Best Selling Books by Poul Anderson

Space explorers returning to an unrecognizable Earth after five millennia away find themselves caught up in a deadly political power game on a planet racing toward intergalactic war Five thousand years have passed since the interstellar spacecraft Explorer left Earth, and now Edward Langley and his two crewmates are returning home. The faster-than-light mission that took only a year for Langley, Matsumoto, and Blaustein has cost them the only world they ever knew. This future Earth is unrecognizable, its global society ruled by a benevolent, all-powerful computer and divided into a strict class structure of masters and slaves. Though war has been eradicated for generations, tensions between the powers on Earth and colonists on Centaurus over mineral mining are rapidly reaching a violent breaking point. The homecoming of three astronauts from the distant past should have no bearing on the present political situation. But the crewmembers did not come back alone—and the alien visitor who accompanied them holds the key to victory or total defeat. One of the most acclaimed of the Golden Age science fiction masters, Poul Anderson has written a provocative and enthralling tale of the future that incorporates his trademark blend of hard science, sociology, and humanism. At once thrilling and thought provoking, No World of Their Own is classic speculative fiction at its page-turning best, as only the incomparable Anderson could imagine it.

From the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author: “A panoramic story of what happens to a world gone super intelligent” (Astounding Science Fiction). With “wonderfully logical detail . . . exciting storytelling and moving characterization” (Anthony Boucher), science fiction master Poul Anderson explores what happens when the next stage of evolution is thrust upon humanity and animals. As Earth passes out of a magnetic field that has suppressed intelligence for eons, the mental capacity for all mammals increases exponentially, radically changing the structures of society. A mentally impaired farm worker finds himself capable of more delicate and intelligent thoughts than he ever dreamed. A young boy on holiday manages to discern the foundations of calculus before breakfast. Animals that were seen as livestock and pets can now communicate clearly with their owners and one another. And an already brilliant physics researcher now uses his boundless intellect to bring humankind to the stars—even as his wife plunges into an existential crisis. For all of them, the world will never be the same . . .

A time traveler stumbles upon a horrific plot to alter the future in this adventure from “one of science fiction’s most revered writers” (USA Today). Born with a strange genetic mutation, Jack Havig can travel backward and forward in time at will. His unique gift enables him to visit ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire, and the Wild West. He’s even seen the far future, when the ecology-minded Maurai Federation dominates a world nearly obliterated by nuclear war. Jack undertakes these voyages with one objective in mind: to find others who share his remarkable abilities. In the shadow of the Crucifixion, Jack finally achieves his goal. But a terrible darkness clouds his admission into the secretive, time-traveling organization called Eyrie when the group’s true intentions become clear. For Eyrie’s plans include an unthinkable genocide designed to irrevocably alter the destiny of humankind—and Jack is the only one who can stop it. But he won’t be able to do it alone. The prolific and remarkable Poul Anderson dazzles once again with a humanistic science fiction adventure that races across the boundaries of time. Lightning-paced and marvelously inventive, There Will Be Time is an unforgettable journey through the ages from one of the greats of twentieth-century science fiction. This ebook includes the bonus stories “Progress” and “Windmill.”

Classic SF from the Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author of The Boat of a Million Years. Thousands of years from now, after a new Ice Age has reduced our world to frozen ruins, new civilizations and cultures arise from the ice. But as the people uncover the lost technology of the past, they also rediscover war, conquest, diplomacy . . . and betrayal. Previous publisher: Signet.

A young man from the twentieth century is recruited to fight in a war that rages throughout time in this classic science fiction adventure from a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning master. College student, ex-marine, and martial artist Malcolm Lockridge is in prison awaiting his trial for murder when he receives an unexpected visit from an extraordinarily beautiful woman named Storm. Claiming to be a representative of the Wardens, a political faction from two thousand years in the future, Storm offers the astonished young man a proposition: freedom in return for his assistance in recovering an unspecified lost treasure. But it is not long before Malcolm realizes that, in truth, he’s been recruited as a soldier in the Wardens’ ongoing war against their rivals, the Rangers. And this war is different from any that has ever been fought, because the battlefield is not a place but time itself. Traveling backward and forward through corridors connecting historical epochs separated by thousands of years, Malcolm is soon embroiled in a furious conflict between the forces of good and minions of evil. But the deeper he is pulled into this devastating time war, the clearer Malcolm’s ultimate role in humankind’s destiny becomes, causing the troubled young soldier from the twentieth century to question whether he’s been chosen to fight on the side of good or evil . . . and if such a distinction even exists.

An intergalactic privateer resolves to rescue a human space colony taken captive by alien aggressors An outpost located at the edge of the galaxy, New Europe has been overrun by the Aleriona, a hostile alien race that resents humanity’s incursion into deep space. Fearing a wider war, the World Federation on Earth is hesitant to respond to the outrage, especially since the invaders claim the colonists have already been killed. But ex–navy captain Gunnar Heim refuses to believe there’s no one left—and he’s convinced that what happened to New Europe is only the beginning of the Aleriona’s intergalactic aggression. The cowardly Terran government refusing to act, Gunnar takes matters into his own hands. Assembling a crew of able volunteers, he prepares to pilot the spaceship Star Fox and confront a relentless foe light years from Earth. Nominated for the Nebula Award, The Star Fox is a magnificent space opera adventure that confirms Poul Anderson’s standing as one of the premier science fiction authors of the twentieth century—not only a contemporary of such luminaries as Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, and Clarke, but every bit their equal.

This Hugo Award finalist, “justifiably regarded as a classic” (SFReviews.net), is the tale of an epic space voyage where time dilation goes horribly wrong. Aboard the spacecraft Leonora Christine, fifty crewmembers, half men and half women, have embarked on a journey of discovery like no other to a planet thirty light-years away. Since their ship is not capable of traveling faster than light, the crew will be subject to the effects of time dilation and relativity. They will age five years on board the ship before reaching their destination, but thirty-three years will pass on Earth. Experienced scientists and researchers, they have come to terms with the time conditions of their space travel. Until . . . the Leonora Christine passes through an uncharted nebula, which damages the engine, making it impossible to decelerate the ship on the second half of their trip. To survive, the crewmembers have no choice but to bypass their destination and continue to accelerate toward the speed of light. But how will they keep hope alive and maintain order as they hurtle deeper into space with time passing more and more rapidly, and their ultimate fate unknown? With its combination of mind-blowing hard science and compelling human drama, Tau Zero is “the ultimate hard science novel” (Mike Resnick).

The only survivors of an annihilated human race must find one another somewhere in the cosmos and unite to destroy the alien aggressors who obliterated the Earth in this classic science fiction adventure After a three-year mission, the American starship Benjamin Franklin and its all-male crew have returned to Earth, only to discover the planet is dead, a blackened shell devoid of life. It is clear that one of a trio of alien species engineered the holocaust, but which? When the captain of the Franklin falters, engineer Carl Donnan is forced to take command of the ship. The future of what remains of the human race is in his hands. Donnan’s first priority is to escape with his crewmates; the second is to find out if there are other human survivors somewhere among the stars—unbeknownst to Donnan and the three hundred men now under his charge, the female crew of the Europa also survived the genocide—and the third is to seek vengeance, for the alien annihilators will not rest until their task is completed. If the last men and women in the galaxy do not identify and destroy their enemy, there will be no place in the universe to hide. The winner of three Nebulas, seven Hugos, and numerous other awards over the course of his illustrious career, science fiction Grand Master Poul Anderson has written a magnificent adventure of courage and survival in the wake of the unthinkable, demonstrating once again why he is considered one of the brightest literary lights to shine during the Golden Age of Asimov, Heinlein, and Bradbury.

Transported to a medieval realm of magic and myth, a World War II resistance fighter undertakes a perilous quest in this classic fantasy adventure. Holger Carlsen is a rational man of science. A Danish engineer working with the Resistance to defeat the Nazis, he is wounded during an engagement with the enemy and awakens in an unfamiliar parallel universe where the forces of Law are locked in eternal combat with the forces of Chaos. Against a medieval backdrop, brave knights must take up arms against magical creatures of myth and faerie, battling dragons, trolls, werewolves, and giants. Though Holger has no recollection of this world, he discovers he is already well-known throughout the lands, a hero revered as a Champion of Law. He finds weaponry and armor awaiting him—precisely fitted to his form—and a shield with three hearts and three lions emblazoned upon it. As he journeys through a realm filled with wonders in search of the key to his past, Holger will call upon the scientific knowledge of his home dimension, the destinies of both worlds hanging in the balance. Before Thomas Covenant, Roger Zelazny’s Amber, and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the great Poul Anderson introduced readers to the Middle World and the legendary hero Ogier the Dane. Inventive and exciting, Three Hearts and Three Lions is a foray into fantasy that employs touches of science fiction from an award-winning master of the speculative.

On a post-nuclear Earth, visionaries who dream of reaching for the stars attempt to revive the forbidden technology that destroyed their world. “One of science fiction’s most influential and prolific writers.” —The Daily Telegraph Centuries ago, humankind was nearly destroyed in a nuclear apocalypse. Many generations have passed since that terrible time, and the remnants of civilization have re-formed into separate, vastly different societies. The dominant culture of a widely diminished Earth, the ecologically sensitive Maurai hold fast to their belief that “non-green” science is an unacceptable evil. But the reborn dream of space flight harbored by a forward-thinking few could herald the revival of the nuclear technology that once ravaged the planet and its people—and the powerful Maurai Federation will take every step necessary, no matter how drastic, to prevent doomsday from dawning again. An enthralling work of speculative fiction from a winner of the Nebula and Hugo Awards, Orion Shall Rise is a feat of world-building and a sobering view of tomorrow by one of the twentieth century’s most revered science fiction masters. Poul Anderson’s monumental tale combines science, anthropology, philosophy, and global politics with breathtaking action and adventure, offering an ingeniously unique and provocative vision of humankind’s all-too-possible destiny. This ebook includes the bonus story “The Sky People.” Praise for Poul Anderson “Anderson has produced more milestones in contemporary science fiction and fantasy than any one man is entitled to.” —Stephen Donaldson “Anderson, far more than many newer science fiction writers, takes the trouble to envision a genuinely strange, complex future for mankind.” —The Washington Post

This classic from science fiction’s Golden Age envisions a primitive future where only the forbidden technology of the past can save an endangered tribe from violent extinction Five centuries into the future, America is no longer what it used to be. Many generations after the old civilization was consumed in a nuclear firestorm, the few survivors have returned to a simple, agrarian lifestyle and eschew the malevolent “magic” of science that brought about “the Doom.” When the Dalesmen of the Alleghenies are threatened by the hostile Lann descending from the North, their chieftain’s son, Carl, is dispatched to the blasted ruins of an ancient city to trade for metal and weapons. However, something extraordinary awaits him in this feared and forbidden place: a time capsule from the twentieth century containing the essential scientific and technological information of a lost society. Carl knows his discovery can help rescue the Dalesmen’s homes and farms. But the law is unbending in this age of superstition—and if the chieftain’s son returns this forbidden knowledge to his people, the tribal Doctors will surely put him to death. One of Poul Anderson’s earliest science fiction masterworks, Vault of the Ages is at once a riveting tale of adventure and a deeply human story of duty and destiny offering a stunning vision of an all-too-possible future.

A fascinating ''what if novel, Brainwave is an exploration into the ways human society is organized and the assumptions that are made about how life is valued. It is also a novel about equality and what happens when the hierarchical structures by which we arrange our daily lives disappear.

Four explorers from different backgrounds are marooned in space—and must unite to escape their floating prison—in this novel by a Nebula Award winner. In the twenty-third century, when humankind has spread itself throughout the cosmos, with many intergalactic colonies teetering on the brink of open revolt against the hated ruling Protectorate, a team of four is transported by a miraculous technology onto the deep-space vessel Southern Cross. Hailing from vastly different backgrounds, philosophies, and worlds, Ryerson, Nakamura, Sverdlov, and Maclaren have been entrusted to explore a long-dead star located light-years beyond where humanity has previously traveled. But venturing too close to the target proves disastrous when the black sun’s magnetic field permanently obliterates their only means of returning home. Suddenly, four strangers, two hailing from a privileged Earth and two from oppressed galactic colonies, must put aside their differences and work together to somehow find a way out of an impossible situation before time runs out, or die together at the farthest edge of a cold and merciless universe. A remarkably thoughtful and profoundly moving novel of survival in the darkest reaches of outer space, The Enemy Stars is a work of great power and insight by multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner Poul Anderson, one of the legendary greats of golden-age science fiction.

In this classic science fiction adventure, a fiery doomsday threatens an alien world—and the human colonists who have made it their home. Firetime is coming to Ishtar. This once-in-a-millennium event occurs when one of the planet’s three suns encroaches on Ishtar’s surface, to disastrous effect. The nightmare rapidly approaching, barbaric tribes have declared war on their more civilized brethren in hopes of avoiding a natural extermination. Standing between the opposing forces are the colonists who settled on Ishtar after abandoning their home planet, Earth. But in this time of chaos and destruction, there is little the humans can do to aid their Ishtarian allies in the desperate fight for survival. The Terran powers, engaged in their own terrible conflict with a hostile alien race, will offer no help to the endangered planet. With a fiery doomsday on the way, the humans can do nothing but watch and wait—and pray for a miracle that will forestall the inevitable apocalypse. A stunning work of speculative invention from one of the all-time masters of science fiction and fantasy, Poul Anderson’s classic Fire Time is a richly imagined tale of war, alien contact, and environmental catastrophe that brilliantly questions the concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, and heroism and villainy.

From the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Grandmaster, a new novel of classic science fiction adventure Mystery, discovery, and wonder on a cosmic scale are the core of Anderson’s latest novel. Lissa, a human Earth woman, and her partner, “Karl,” a giant alien academic who resembles Tyrannosaurs—are interstellar archaeologists investigating the remote and uncharted planet Jonna. There, they seem to have hit the jackpot. For on that distant world they’ve discovered an immense artifact that may have been left by the mysterious beings called the Forerunners. This race predated all the known cultures in the starfaring galaxy and vanished long before any other intelligent species had taken to the stars. But Lissa and Karl aren’t the first to have made the discovery on Jonna. On the far-off world the archaeologists cross paths with the two freebooters whose plans for motives towards the arcane object are not purely scientific. Their discovery may be the best preserved relic of the ancient beings yet found. Other artifacts from the Forerunners—once reverse engineers—have revolutionized entire fields of technology, reaping huge financial rewards. If the same holds true for this newest discovery, Lissa realizes, only she and Karl stand between the seemingly friendly freebooters and what could be the treasure of a lifetime.

A mesmerizing tale of adventure and romance: An anomaly of time transports a twentieth-century man backward through history toward the greatest catastrophe the world has ever known Looking out over the Pacific Ocean from the deck of a luxury cruise liner, American architect Duncan Reid is suddenly caught up in an inexplicable event—and when he awakens he is somewhere . . . different. Duncan has inadvertently fallen victim to a fatally malfunctioning time machine from the future, along with three equally startled companions from vastly different epochs and civilizations, and now he stands with them on the rocky Mediterranean coast of Egypt in the year 4000 BCE. With the aid of miraculous technology supplied by the dying time machine, the displaced four are able to communicate and share their stories, the most startling being the tale told by the one woman among them, the bewitching Erissa. Only decades removed from her actual time, she claims to be a priestess from Atlantis who views Duncan as a god, and she represents perhaps their only hope of returning to their rightful eras. But to do so will entail immersing themselves in the savage turmoil of an ancient world and placing themselves in harm’s way on the eve of the most terrible devastation in human history. A true giant of twentieth-century fantasy and science fiction, multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner Poul Anderson astounds once more with a powerful adventure through history and legend that set a towering standard for time travel fiction.

Now in trade paperback, the landmark epic by one of the greatest SF writers of the century

FICTION-SCIENCE FICTION

Nebula and World Fantasy Award Finalist: A fantastic tale of intrigue, love, war, magic, and swashbuckling adventure set in an alternate universe where fairies mingle freely with Englishmen and all of Shakespeare’s fictional characters are real Welcome to an alternate civil-war-torn seventeenth-century England—a world where Hamlet once brooded and Othello jealously raged. Here faeries and sprites gambol in English woods, railroads race across the landscape while manned balloons float above the countryside, and the most respected historian of all is one William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. The year is 1644, and the war between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers rages. When Rupert, nephew of King Charles I, is taken captive by Cromwell’s troops and imprisoned in a Puritan home, he is immediately smitten with the beautiful Jennifer Alayne, his captor’s niece. Escaping with the help of his newfound beloved and the loyal trooper Will Fairweather, Rupert leads Jennifer deep into the forest, where the faerie folk who dwell there have a vested interest in the outcome of the great and bloody conflict. Though the lovers must soon part—with the prince undertaking a dangerous mission for his magical benefactors that could turn the tide of war—Rupert and his lady love will be forever joined by the rings presented to them by King Oberon and Queen Titania. And despite the strange, twisting pathways and turbulent seas they are destined to encounter, they will always be able to find each other again . . . as long as their love remains true. Nominated for the World Fantasy Award and winner of the Mythopoeic Award, Poul Anderson’s A Midsummer Tempest is a titanic achievement—a delightful alternate-history fantasy that brings the fictional worlds of Shakespeare’s plays to breathtaking life with style, wit, and unparalleled imagination.

In the year of grace 1345, as Sir Roger Baron de Tourneville is gathering an army to join King Edward III in the war against France, a most astonishing event occurs: a huge silver ship descends through the sky and lands in a pasture beside the little village of Ansby in northeastern Lincolnshire. The Wersgorix, whose scouting ship it is, are quite expert at taking over planets, and having determined from orbit that this one was suitable, they initiate standard world-conquering procedure. Ah, but this time it''s no mere primitives the Wersgorix seek to enslave¾they''ve launched their invasion against free Englishmen! In the end, only one alien is left alive¾and Sir Roger''s grand vision is born. He intends for the creature to fly the ship first to France to aid his King, then on to the Holy Land to vanquish the infidel. Unfortunately, he has not allowed for the treachery of the alien pilot, who instead takes the craft to his home planet, where, he thinks, these upstart barbarians will have no choice but to surrender. But that knavish alien little understands the indomitable will and clever resourcefulness of Englishmen, no matter how great the odds against them... At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Bold and ruthless, he was famed throughout the System as a big-game hunter. From the firedrakes of Mercury to the ice-crawlers of Pluto, he’d slain them all. But his trophy-room lacked one item; and now Riordan swore he’d bag the forbidden game that roamed the red deserts . . . a Martian!

The Sensitive Man is one of science fiction scribe Poul Anderson''s novels about the Psychotechnic Institute and its members, many of whom possess extraordinary extrasensory powers. In this installment, prominent member Michael Tighe has been snatched by a power-hungry politician who is part of a fascist group called the Actionists. Will Tighe''s friends and family be able to rescue him in time?

Seeking freedom from their oppressive government on Earth, a ragtag group of idealists embark on a perilous journey to found a new world light-years from home On a future Earth, gone are the halcyon days of the early space program, when the universe held endless promise and excitement. Overcrowded, ruled by a corrupt autocracy, and plagued by vast economic inequalities, life on Earth has become nightmarish, and the promise of a world beyond the planet is diminishing rapidly as the government begins shuttering its interstellar efforts. But for a small band of rebels called Constitutionalists, escaping into the vast universe beyond is the only hope. And so off they set for a distant planet where they can start over, building a new society on the principle of liberty, testing the very limits of human capability. Their years-long trip is not without its tribulations, from internecine conflict on the ship to ambiguous pleas from Earth to return. Their destination, an Earth-like planet called Rustum, is twenty light-years away, and through every treacherous moment of the journey they know that their most harrowing trials are yet to come when they finally reach their new home. The story of Rustum and the Constitutionalists who settled there continues in New America.

A spaceship engineer held captive by would-be revolutionaries plots a daring escape in a rocket constructed of odds and ends and powered by beer in this hilarious romp from a master of golden-age speculative fiction The last thing the crew of the Mercury Girl expected to find on the terraformed worldlet known as Grendel was a band of Irish revolutionaries. As far as the ship’s engineer, Knud Axel Syrup, is concerned, being taken prisoner by the more-than-slightly-nutty Shamrock League Irredentist Expeditionary Force could be a lot worse. At least there’s plenty of cold brew available to keep him occupied . . . and more than a little tipsy. But these crazed Fenians are spoiling for a fight, and the last thing Syrup needs is to get caught in the middle of a war between the Shamrocks and their sworn rivals, the Anglians. Luckily Syrup has a plan. With the help of a somewhat-ditzy dancer named Emily and an alien in six-legged lederhosen, he intends to pull off a daring escape from the miniplanet in a spaceship constructed of pretzel boxes, old bicycle parts, and anything else he finds lying around, trusting their liftoff to the considerable propulsive power of beer. Multiple award winner Poul Anderson is one of science fiction’s most respected maestros, and here he displays another side of his creative genius with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. Hilarious, outrageous, and delightfully imaginative, The Makeshift Rocket is a wonderfully wild and wacky romp through a very different cosmos with one of the genre’s best pilots at the controls.

In "Murder in Black Letter," Poul Anderson intricately weaves a tale of intrigue set in the richly imagined world of medieval science fiction. The narrative centers around the brutal murder of a prominent scholar, unleashing a cascade of political ramifications and dark secrets among the protagonists. Anderson''s literary style in this novella is characterized by meticulous world-building and complex character development, complemented by his trademark blend of speculative elements and nuanced social commentary. The intricacy of the plot is matched by a gripping pace, inviting readers to unravel the mystery while contemplating larger themes of knowledge, power, and morality. Poul Anderson was a prolific author whose ventures into science fiction and fantasy have rendered him a cornerstone of the genre. His academic background in mathematics and science shapes his meticulous storytelling approach, effectively marrying technical plausibility with rich narrative. "Murder in Black Letter" reflects Anderson''s fascination with the interplay between intellect and ethics, suggesting that his own intellectual pursuits play a significant role in the creation of this compelling work. This novella is highly recommended for readers who enjoy a masterfully crafted mystery with speculative underpinnings. Anderson''s unique ability to blend genres and present moral dilemmas will captivate not only aficionados of mystery but also those intrigued by the philosophical questions it raises. Prepare to be enthralled by a narrative that challenges perceptions and invites deep reflection.

Dominic Flandry, captain of Terran intelligence during a galactic war, must ambush and capture a telepath who not only knows what everyone is thinking nearby, but can read minds at a distance.

Forget minor hazards such as the H-Bomb. The discovery of time travel means that everything we know, anyone we know, might not only vanish, but never even have existed. Against that possibility stand the men and women of the Time Patrol, dedicated to preserving the history they know and protecting the future from fanatics, terrorists, and would-be dictators who would remold the shape of reality to suit their own purposes. Manse Everard, the Patrol''s finest temporal trouble-shooter, bears a heavy burden. The fabric of history is stained with human blood and suffering which he cannot, must not do anything to alleviate, lest his tampering bring disastrous alterations in future time. Everard must leave the horrors of the past in place, lest his tampering - or that of the Patrol''s opponents, the Exaltationists - erase all hope of a better future, and instead bring about a future filled with greater horrors than any recorded by past history at its darkest and most foul.

“Readers bored with Tolkien-clone fantasies will be enthralled by the intricately detailed world and characters Anderson brings to life here.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review The Grand Master of Science Fiction delivers “a Dark Age saga based on Old Scandinavian mythology and the exploits of the legendary Danish King Hadding . . . A brilliantly accomplished yarn” (Kirkus Reviews). In a scheme arranged by the god Odin, Hadding is born to King Gram Skjoldung of Denmark but is sent to be raised by giants for his own safety. After his father is murdered, Hadding must claim his destiny. Prey to the follies of humans and gods, he rises to the challenges of war, fate, and love in a mythic adventure “episodic in character, gory in detail, fatalistic in atmosphere, and spiked with sinister, chthonic Norse magic” (Interzone). “War of the Gods struck me like a hammer-bolt out of the sky.” —Black Gate Praise for Poul Anderson “Anderson has produced more milestones in contemporary science fiction and fantasy than any one man is entitled to.” —Stephen Donaldson “One of science fiction’s most revered writers.” —USA Today “The great canvas of interstellar space comes alive under Anderson’s hand as it does under no other.” —Gordon R. Dickson “One of science fiction’s most influential and prolific writers.” —The Daily Telegraph

On a planet settled by women, the descendants have long awaited the arrival of mysterious people called "men". But when one arrives, he is nothing like the godlike beings of their legends. Obviously, he is an alien space monster, and must be eliminated.

Ace Lieutenant Dominic Flandry was not a man easily swayed from his duty to the Empire; not, that is, until galactic vice king Leon Ammon offered him a million-credit bribe, a voluptuous woman called Djana, and a chance to explore a dark and treasure-laden moon. Yet within the desolate peaks and valleys of that strange world of ice and shadows, Flandry found more than he had bargained for. Supposedly barren, the planet swarmed with a hideous race of strange, inhuman creatures, infernally controlled by a deranged and brilliant computer brain. Each, like a piece in a bizarre and vicious chess game, was programmed to kill. And although Flandry did not know it - so was the woman he loved.