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 First UK edition | |
| Author | Jerry Pournelle |
|---|---|
| Original title | A Spaceship for the King |
| Cover artist | Peter Jones |
| Language | English |
| Series | CoDominium |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster (US) Orbit Books (UK) |
Publication date | 1980 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
King David's Spaceship is a science fiction novel by American writer Jerry Pournelle. It was originally published in 1980. Another version appeared as three-part serial in Analog as A Spaceship for the King from December 1971 to February 1972.
The novel forms part of Pournelle's Future History known as the CoDominium Series. Chronologically, it is second to last in the series, contemporaneous with events in The Mote in God's Eye.
In content it resembles Pournelle's military fiction series Falkenberg's Legion, also from the CoDominium series: both depict a capable military leader undertaking a campaign on a backward planet. In this case the leader is from a planet that has recovered technologically to the steam, steel and coal stage, who visits a planet of city states surrounded by barbarians, fighting with medieval weapons.
The story shows the conflicting motives of the different factions without demonizing any of them, save possibly the merchants' faction whose motives are to use the forces of the Imperial Space Navy to enhance their own profits.