H. Beam Piper 26 min read

In the library of 'Greyrock,' a retired colonel sits among his trophies and his heirs, feigning ease, for all five people gathered with him are his enemies.

H. Beam Piper's 1951 story tightens a coil of family menace around old Colonel Hampton, building a quietly chilling tale with an eerie undercurrent. Sharp, atmospheric golden-age horror-tinged SF. Read it for a taut story of an old man, his grasping relations, and a strange consolation only he can see.

In its time

Published in 1951, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

26 min read (a novelette, room for a turn or two).

Illustrated by

Vincent Napoli