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A desperate nobleman, Thaddeus Carlyle, steps into the dank confines of Reading Gaol, drawn by the whispered legend that the imprisoned Friar Roger Bacon has cracked the secret of immortality. The gaoler’s grim tale of forbidden experiments and a fiery explosion only deepens Carlyle’s obsession, as he confronts his own dread of aging and loss. In this tense encounter, medieval alchemy collides with a restless yearning for eternal life, setting the stage for a pact that could change everything.
With Bacon’s cryptic knowledge as his compass, Carlyle embarks on a daring quest beyond Earth’s familiar horizons. He will hunt the wreckage of ancient space‑galleons drifting through the star‑seas, seeking the elusive “devil’s powders” that might grant the coveted agelessness. Listeners are treated to a blend of period intrigue and speculative adventure, where the promise of immortality drives a nobleman into the unknown reaches of the cosmos.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (61K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Apr 9, 2020
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1900–1979
Best known for fast-moving pulp adventures, this prolific American writer moved easily between early science fiction, western novels, and screenwriting for B-movie westerns. His work appeared in landmark pulp magazines at a time when popular genre fiction was rapidly taking shape.
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