
In the cold silence of a Trojan asteroid, a lone scout named Bo Jonsson drifts in a cumbersome suit, his breath a thin hiss against the void. The barren, glittering landscape—jagged cliffs and endless star‑filled night—offers no refuge, only the echo of his own heartbeat. He knows he’s being hunted by a mysterious figure cloaked in a pale Venusian mask, a philosopher‑turned‑murderer whose ideas could tear worlds apart.
Armed only with a massive wrench and a dwindling supply of air, Jonsson must turn the hunt into a desperate chase, navigating the alien terrain while the asteroid spins lazily around Jupiter. The story blends hard‑science details of the asteroid’s stability and mining colonies with a stark, psychological tension that asks what it means to survive when the universe itself feels indifferent. Listeners are drawn into a claustrophobic, high‑stakes cat‑and‑mouse that tests the limits of human endurance and belief.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (69K characters)
Series
The psychotechnic league; bk. 16.
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
2020-11-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1926–2001
Best known for bringing big scientific ideas and mythic adventure together, this prolific writer helped shape modern science fiction and fantasy across more than five decades. His stories are celebrated for their energy, intelligence, and strong sense of wonder.
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