
Part 1
Part 2
In a bleak, high‑altitude city where power is scarce and hope flickers like the distant searchlights, a mysterious ship from Mars descends, carrying a promised new source of energy that could revive the dying world. The streets hum with anticipation, yet the everyday survival of the downtrodden remains a struggle, embodied by Ryd Randl, a weary former helio‑man nursing a drink in the dimly lit Burshis’ Stumble Inn.
Ryd’s routine night takes a sharp turn when a striking stranger in an iridescent hat grips his arm and offers a chance at work—an opportunity that could pull him from the margins of society. The encounter hints at hidden motives and a larger, unseen game that could decide the fate of the city’s power and its people. Listeners are drawn into a tense, atmospheric start where survival, intrigue, and the promise of fresh energy collide, setting the stage for a high‑stakes struggle in a future on the brink.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (58K 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
2020-08-21
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1924–1990
A Golden Age science-fiction writer best remembered for lively short stories in the pulp magazines of the 1940s and 1950s, he also built a long academic career outside fiction. His work turns up in classic anthologies, giving later readers a window into mid-century magazine SF.
View all books
by Robert Abernathy

by Robert Abernathy

by Robert Abernathy

by Robert Abernathy

by Robert Abernathy

by Robert Abernathy

by Robert Abernathy

by Robert Abernathy