The Land Beyond the Lens

NEVER REPRINTED SCIENCE FANTASY CLASSIC! 


When the first volume of this classic trilogy appeared as a complete novel in the March 1952 Amazing Stories, it caused a sensation and hundreds of readers wrote in demanding a sequel. It took two more sequels to begin to satisfy the reader's hunger for "more Flannigan, please!" Ray Palmer, editor of rival Other Worlds, hailed the Flannigan stories as "terrific" and called the author, a "worthy successor to Edgar Rice Burroughs." For the first time in more than half a century, read this thrilling, colorful science fantasy adventure that captures all the excitement and energy of the classic pulp magazines. Don't miss this visionary trilogy that become increasingly off-trail as it develops from book to book, and is certain to remind some readers of the work of Jack Vance. A song was the clue that propelled Michael Flannigan from one world to another. A song and a dream. The song told of a strange woman and a strange land, and so did the dream. Most vivid of all was the image of a strange other dimensional gateway shaped like a lens that lay somewhere on the Moon. That's why Flannigan became an astronaut, and that's why Flannigan made certain he was chosen pilot on the next flight to Luna. Behind him, Flannigan left the woman he loved and who loved him. But he left even more behind when he found the the inter-dimensional gateway and passed through it. There he found he found a primitive world of swords and arrows, with ancient legends of golden gods and lost magic, a world enslaved, groaning beneath oppressors, fighting constantly for its life. There Flannigan discovered the truth about himself, about his identity. If he could only believe that truth! There he also found his lost love, Altinra, "she of laughter, whose eyes were like the dawn." But, when Altinra was captured Flannigan determined to free both her and all the people who dwelt in the land beyond the lens. Flannigan's only hope was his knowledge of Earth weapons like explosives and guns! To rescue Altinra, Flannigan determined to fight the terrors of this hidden world of monsters and primitive city states with modern weapons. It was a daring dream that would carry him to victory or death. And did Flannigan really want to live? For if he won he would have to choose, not merely between two worlds, but between two loves! "I'd stand in line for a story by Stu Byrne!" said Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Balrog Award winning sf author Ardath Mayhar says that Stuart J. Byrne writes science fiction "with strong metaphysical elements [that] develops the color and excitement of Edgar Rice Burroughs, melded with the complex visual imagery of A. Merritt. In short, it is a compelling read." With a special introduction by the author.