The Time Traders

The Time Traders is a science fiction novel by Andre Norton, and the first book in her Time Traders series. The story takes place during the Cold War and follows a group of American operatives who are recruited for a secret government project involving time travel. Their mission is to travel back into the distant past to investigate and interfere with the activities of an alien civilization that has been subtly influencing human history. The main protagonist is Ross Murdock, a rebellious and street-smart young man who becomes one of the key agents in the program. He is trained in archaeology, survival, and espionage before being sent into the prehistoric past. In the past, the team encounters primitive human societies as well as remnants of the alien "Trader" race, who are attempting to manipulate early human development for their own purposes. The conflict revolves around preventing these aliens from shaping humanity's future.