diving shell just sort of appeared as he built his Jetmarine. So, how did the egg-shaped diving suit get its shape. Its golden gleem? And, was the design and testing process al smooth sailing? Hardly! Well, it is a Tom Swift story after all!

5 - The Toad
Tom needs to come up with a new aircraft to pick up some of the sagging sales of other older Enterprises airplanes. At the same time he wants to be certain that it meets the needs of corporate and industry clients as well as individual owners. But, the radical design may be a small issue.

6 - SeaSpear
In order to protect a new series of underwater nuclear power plants surrounding their island nation, Britain hires Enterprises to develop a secret submersible version of Tom's famous drone aircraft, the ones that protect Fearing Island. He runs afoul of one politician and the project is almost canceled.

7 - Fastest eGun in The West
The one thing Swift Enterprises absolutely does not make is any sort of weapon. But, Tom has found himself is too many situations where some kind of defensive device would have helped him avoind capture, injury or possible death. So, against his father's demands he creates an entirely new hand-held version of his grandfather's famous electric rifle. It gets a field test when Tom has to rescue Bud, Sandy and his girlfriend, Bashalli from kidnappers.

Inventions number 2

1 - Ah, Chute!
Congress asks for a solution to help pilots who must bail out over hostile territory, but space is the enemy. Tom must decide what can be done, given that anything he comes up with needs to work in several thousand existing aircraft!

2 - Mine-Ore Decisions
The Moon contains a mineral that becomes vital to the United States and Tom is asked to mine it, but there is a surprise coming his way when a wealthy industrialist decides that he wants more than just a small piece of the action. It soon becomes literally a matter of life or death and a race against the clock!

3 - Kicker
Tom is building his first space ship to try to be the first privately-owned rocket to put a man into Earth orbit. He must find a way to wring more power from a limited amount of fuel in his Star Spear rocket ship if he ever expect to get it into orbit, and with the ship alread built whatever he comes up with has to do the trick in very limited space. With Bud to egg him on, Tom comes up with the solution, plus an added bonus!

4 - SuperSight
Mysterious things begin happening near The Citadel, the Swift's nuclear facility in New Mexico. Because they are involved in top secret research, the U.S. Government want then to figure out what it is pronto, or the Army will come in blasting! Tom must devise a way to see what's out there before they can disappear, which they do if anyone comes near.

5 - Power To Spare
After saving the lives of a number of villagers in the frozen North, it becomes evident that Tom's solution is only temporary. The people need a permanent source of electricity. Solar Batteries are okay, but Tom faces an energy crisis back in Shopton as he tries to design the ultimate power source.

6 - The Great Space Junk Caper
When the call goes out to Tom Swift to help repair, reposition and replace the aging GPS satellite system, he runs into one other major problem. Where the new satellites are supposed to go, there is already tons of space debris. He must devise a way to clear large areas or face having each satellite being damaged by stray metal.

7 - Testing... 1, 2, 3...
During the construction of his super jet, the Sky Queen, Tom is tasked with coming up with both an enhanced security system as well as a totally secure radio for employees. It needs to be something that can't be duplicated if it gets stolen, and must not allow anyone to overhear the people speaking. Big job?

Inventions number 3

1 - Tom Swift and the Idiot
Tom is developing his new Flying Lab but finds that controlling the monster jet is impossible without the aid of a computer; one that has never been built before. In fact, many of the compopnents he needs haven't been invented yet. It is, after all, only 1954.

2 - The Air That I Breath
In spite of having lost on a bid to create a Lunar habitat for a mining operation, Tom agrees to help outfit a large colonization effort to the Moon, where he must find a way to supply and circulate an atmosphere in the microgravit. Then, things go horribly wrong!

3 - The UltraSonic Stairway
The aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, is facing an emergency. Millions of dollars have been spent creating a highly pressurized display takn that will house undersea life from below 10,000 feet, but the small group of test fish brought up have gone into a panic and bashed themselves to death on the rocks and plexiglass. Now, Tom is asked for a favor by a very influential man and must find a way to fulfill the request to save both the exhibit and a man?s career.

4 - Digital BigEyes
When Bud Barclay takes a brand new mini-helicopter on a week long demonstration mission with the military, an almost-failed rescue mission, and near death of one man, points out a sad lack of quality, long-distance binoculars in the military. He tells Tom Swift about the problems, so Tom devises a new system to save lives.

5 - The Electronic Typewriter
A dear employee, Miss Trent, makes a special request of Tom. Can he bring back a piece of history while imbuing it with all the bells and whistles of its modern ancestors? It is an interesting project and one Tom beieves he will enjoy. With no lives on the line, and no major contracts to satisfy, he works toprovide her with the ultimate in secretarial tools.

6 - The Plasma Headlights
When he gets stuck in the New Mexico desert during a very bas sand storm, Tom realizes that any search effort would get as stuck as he did. An almost-failed rescue mission, and near death of one man, bring home the fact that you can't find what you can't see, and if you can't see through the sand, you are blind. He developes a way to pierce the darkness and save lives.

7 - Damon Swift and the Folding AutoCar
Before there was a Swift Enterprises there was the old Swift Construction Company, and some very bad times under Tom's grandfather's management -- or lack of it! Things grow progressively worse until Tom?s father leaves his job at NASA, moves his young family north to Shopton, and takes control of the company.

This volume also contains the short story: Tom Swift and the Frictionless Elf, a submission in the 2012 NaNoWriMo Short Story contest.

 

COMING IN SUMMER, 2013:

Inventions number 3

1 - Tom Swift and the Resonance Engine
In his ongoing efforts to reduce man's reliance on petro-chemicals, Tom sets his sights on creating an electric car that can run faster and longer than any other. But, does his try at an electric steam engine hold any promise?

2 - The MultiCorder
From his early days, Tom Swift has carried around a varying assortment of tools from so;ldering irons to pocket radios. But modern times dictate that he really needs an ever-increasing set of tools and instruments. Following the concept laid out by Star Trek, he sets out to develop his own version of the eponymous Tricorder.

3 - The Polymorphic Glider
Intrigued following a man's near fatal glider accident, Tom wants to see if he can find a way to make gliders safer. When he stumbles on an incredible find on the Moon, it sets him on the path to building a shape-adapting aircraft.

4 - Earth Plunge
A man sets a high sky diving record, and it makes Tom wonder if it ever will be possible to "sky" dive from outer space. But his insistance on making the attempt himself almost ruins a friendship.

5 - The Ultralight ReconoJet
The request goes out for a new high altitude reconosance aircraft. Tom wants to go for it, but a Government agency already may have pre-selected a vendor. When it come time to demonstrate a prototype, Tom must prove that his design is so superior to the other company's that Enterprises should get the contract even if the "fix" seems to already be in.

6 - The NeuroSymphony
Tom's old Junior High Schoolfaces a financial crisis, and his favorite teacher needs his help. Funding has been cut for all music programs, but a national contest to design a totally new instrument would restore classes. Although he never took band, Tom comes up with a unique solution and saves the day

7 - Damon Swift and the Mechanical Fish
The Australian Navy wants a new two-man sub, but one that looks like a large fish. It must move like a fish, sound like a fish, and even have a SONAR echo like a large fish. But, once he delivers it, the Admiral in charge is furious, his men sink it in the harbor, and Damon must prove that he delivered what they asked for.

Are you a TRY BEFORE YOU BUY sort of person?
Well, RIGHT CLICK HERE to download a PDF file of
Tom Swift and His Digital Big Eyes
.

Oh, by the way. Book number 4 is in the works
and should be finished in early 2013.
Check back!


Take me back to the main Tom Swift Invention Series page

No, actually I want to go to the Character books page

Well, perhaps I meant the Collectors Editions page

In addition to the new Tom Swift stories, I have also re-writted the first four of the
original Tom Swift series.

They may be found on this page.


Most recent update: November 12, 2012
More updates coming... Whenever my lazy butt gets in gear.
So, bear with me... if you like that sort of thing.

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