Alfred Coppel 1 hr 11 min read

From the dark ages of space rose the Second Empire, ruled by a child, a usurper, and a fool, and now the star-kings of a thousand starved worlds gather, not to whisper of revolt, but to strike.

Alfred Coppel's 1950 Planet Stories tale is a rousing galactic-empire space opera. Vivid, driven golden-age pulp. Read it for a colorful sword-and-rocket adventure of interstellar rebellion, decadent thrones, brooding star-kings, and a warrior's fight against a corrupt empire, in the grand tradition of pulp space opera.

In its time

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

Reading it

1 hr 11 min read (a novelette, room for a turn or two).

Illustrated by

Earl Mayan