He wrote a bunch of stuff, all of it quite readable, most of it published in Astounding Science Fiction magazine (later renamed to Analog Science Fiction). One of his best novels was Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, a parallel universe story. The action takes place in a medieval alternate universe where the priests of Styphon’s house have maintained a monopoly on gunpowder, fireseed to call it what the natives call it. Only Styphon’s house knows how to make gunpowder, and should a kingdom care to make war, they have to get Styphon’s House to support them if the want to win. Into this universe a Pennsylvania State Policemen from our universe, name of Calvin Morrison, gets tossed. Calvin knows the formula for gunpowder, and the war with Syphon’s house is on.
Piper’s other great novel is Space Viking, about a far future universe where constant space borne warfare has created some really broken down planets. Lucas Trask buys a large nuclear powered space war craft and sets out to shape up the broken down parts of the universe. It’s a good read.
Both of these are older stories, out of print by now. You can probably find them on the net, or in a good municipal library, or in any second hand bookstores that may still be left in business.
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