Ray Palmer 58 min read

Beneath a bright, fair surface world, thirteen pairs of silvery eyes glow at a great crystal sphere, and ancient voices chant that Prince Toka is coming, down the river, as ordained.

Ray Palmer's 1948 story opens on eerie subterranean ritual and a golden hero above, building a lost-world adventure. Vivid, atmospheric golden-age pulp. Read it for a colorful tale of prophecy, hidden watchers, and a prince whose coming was foretold in the darkness below.

In its time

Published in 1948, during the 1940s, the golden age begins.

Reading it

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

Illustrated by

Vincent Napoli