Two generations after the nuclear holocaust, rumours persisted about a secret desert hideaway where scientists worked with dangerous machines and where men plotted to revive the cities.
Almost a continent away, Len Coulter heard whisperings that fired his imagination. Then one day he found a strange wooden box …
The fifth novel from the Queen of Space Opera – it was nominated to the Hugo Award.
I picked this up because it is mentioned in The Relentless Moon. And it is a cracking bit of 1950s post-apocalyptic sci-fi.
It expertly deals with the desire for forbidden knowledge – and dealing with the deadly consequences of getting exactly what you want.
Read through a modern eye, it’s disappointing how thin the female characters feel. But it is a brutal, and beautiful novel.