Derek Stuart wakes in the nightmare world of Asgard with his memories shattered, his instincts sharpened, and the terrible certainty that he has been brought there against his will. Hunted through an alien forest by shifting phantoms and starry Watchers, he survives only by grim defiance, discovering that the forbidden world is no prison camp but the stronghold of the Aesir: ancient, godlike rulers of the Solar System, once human, now transformed into beings of terrifying mental and physical power. Dragged into their luminous hall, Stuart is tested with cruel psychological ordeals that resurrect his deepest childhood fears and force him to confront them head-on. Each victory brings a surge of hard-won confidence, and with it the suspicion that his lost past hides a dangerous connection to those who oppose the Aesir. When he finds Kari, a trapped Earthgirl altered by life in Asgard, he learns that the Aesir can shape thought into reality and invade the mind itself. But in a world built on deception, even help may be a trap—and Stuart's bid for freedom may have led him straight into the gods' hands. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

À propos de l'auteur

Kuttner, Henry

Henry Kuttner was an American writer of speculative fiction whose career helped shape the golden age of pulp science fiction and fantasy. Born in Los Angeles in 1915, he entered the field while still young and quickly became known for his imagination, speed, and versatility, publishing across science fiction, horror, and fantasy before his early death in 1958. Working often in collaboration with his wife, C. L. Moore, he produced a remarkable body of stories and novels that combined wit, invention, and emotional intelligence, earning a reputation as one of the most inventive voices of his era. His best work ranges from sharp, idea-driven tales to eerie, psychologically charged narratives that explore the unstable boundary between technology and magic, identity and illusion, reason and madness. Kuttner’s fiction often returns to themes that still feel fresh today: the danger of unchecked ambition, the fragility of the self, the comic absurdity of human behavior, and the way extraordinary events expose ordinary fears. He had a gift for making speculative premises feel both playful and unsettling, which is part of why his stories continue to attract readers and influence later writers. Today, Kuttner remains significant as a master craftsman who helped expand what genre fiction could do emotionally and intellectually, and he is especially rewarding for readers who enjoy imaginative classics with energy, irony, and a touch of the uncanny.