Randall Garrett 1 hr 24 min read

The trouble is too much evidence, the vital buried under the irrelevant. After the Battle of Leymon's Star, whole crews of survivors come back short-circuited, not caring whether they live or die.

Randall Garrett's 1957 story is a clever military space opera and mystery of shattered survivors and a hidden cause. Sharp, ingenious golden-age SF. Read it for a Sherlock-flavored tale where an investigator must sift a flood of clues to find what's breaking the minds of returning spacemen.

In its time

Published in 1957, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

1 hr 24 min read (a novella, a full arc in one sitting or two).

Illustrated by

Ed Emshwiller