Joe Mauser Series by Mack Reynolds

In any status-hungry culture, the level a man is assigned depends on what people think he is -- not on what he is. And that, of course, means that only the deliberately phony has real status

It's a crooked road to world peace...but it works. Warfare between nations has been banned. Taking its place are the Corporate Wars -- full-scale battles between mercenary armies hired by large corporations, ostensibly to settle trade disputes. But the wars are also free entertainment for the masses. In a world where most jobs have been taken over by automation, free tranquilizers have to be issued to the vast lower class to keep them subdued... moreIt's a crooked road to world peace...but it works. Warfare between nations has been banned. Taking its place are the Corporate Wars -- full-scale battles between mercenary armies hired by large corporations, ostensibly to settle trade disputes. But the wars are also free entertainment for the masses. In a world where most jobs have been taken over by automation, free tranquilizers have to be issued to the vast lower class to keep them subdued. The Corporate Wars offer what little excitement their lives hold; deadly serious fighting action -- live and in color.But when you play with armies, you play with fire. The world's leaders seem to have forgotten that...but Joe Mauser hasn't! less

In the 21st Century the face of war had changed. Atomic weapons -- out! Bazookas and rockets—nyet! Machine guns—maybe. The newest secret weapon—gliders! East and West had managed an uneasy truce in the arms race by banning ail weapons developed before 1900—and restricting wars to local disputes between corporations or companies and unions... moreIn the 21st Century the face of war had changed. Atomic weapons -- out! Bazookas and rockets—nyet! Machine guns—maybe. The newest secret weapon—gliders! East and West had managed an uneasy truce in the arms race by banning ail weapons developed before 1900—and restricting wars to local disputes between corporations or companies and unions. It was a crazy way of doing things, but it worked—until an ambitious Major upset the apple cart, and threw the world's peace into deadly peril!In this exciting picture of the next century, veteran science-fiction writer MACK REYNOLDS combines mastery of a unique setting with a fast-action story of combat and intrigue. less

GUNS WERE ILLEGAL Unless you were a member of Category Military, no one on Earth could own a gun. So who was shooting at Joe Mauser? And why? He'd been a mercenary, but he'd been thrown out when he saved Field Marshal Cogswell's life. Whose enemies were after him now - his own, or Cogswell's? In a world where the computers kept track of you, Mauser had to disappear - and stay alive long enough to reach the Field Marshal!