
An alien from the distant world of Ortha, Thig, lives a double life as a modest writer in a cramped boathouse, haunted by the memory of a disastrous first expedition that nearly wiped out Earth. When the hostile Horde of Ortha launches a second ship toward the planet, he discovers that only his secret knowledge and a daring weapon—still only a thought—can stop the inevitable invasion.
With just weeks to act, Thig scrambles to assemble a massive explosive trap on a remote island, hoping to shatter the alien hull before it reaches the populated coasts. The narrative follows his frantic preparations, the clash between his quiet, human façade and the ruthless logic of the Horde, and the personal stakes tied to the family he has come to love.
The story blends pulp‑era sci‑fi adventure with a tense, race‑against‑time suspense, offering listeners a gritty glimpse of an ordinary man forced into an extraordinary battle for humanity’s survival. Its fast‑paced plot and vivid 1940s backdrop keep the tension high from start to finish.
Language
en
Duration
~26 minutes (25K 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
2020-07-07
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1912–2003
A lively pulp-era storyteller, this American author moved easily between science fiction, fantasy, westerns, and detective fiction. His tales first appeared in magazines in 1940, and he became especially associated with adventurous stories for classic genre pulps like Planet Stories.
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