Search Worlds Without End

When it comes to big dreams and schemes, young Chuck Lambert would give Walter Mitty a run for his money. In fact, Chuck's biggest dream of all is really out of this world. Because he's got his eyes on a prize in the sky. Chuck wants to buy a planet of his own....

Madman Murphy, the King of Planetary Realtors, is more than happy to oblige. He's got a whole galaxy of planets for sale. All Chuck needs is money ... and a lot of it. Eleven years later, saving every penny he can scrape up, Chuck's dream comes true. He takes possession and takes off for Planet 19453X....

One problem: Madman Murphy has sold Chuck a world of trouble. Because on Planet 19453X the water is undrinkable, the air is unbreathable, and the laws of physics don't apply. Has Chuck's dream turned into a nightmare? Not quite. As he's about to discover, sometimes, to fulfill your true desire, it's simply a matter of digging a little deeper....

By the time A Matter of Matter appeared in 1949, L. Ron Hubbard's stature as a writer was well established. As author and critic Robert Silverberg puts it: he had become a "master of the art of narrative." Hubbard's editors urged him to apply his gift for succinct characterization, original plot, deft pacing and imaginative action to the genre of science fiction and fantasy. The rest is Sci-Fi history.

Also includes the science fiction adventures, "The Conroy Diary," in which the man who opens up the universe to mankind also opens himself to charges of fraud and tax evasion; The "Obsolete Weapon", the story of an American GI involved in the 1943 invasion of Italy who slips back in time and finds himself fighting a different kind of battle--as a gladiator in ancient Rome; and "The Planet Makers", in which a great deal is at stake for the engineers who make planets habitable, but one of them has a surprising plan all his own.

Boldly go to times where no one has gone before.

While transporting a contraband Russian time machine and developmental weaponry, Private Everett Dumphee finds himself cast into new settings when the device suddenly activates.

What follows are fantastic high-tech experiences that might be called the ultimate off-road adventure. For the determined Dumphee--narrowly escaping with his life and three beautiful women--it is not necessarily a matter of will he make his destination, but when.

These four vivid characters trek through this fun and fast-moving journey like there's no tomorrow. Wherever that may be in A Very Strange Trip.

In the year A.D. 3000, Earth is a dystopian wasteland, plundered of its natural resources by alien invaders known as Psychlos. Fewer than thirty-five thousand humans survive in a handful of communities scattered across the face of a post-apocalyptic Earth.

From the ashes of humanity rises a young hero, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler. Setting off on an initial quest to discover a hidden evil, Jonnie unlocks the mystery of humanity’s demise and unearths a crucial weakness in their oppressors. Spreading the seeds of revolt, Jonnie and a small band of survivors pit their quest for freedom in an all-out rebellion that erupts across the continents of Earth and the cosmic sprawl of the Psychlo empire, making it one of the best space opera books of our time.

For the fate of the Galaxy lies on the Battlefield of Earth.

Firsten Guide is a tough, wise-cracking rebel leader who's light years ahead of his time--and about to lead his crew into a battle that's Beyond All Weapons.

He and his fellow colonizers of Mars have faced a brutal crackdown engineered by Earth's tyrannical government. But the resourceful Firsten has developed an extraordinary new fuel that enables him and his hardy band to escape into space--and time.

Escape, however, is not enough. Firsten wants revenge. But the universe is full of unexpected twists and turns. Just as Prometheus flew too close to the sun, Firsten will soon discover that when you attempt to break the laws of physics, you can get burned.

Also includes the science fiction adventures "Strain," the story of a space war's brutality and one man's struggle to keep a secret under the pain of torture; and "The Invaders," in which the distant crystal mines are under attack until a technician crystallizes a unique strategy to undermine the attackers.

Contents:

• Beyond All Weapons - (1950) - short story
• Strain - (1942) - short story
• The Invaders - (1942) - novelette

Fortune hunter Billy Newman is not a man of great strength or physical courage. Like a young Johnny Depp, he gets by on his wit, wiles and good looks. And he's had quite a good run--striking gold in the Philippines and buying his very own island in the South Seas....

But there's trouble in paradise, and Billy's in the thick of it; The island's crops are failing; The island's people are dying; And the island's owner--Billy--is taking the heat; Why? Because he's angered the 75-foot-tall big-boss god of the island.

75-foot tall? To Billy, it's a laughable superstition--until he finds out just how serious the islanders are. They're out to sacrifice a beautiful young woman to the supposed god. The only way Billy can save her is to humor the locals and pretend to take the spirit on. But the joke may be on Billy, as he has to screw up some very real courage to face the very real Danger in the Dark.

Hubbard lived on Guam in 1927, while his father was assigned to the US naval station there. In his journals he describes a local superstition: the great cheese ghost named Tadamona. He wrote that the devil had the shape of a man, attained the height of coconut trees and was the cause behind all sickness and disease. To dispel the superstition, Ron descended into Tadamona's supposed abode, a great underground stream--an encounter reflected in Danger in the Dark.

Includes the fantasy adventures "The Room", in which Uncle Toby goes to his room, never to return, leaving it to his nephew to explore the magic and mystery of the place, and "He Didn't Like Cats", the story of one man's feline phobia and the hauntingly high price he pays for it.

THE GOD PROTECT THOSE WHO SERVE

Flight Lieutenant Clayton McLean had bailed out of his burning plane...but the chute failed to open! No one could have survived such an experience, yet McLean did.

It was but the first of many such impossible excapes from certain death for the Lieutenant... and each time he was spared, someone else died.

By the time McLean realized what was happening to him, and what ruthless powers protected him, it was too late. He was a man who wanted desperately to die - but knew he could not...

London 1975. The World War is grinding to a halt. A force more sinister than Hitler's Nazi regime has seized control of Europe and is systematically destroying every adversary. Ordered by his superiors to return to British Headquarters, located in a vast underground fortress, "the Lieutenant" is torn between abiding by military codes and doing what he knows is right for his country.

Is Greed good? The future of Earth and all of mankind may hang on that one question. And George Marquis Lorrilard--a space-age ace-pilot, adventurer, and fortune-hunter--is just the man to answer it.

The world is divided between Asia and the United Continents--two great superpowers locked in eternal warfare. But the balance of power is about to shift in Asia's favor. They have developed a top-secret weapon--the cohesion projector--that could lead to annihilation on an unprecedented scale.

But as far as Lorrilard is concerned, the number one problem with the projector is that it stands in the way of his profits. Can he find a way to subvert the powerful weapon and resume his enterprising exploits? For millions of people on Earth survival may ultimately depend on the power of one man's Greed.

Also includes the science fiction adventures, "The Final Enemy," in which Earth discovers it faces a distant, yet devastating new foe, the identity of which is the most shocking blow of all; and "The Automagic Horse," the story of a Hollywood special effects wizard who is about to apply his movie magic to a project that is out of this world.

Contents:

• vii - Foreword: Stories from Pulp Fiction's Golden Age - (2008) - essay by Kevin J. Anderson
• 1 - Greed - (1950) - short story
• 31 - Final Enemy - (1950) - short story
• 49 - The Automagic Horse - (1949) - novelette
• 60 - The Automagic Horse - (1949) - interior artwork by Edd Cartier
• 71 - The Automagic Horse [2] - (1949) - interior artwork by Edd Cartier
• 80 - The Automagic Horse [3] - (1949) - interior artwork by Edd Cartier
• 111 - Glossary (Greed) - essay by uncredited
• 121 - L. Ron Hubbard in the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction - (2009) - essay by uncredited
• 133 - The Stories from the Golden Age (bibliography) - (2008) - essay by uncredited

Does size matter? Is bigger better? That's no small question to Tom Little--the circus midget with giant dreams.

Tom may be king of the midgets, but he's got far grander ambitions--to become the muscleman at the top, the ringmaster. Now, drawing on some dark ancient secrets and mystic texts, he's about to get his wish.

Assuming another man's identity, Tom discovers he must also take on his sins, debts, and enemies. He may be living large--but now there are those who want to make him pay for the big man's sins.

Also includes "The Last Drop," an astounding tale of a New York bartender who mixes some very magical drinks--to amazing effect.

Contents:

• vii - Foreword: Stories from Pulp Fiction's Golden Age - (2008) - essay by Kevin J. Anderson
• 1 - If I Were You - (1940) - short fiction
• 9 - If I Were You - (1940) - interior artwork by uncredited
• 53 - If I Were You [2] - (1940) - interior artwork by uncredited
• 61 - The Last Drop - (1941) - short fiction by L. Sprague de Camp and L. Ron Hubbard
• 71 - The Last Drop - (1941) - interior artwork by uncredited
• 97 - Glossary (If I Were You) - essay by uncredited
• 106 - "In writing an adventure story..." - (unknown) - essay
• 107 - L. Ron Hubbard and American Pulp Fiction - (unknown) - essay by uncredited

Renowned throughout the universe...

A star among the stars...

A timeless hero whose time is now...

Ole Doc Methuselah is his name, and saving the universe is his game.

He may be a touch absent-minded, a tad disorganized, with a slight tendency to lose all perspective in the presence of an attractive woman... but when it comes to saviors of the universe, you take what you can get.

And what you get with Ole Doc Methuselah--the most famous member of the most elite organization in the universe, the Soldiers of Light--is action, spectacle, mystery, and plenty of laughs along the way.

With his razor-sharp scalpel, hypodermic needles, and doctor's bag of tricks, he journeys to the far corners of the cosmos, vowing to cut out the corruption, confront the cruelty, and contain the warped psychology that plagues mankind--and all other kinds out there.

Yes, there is intelligent life in the universe after all. You'll find it in Ole Doc Methuselah. So if you're looking for an adventure to remember, this is just what the doctor ordered.

Contents:

• [iii] - Foreword - essay by uncredited
• 1 - Ole Doc Methuselah - (1947) - novelette
• 36 - Her Majesty's Aberration - (1948) - short story
• 52 - The Expensive Slaves - (1947) - short story
• 66 - The Great Air Monopoly - (1948) - novelette
• 98 - Plague - (1949) - novelette
• 126 - A Sound Investment - (1949) - novelette
• 150 - Ole Mother Methuselah - (1950) - novelette

Things are disappearing. Parts of buildings, parts of people, parts of the whole world--they're here today, gone tomorrow. Old Shellback--a character as crazy-smart as Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future--thinks he needs glasses. But all he really has to do is open his eyes... and see the light.

Or so says George Smiley--otherwise known as the Messiah. George claims that the reason things are vanishing is because he wants them to go away. He has no more use for the world... and so it goes. Say goodbye. But Old Shellback has a different idea, and since he is the most stubborn man in the universe, you might want to hear him out.

What's Shellback's idea? That two can play at this game. While George is making this world disappear, Old Shellback will make another one appear. Join him on an amazing odyssey--as he heads back to a future of his own making.

By the spring of 1938, Hubbard's stature as a writer was well established. As author and critic Robert Silverberg puts it: he had become a "master of the art of narrative." Hubbard's editors urged him to apply his gift for succinct characterization, original plot, deft pacing and imaginative action to a genre that was new, and essentially foreign, to him--science fiction and fantasy. The rest is Sci-Fi history.

Also includes the Science Fiction adventures "A Can of Vacuum," in which a practical joke on a space station proves that a good sense of humor is timeless, and "240,000 Miles Straight Up," the thrilling story of a race to the moon... and the one man who may be able to save the earth from Armageddon.

Set in an uncertain, strife-torn future when the first starships of man are traveling across the galaxy--but not without extracting a terrible price from their crews.

The novel's thought-provoking opening line, "Space is deep, Man is small and Time is his relentless enemy," powerfully captures the challenges facing the brave men and women of these vessels--people who must give up their former lives to explore space as entire generations and whole societies come and go on Earth, while those aboard remain essentially untouched by the passage of time in a vessel traveling at nearly the speed of light.

This immersing, remarkably ruthless drama begins when Alan Corday, a naively unseasoned but brialliant young engineer, is shanghaied from the spaceport at New Chicago and taken aboard the "Hound of Heaven"--bound for the stars.

Commanded by a distantly mysterious but charismatic leader by the name of Captain Jocelyn, the "Hound" traverses teh galaxy in an effort to keep a lifeline between Earth and the first colonies in other star systems. But in the time span of a few crossings, conditions on Earth grow gradually worse and more dangerous, while those aboard are increasingly treated as outcasts and a threat to the powers that control the planet.

Against his will, Corday is mercilessly driven by Jocelyn to use his untested intellect and abilities to serve the ship and the beleaguered space colonies. But as events unfold among the turbulent reaches of the galaxy, and during the perilous returns to Earth, Corday discovers a startling truth about his destiny that will give a whole new meaning to man's place in the stars.

Jules didn't want to be a necromancer. In fact he shoudn't have been one - particularly after he mixed, half and half - wrong halves at that! - the formula for reviving and restoring corpses and the formula for winning friends and influencing people.

Farmer Eben Smith is fed up with big government telling him how to run his life and his business. They pay him to bury his crops while folks starve in the streets, and he's not going to take it anymore. He's declaring his independence, loading up his fruits and vegetables, and heading for the city to wheel and deal....

But before he can trade in his turnips, Eben'll have to deal with something bigger--a break in the space/time continuum. He's at The Crossroads, where reality is turned upside-down and inside out. And before it's over, he'll turn his turnips into liquor, and the liquor into guns and gold, as he plunges into strange new worlds... finding ways to wreak havoc in all of them.

Also includes the fantasy adventures, "Borrowed Glory," the haunting story of two immortals who wager on two mortals given a single day of love... a wager that leads to heartbreak and tragedy; and "The Devil's Rescue" based on the legend of The Flying Dutchman, in which the sole survivor of a disaster at sea is "rescued" by the devil himself and finds that fate rests on a roll of the dice.

Contents:

• The Crossroads - (1941) - novelette
• Borrowed Glory - (1941) - short story
• The Devil's Rescue - (1940) - short story

WWII intelligence officer Charles Martel, jailed in Leavenworth for bucking insane post war politicians with a new world order agenda, is "freed" by the chaos of WW III. Gathering haggard forces across 3 continents he unleashes an unlimited source of useful energy in a redoubt in the Atlas Mountains of Morrocco. Who will gather around him to fight to rebuild civilization from the post WW III fascism that has gripped the world? Could it be those the fascists depend on most? The captive brains who try to steal the secret of his energy source blow themselves and half their cities up. What happens when open and unstoppable communication of human rights and real values invades through the airwaves?

"Irish" is a bellhop at the Burton Hotel in New York whose curiosity continually lands him in the maximum amount of trouble. When the evil and exotic looking ghoul checks in at The Burton and Irish delivers a large chest seeming to contain nothing but air to this foul looking stranger's room, the inquisitive Irish begins searching for answers and lands himself in mishap after mishap in order to free himself from the power of supernatural forces.

Women. Liquor. Power...

Driven by greed and lust for power.

Does Fanner have a prayer?

That is Fanner Marston's mantra--his reason for being--and while he knows a little about the first and a lot about the second, he may well be on the verge of learning everything there is to know about the third. Power. He may, in fact, be about to uncover the key to gaining absolute control over the entire universe. The only problem is, Fanner is certifiably insane--a crazed Peter Lorre on a power trip....

His starship has crash-landed, and he's the sole survivor, which doesn't matter to him. Driven by greed and lust for power, wracked by thirst, hunger and pain, all he cares about is reaching the ancient city of Parva and making himself at home. Because there lies The Great Secret to universal domination--and what's a little suffering on the road to becoming God?

Does Fanner have a prayer? The writing's on the walls of Parva--and you won't believe what it says....

Also includes the Science Fiction adventures, The Space Can, in which a decrepit space battleship is a civilian fleet's only defense; The Beast, the tale of a hunter in the jungles of Venus, chasing an immoral beast; and The Slaver, in which an alien race has enslaved the human race, but can't repress the power of human love.

The year: 3975.

The man: Christopher Randolph Kellan.

The mission: Kill the king of the galaxy.

He is the Kingslayer.

Young Kit Kellan has led a rough-and-tumble life - knocking around the Vega System in his youth as a tiger hunter, a brawler, and a bouncer in a bar. But his real fight is just beginning. Summarily expelled from the prestigious Terra University, he is taken into custody by an agent of the System Bureau of Investigation (SBI). Kit's crime: thinking too much and thinking too well.

He's not in custody for long, however. Snatched from captivity by the People's Revolutionary Society, Kit sets out an epic adventure that will take him to the farthest reaches of the universe - as he is chosen to undertake a mission of extraordinary difficulty and danger: assassinate the Arbiter.

Just who is the Arbiter? He is the omnipotent ruler of the stars. Empires rise and fall, wars rage, planets vanish... all at the snap of his fingers. And as Kit discovers, it's not easy to kill the most powerful man in the universe.

He'll have to outsmart shadowy spies, battle deadly saboteurs, and match wits with women as beautiful as they are dangerous. In the end - if he lives to see the day - he might just make a discovery that will change him, and the galaxy, forever.

"An exciting novel of the future. One thrilling adventure to another, ending with a surprising climax. Highly recommended." (Los Angeles Daily News)

Contents:

• The Kingslayer - novella
• The Invaders - (1942) - novelette
• The Beast - (1942) - novelette
• Preface (The Kingslayer) - essay

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Empire State Building has vanished into thin air! Gone, too, are Grant's Tomb and Grand Central Station, and all hell is breaking loose in New York City!

What's the story? One grizzled old newspaper reporter known simply as Pop--is on top of it... and better stay there because his livelihood is on the line. If Pop fails to get to the bottom of the vanishing landmarks, his job will disappear as well--and land in the hands of the newspaper publisher's son-in-law.

Any cub reporter could find someone breaking the laws of the city, but tracking down a suspect who's breaking the laws of physics is a different story altogether. But Pop's like a dog with a bone, and he won't let go until he gets at the truth... no matter how strange or astounding it is. In the end, he gets a lesson in larceny, proving that when you get down to business, size really does matter.

Also features the science fiction adventures "Battle of Wizards," in which an epic battle between science and magic unfolds with an entire planet hanging in the balance; and Hubbard's first published foray into science fiction and fantasy, "The Dangerous Dimension," the story of a mathematics professor who discovers an equation that enables him to teleport anywhere he can imagine... even if he doesn't want to go.

Contents:

• vii - Foreword: Stories from Pulp FIction's Golden Age (The Professor was a Thief) - essay by Kevin J. Anderson
• 1 - The Professor Was a Thief - (1940) - novelette
• 55 - Battle of Wizards - (1949) - short story
• 73 - The Dangerous Dimension - (1938) - short story
• 103 - Story Preview: A Matter of Matter - (1949) - short fiction
• 113 - Glossary (The Professor was a Thief) - essay by uncredited
• 121 - L. Ron Hubbard in the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction - essay by uncredited
• 133 - The Stories from the Golden Age (bibliography) - (2008) - essay by uncredited

Penniless, homeless and virtually lifeless, the vagrant "Doughface" Jack is about to discover that where medical marvels meet the mysteries of the human mind, amazing things happen. Like one of the comic book X-Men mutants, The Tramp acquires a capability beyond his imagination and without equal on Earth.

Riding the rails, Jack runs afoul of a local sheriff and ends up with a crushed skull. He's as good as dead until a savvy country doctor performs a bit of medical magic. Jack wakes up to find that his brain has been drastically altered. He has the power to save lives--and destroy them--with a single glance.

Will Jack use his astounding power for good... or for evil? His journey of discovery takes him to New York and into the arms of a woman, who has a plan of her own. Together they're bound for Washington, D.C., and a psychic adventure that could change the shape of history.

The Tramp was originally serialized in 1938 in three issues of Astounding Science Fiction. Its respected editor, John W. Campbell, wrote: "Hubbard is a very highly experienced writer, an author with a tremendous background of writing in every field. He's one of the few professional writers I know of who gets a genuine kick out of the story he's writing. In The Tramp, the suspense is intensified step by step, because every step points the same way. There are no backward slips, no scattered accidents that tend in any direction other than the one toward which Hubbard is driving."

It's not easy living in someone else's world, trapped in a reality over which you have no control. But that is the story of Mike de Wolf's life... literally.

The whole thing started at his friend Horace's Greenwich Village apartment. Horace is a writer and he's decided to model one of his villains after Mike. Sounds crazy... until Mike reaches to turn on a light and gets the shock of his life.

Knocked unconscious, Mike wakes up to find himself tossing in a violent ocean surf and getting slammed against the rocks. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the bullets flying over his head, followed by the swordfight, certain to end in death... if not for the wild, beautiful woman on horseback who comes to his rescue.

This isn't the West Village anymore. Apparently it's the West Indies, some three hundred years ago, and Mike de Wolf is now Miguel Saint Raoul de Lobo, pursued across the Spanish Main by pirates, Englishman, and worse.

He doesn't know how he got here or why, but he does know he has to get out fast. Two problems: first off, the bad guys in Horace's stories never get out alive, and second, Mike's not all that sure he wants to leave after all. Seems he's fallen for that wild woman on horseback... What's a guy to do? The answer's written in the sky---in a wildly original, wickedly amusing novel in which, if you're not careful, you might just find yourself getting lost.

In a future where Mother Earth has cast her children to the distant stars to begin anew and colonize the cosmos, the planet remains depleted of natural resources. Its air polluted by caustic iron and belching smoke, Earth faces her last desperate days in the grip of global environmental collapse.

In one final and feeble effort, Earth's Grand President Mankin musters the dregs of his fleet and sends three separate missions to the deepest reaches of space. Their mission: solicit help from far-flung colonial civilizations, or watch the planet die.

Also includes the science fiction adventures, "Battling Bolto," the story of a giant, con man who's running an interstellar scam, while the biggest trick of all lies right under his nose; and "Tough Old Man," in which an aging constable's lack of feelings is not a matter of insensitivity, but of a secret--and surprising--side of his character.

Contents:

• Tough Old Man - (1950) - novelette
• When Shadows Fall - (1948) - short story
• Battling Bolto - (1950) - short story

Professor James Lowry didn't believe in spirits, or witches, or demons. Not until a gentle spring evening when his hat disappeared, and suddenly he couldn't remember the last four hours of his life. Now, the quiet university town of Atworthy is changing - slightly at first, then faster and more frighteningly each time he tries to remember. Lowry is pursued by a dark, secret evil that is turning his whole world against him while it whispers a warning from the shadows: If you find your hat you'll find your four hours. If you find your four hours then you will die...

Earth does not exist....

Or so they want you to believe.

They are the Voltarians of Voltar--an empire 110 planets strong.

And they are headed straight for us.

The scheming Soltan Gris tells all.

Discover a world where corporate power rules and political corruption is rife. Where governments are driven by oil and controlled by drugs. Where global warming is getting hotter by the minute and a scorching love affair could determine the fate of millions. Where a cosmic conspiracy is about to hit home--posing a grave danger to Earth--and one charismatic Voltarian, Jettero Heller, is out to save the planet from itself.

It's the end of the world as you know it and the beginning of one of the most spectacular, thought-provoking, and wildly inventive works of science fiction and espionage of our time.

The Voltarian Soltan Gris has a confession to make. The mission has begun. Some call it satire. Gris calls it the real story of a very Black Genesis.

They're here. And they're all eyes. The Voltarian scouting party--illegal aliens extraordinaire--on a top-secret expedition led by Jettero Heller, Royal Officer of the Fleet.

His mission: rescue the planet from pollution--and make it safe for the upcoming invasion.

His problem: Soltan Gris is out to sabotage him at every turn. One way or another, Heller is about to undertake a journey of discovery and it's a real trip.

Between the Mafia wars and the brothel whores, between the ruthless IRS agents and the crazy cab drivers, between the muggings and the weapons of mass destruction, he's on one heck of a roller-coaster ride. And before it's over, all Heller will break loose in the name of Black Genesis.

Soltan Gris, you're cunning and crafty Voltarian narrator has seen it all and now he tells all--in The Enemy Within. Is it Satire? Or something far more sinister?

In a web of espionage, intrigue, and betrayal, even Voltarian Royal Combat Engineer Jettero Heller doesn't know whom he can trust. Gris has formed a secret alliance with a dirty DC politician, a ruthless billionaire industrialist, and a mysterious media madman. Their mission: terminate Jettero Heller.

Beset by double-crossing body doubles and backstabbing identity shifters, Heller discovers that the most dangerous battle of all is about to begin against The Enemy Within.

What on Earth are the Voltarians up to now?

Fast cars and fast women.

Voltarian Royal Officer Jettero Heller is putting the pedal to the metal--and the action is about to shift into high gear.

Behind the wheel of his souped-up Caddy, fueled by a new sustainable energy source, Heller's in a race against time--not to mention against suicide car bombers and accelerator bullets. But his greatest challenge is a fight to the death atop the Empire State Building.

Meanwhile, Heller's sworn enemy Soltan Gris has his own battles to figh... and he's learning that, sometimes, love hurts. Especially in the hands of a couple of sadistic sweethearts named Miss Pinch and Candy Licorice--girls who really get under his skin.

People of Earth take note: there is nothing more seductive, more tantalizing, or more terrifying than An Alien Affair.

The Voltarian invaders are getting down and dirty in the deadliest of games. The prize: Planet Earth.

Voltarian Royal Officer Jettero Heller has heart, nerve, and a quick mind on his side. His archenemy Soltan Gris has cunning, ruthlessness, and a devious plan on his. But what neither of them has is money.

Heller's solution is Atlantic City, where he puts a new spin on gambling while the Atlantic City mafia puts a spin of their own on him.

Gris, on the other hand, has struck gold--if only he could figure out a way to move 12 tons of it. Until then, he'll just sell his body.

Into this world of dirty money, dirty tricks, and dirty games, the wildest of wild cards is about to change everything. Countess Krak is back--and this voluptuous Voltarian could prove to be the key player in coming to grips with a Fortune of Fear.

True story. Your Voltarian narrator, Soltan Gris, wouldn't have it any other way. He tells it like it is. Satire? Gris doesn't know the meaning of the word.

Voltarian Royal Officer Jettero Heller will go to any length to win back his beloved yet heartbroken Countess Krak--smash boats, set off bombs, fight off every paternity suit that comes his way.

But Gris is just as determined to put the Countess and her damned hypno-helmet out of commission--for good--even if it means hiring the kinkiest hit man in New York.

And as if Gris didn't have enough on his plate, the Voltarian stud is about to tie the knot--with two women!

Yes, love is a battlefield. But in this warped war of twisted desires, perverse passions, and unholy alliances--the entire Mission Earth enterprise could soon morph into a decadent Death Quest.

Lies, betrayal, and deception are all in play in this treacherous game of history, and here are the players:

Countess Krak: victim of a spectacular alien abduction, she's bound for a distant dungeon where she faces a venomous fate. She may be looking death in the face.

Royal Officer Jettero Heller: convinced that the Countess, his love, is dead, he's holed up in a Connecticut roadhouse, standing square in an assassin's crosshairs.

And don't forget Soltan Gris: on the run with a sex-crazed young temptress named Teenie Whopper, he undertakes a drug-fueled voyage across the Atlantic on the multibillion-dollar yacht bought with a credit card.

So who is in command? And is there any hope for planet Earth? The answers lie at the end of a rocking Voyage of Vengeance.

Question #1: Are Jettero Heller and Countess Krak dead!? The answer could prove a shock to the system--the solar system, that is.

Heller, for his part, has been busy saving the world:

Global warming reversed. The energy crisis over. The greatest problems on Earth solved.

But saving the world is never easy.

He'll have to blast a gang of space pirates. He'll have to capture and control a black hole and set it up as an inexhaustible supply of sustainable energy. He'll have to undertake a journey to Saturn and back, a titanic chunk of ice in tow. And he'll have to confront and capture Soltan Gris.

Then comes the hard part. Heller is headed back to Voltar, where he uncovers the identity of the powerful figure behind the conspiracy to end all conspiracies. He's facing his deadliest nemesis yet, and before the intergalactic battle is over, the entire mission could end in Disaster.

Earth is rising in the House of Voltar. And there'll be hell to pay!

That's right. The action couldn't be hotter, and the plot couldn't be more diabolical.

But the villainous Soltan Gris is no longer telling the tale. Fast forward 100 years: Your new narrator is Monte Pennwell, the greatest investigative journalist and satirist in all of Voltar not to mention the only one.

Murder, blackmail, drugs, psychoanalysis, PR firms, sex-crazed teenyboppers, riots in the streets, women in chains. These are the secret weapons of war--perfected on Earth and imported to Voltar--being exploited by Lombar Hisst, chief of the Coordinated Information Apparatus. His obsession: total domination of the Voltarian Confederacy.

Can anyone stop the madness? Does anyone have the courage and charisma to crash this party?

Enter Royal Officer of the Fleet, Jettero Heller. Dodging Death Battalions and death warrants, he's racing from Earth to face the challenge. But Hisst has taken Heller's beautiful sister hostage, and she may be the one who pays the ultimate price of Villainy Victorious.

Who will control Voltar?

What is Earth's ultimate fate? Does it even exist? And if so, is it The Doomed Planet?

And last but not least: what is the big mystery?

Reporting from the scene is the brilliant (by his own account) investigative journalist Monte Pennwell. The satire is about to explode--on The Doomed Planet.

The moment of truth is finally at hand--and it's a real blast! In the middle of it all stands Royal Officer of the Fleet, Jettero Heller.

Together with an army one hundred thousand strong, Heller lays siege to Palace City, which has fallen into the depraved hands of Lombar Hisst. But the success of Heller's great adventure is far from a sure thing. To achieve victory, he will not only have to break the laws of Voltar--but defy the laws of physics.

Journey into a world that will change the way you see our world. Experience the unfolding mysteries, the violent pleasures, and the biting, inescapable truths you can only find in the final reckoning of The Doomed Planet.

Millionaire Jan Palmer's fortunes abruptly change when the seal on an ancient Arabian copper jar is broken and a powerful and relentless evil is released - Zongri the Jinn. Imprisoned for thousands of years, Zongri has sworn that whoever sets him free will die. But when he fulfills this vow by slashing Professor Frobish in two, it is Jan Palmer, holding the bloody scimitar, who is caught by the police.

For Jan, his problems have just begun: Zongri, before departing, curses him with "Eternal Wakefulness." Locked in a prison cell, charged with murder, Jan comes to a horrible realization of what this means. As he drifts into slumber he finds himself in a strange world, one where humans rank below slaves, where evil Jinn reign and danger is all too real. On Earth he is Jan Palmer, imprisoned for murder, and in the land of the Jinn he is "Tiger," the swashbuckling rogue - but in both, he faces death at every turn.

In this milestone sequel to Slaves of Sleep, Jan Palmer finds himself in possession of the "Two World Diamond", a talisman more powerful and dangerous than anything any human has seen before -- and the key to his becoming master of day and night.

Young, wealthy, and good-looking, Jan Palmer leads the kind of life most of us would die for. He has it all - except for one thing: happiness. Trapped under the weight of his responsibilities to his family, his business, and his life, he wishes only to escape to another world.

But you have to be careful what you wish for. Waking out of a deep sleep, Jan finally finds escape - into a living nightmare.

He surprises a prowler who has broken into his mansion, attempting to steal from his priceless collection of antiques. There is a scuffle. An ancient copper jar is opened...and all hell breaks loose. For not just any copper jar, it has long imprisoned a powerful and ruthless Jinni, whose anger has been bottled up for centuries. The Jinni kills the thief and curses Jan to eternal wakefulness.

Jan finds himself straddling two parallel dimensions. On earth he is his mild-mannered self, falsely imprisoned for murder. But in the world beyond, where the sleep-souls of humans are enslaved by the Jinn, he is a swashbuckling warrior facing death at every turn.

In an exotic world of dark arts, deadly secrets, and dangerous dancing girls, he is drawn into the great battle between the Masters of Sleep and the Slaves of Sleep. He will uncover clues to the magic at the heart of history - and discover that the destiny of all humankind lies in his hands. Abounding in untold mystery and revelation, this eye-opening tale may just wake you out of a dead sleep.

Contents:

• Slaves of Sleep - (1939) - novel
• The Masters of Sleep - (1950) - novel