The Edmond Hamilton Megapack: 16 Classic Science Fiction Tales Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  THE DOOR INTO INFINITY

  THE LEGION OF LAZARUS

  DREAMER’S WORLDS

  THE CITY AT WORLD’S END

  THE WORLD WITH A THOUSAND MOONS

  THE STARS, MY BROTHERS

  THE SARGASSO OF SPACE

  THE MAN WHO SAW THE FUTURE

  THE MONSTER-GOD OF MAMURTH

  THE MAN WHO RETURNED

  THE SECOND SATELLITE

  MONSTERS OF MARS

  THE MAN WHO EVOLVED

  DEVOLUTION

  THE BIRTHPLACE OF CREATION

  CORRIDORS OF THE STARS

  The Edmond Hamilton Megapack

  Version 1.0

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Edmond Hamilton Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC. Cover art © Andrea Danti / Fotolia. All rights reserved. For more information, contact the publisher.

  “The Door into Infinity” originally appeared in Weird Tales, August-September 1936.

  “The Legion of Lazarus” originally appeared in Imagination, April 1956.

  “Dreamer’s Worlds” originally appeared in Weird Tales, November-December 1941.

  The City at World’s End originally appeared in 1951.

  The World with a Thousand Moons originally appeared in Amazing Stories, December 1942.

  The Stars, My Brothers originally appeared in Amazing Stories Fact and Science Fiction May 1962.

  “The Sargasso of Space” originally appeared in Astounding Stories, September 1931.

  “The Man Who Saw the Future” originally appeared in Amazing Stories, October 1930.

  “The Monster-God of Mamurth” originally appeared in Weird Tales, September 1935.

  “The Man Who Returned” originally appeared in Weird Tales, February 1934.

  “The Second Satellite” originally appeared in Astounding Stories

  of Super-Science, August 1930.

  “Monsters of Mars” originally appeared in Astounding Stories

  of Super-Science, April 1931.

  “Devolution” originally appeared in Amazing Stories, December 1936.

  “The Birthplace of Creation” originally appeared in Startling Stories, May 1951.

  “Corridor of the Stars” originally appeared in Imagination, April 1958.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  Edmond Hamilton. For most people, this name conjures visions of two-fisted space opera—pure pulp science fiction. And Hamilton—known as the author of the Captain Future series—was indeed one of the foremost writers of pulp space opera. Over the years, as his work became more polished and sophisticated, he became far more than that: a visionary of the future whose imagination knew no bounds. He was truly a cosmic writer, as stories such as “Devolution” (in this collection) demonstrate.

  If you are interested in pulp science fiction at its pulpiest—look no farther. Edmond Hamilton is the author for you.

  Enjoy!

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  ABOUT THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Mary Wickizer Burgess, Sam Cooper, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, Robert Reginald. A. E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!).

  A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS

  The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  MYSTERY

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Charlie Chan Megapack

  The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack

  The Detective Megapack

  The Father Brown Megapack

  The Girl Detectives Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack

  The First Mystery Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Raffles Megapack

  The Victorian Mystery Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  GENERAL INTEREST

  The Adventure Megapack

  The Baseball Megapack

  The Cat Story Megapack

  The Second Cat Story Megapack

  The Christmas Megapack

  The Second Christmas Megapack

  The Classic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.

  The Classic Humor Megapack

  The Dog Story Megapack

  The Doll Story Megapack

  The Horse Story Megapack

  The Military Megapack

  SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Ray Cummings Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Martian Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Science-Fantasy Megapack

  The First Science Fiction Megapack

  The Second Science Fiction Megapack

  The Third Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  The Steampunk Megapack

  The Time Travel Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  HORROR

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack

  The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack

  The Ghost Story Megapack

  The Second Ghost Story Megapack

  The Thi
rd Ghost Story Megapack

  The Haunts & Horrors Megapack

  The Horror Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Macabre Megapack

  The Second Macabre Megapack

  The Mummy Megapack

  The Vampire Megapack

  The Werewolf Megapack

  WESTERNS

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The Buffalo Bill Megapack

  The Cowboy Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Western Megapack

  The Second Western Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  YOUNG ADULT

  The Boys’ Adventure Megapack

  The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack

  The Doll Story Megapack

  The G.A. Henty Megapack

  The Girl Detectives Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pinocchio Megapack

  The Rover Boys Megapack

  The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack

  The Tom Swift Megapack

  AUTHOR MEGAPACKS

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  The Ray Cummings Megapack

  The Guy de Maupassant Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Dashiell Hammett Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Selma Lagerlof Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack

  The Talbot Mundy Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Rafael Sabatini Megapack

  The Saki Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY

  The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)

  The Wildside Book of Fantasy

  The Wildside Book of Science Fiction

  Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries

  THE DOOR INTO INFINITY

  CHAPTER 1

  The Brotherhood of the Door

  “Where leads the Door?”

  “It leads outside our world.”

  “Who taught our forefathers to open the Door?”

  “They Beyond the Door taught them.”

  “To whom do we bring these sacrifices?”

  “We bring them to Those Beyond the Door.”

  “Shall the Door be opened that They may take them?”

  “Let the Door be opened!”

  Paul Ennis had listened thus far, his haggard face uncomprehending in expression, but now he interrupted the speaker.

  “But what does it all mean, inspector? Why are you repeating this to me?”

  “Did you ever hear anyone speak words like that?” asked Inspector Pierce Campbell, leaning tautly forward for the answer.

  “Of course not—it just sounds like gibberish to me,” Ennis exclaimed. “What connection can it have with my wife?”

  He had risen to his feet, a tall, blond young American whose good-looking face was drawn and worn by inward agony, whose crisp yellow hair was brushed back from his forehead in disorder, and whose blue eyes were haunted with an anguished dread.

  He kicked back his chair and strode across the gloomy little office, whose single window looked out on the thickening, foggy twilight of London. He bent across the dingy desk, gripping its edges with his hands as he spoke tensely to the man sitting behind it.

  “Why are we wasting time talking here?” Ennis cried. “Sitting here talking, when anything may be happening to Ruth!

  “It’s been hours since she was kidnapped. They may have taken her anywhere, even outside of London by now. And instead of searching for her, you sit here and talk gibberish about Doors!”

  Inspector Campbell seemed unmoved by Ennis’ passion. A bulky, almost bald man, he looked up with his colorless, sagging face, in which his eyes gleamed like two crumbs of bright brown glass.

  “You’re not helping me much by giving way to your emotions, Mr. Ennis,” he said in his flat voice.

  “Give way? Who wouldn’t give way?” cried Ennis. “Don’t you understand, man, it’s Ruth that’s gone—my wife! Why, we were married only last week in New York. And on our second day here in London, I see her whisked into a limousine and carried away before my eyes! I thought you men at Scotland Yard here would surely act, do something. Instead you talk crazy gibberish to me!”

  “Those words are not gibberish,” said Pierce Campbell quietly. “And I think they’re related to the abduction of your wife.”

  “What do you mean? How could they be related?”

  The inspector’s bright little brown eyes held Ennis’. “Did you ever hear of an organization called the Brotherhood of the Door?”

  Ennis shook his head, and Campbell continued, “Well, I am certain your wife was kidnapped by members of the Brotherhood.”

  “What kind of an organization is it?” the young American demanded. “A band of criminals?”

  “No, it is no ordinary criminal organization,” the detective said. His sagging face set strangely. “Unless I am mistaken, the Brotherhood of the Door is the most unholy and blackly evil organization that has ever existed on this earth. Almost nothing is known of it outside its circle. I myself in twenty years have learned little except its existence and name. That ritual I just repeated to you, I heard from the lips of a dying member of the Brotherhood, who repeated the words in his delirium.”

  Campbell leaned forward. “But I know that every year about this time the Brotherhood come from all over the world and gather at some secret center here in England. And every year, before that gathering, scores of people are kidnapped and never heard of again. I believe that all those people are kidnapped by this mysterious Brotherhood.”

  “But what becomes of the people they kidnap?” cried the pale young American. “What do they do with them?”

  Inspector Campbell’s bright brown eyes showed a hint of hooded horror, yet he shook his head. “I know no more than you. But whatever they do to the victims, they are never heard of again.”

  “But you must know something more!” Ennis protested. “What is this Door?”

  Campbell again shook his head. “That too I don’t know, but whatever it is, the Door is utterly sacred to the members of the Brotherhood, and whomever they mean by They Beyond the Door, they dread and venerate to the utmost.”

  “Where leads the Door? It leads outside our world,” repeated Ennis. “What can that mean?”

  “It might have a symbolic meaning, referring to some secluded fastness of the order which is away from the rest of the world,” the inspector said. “Or it might—”

  He stopped. “Or it might what?” pressed Ennis, his pale face thrust forward.

  “It might mean, literally, that the Door leads outside our world and universe,” finished the i
nspector.

  Ennis’ haunted eyes stared. “You mean that this Door might somehow lead into another universe? But that’s impossible!”

  “Perhaps unlikely,” Campbell said quietly, “but not impossible. Modern science has taught us that there are other universes than the one we live in, universes congruent and coincident with our own in space and time, yet separated from our own by the impassable barrier of totally different dimensions. It is not entirely impossible that a greater science than ours might find a way to pierce that barrier between our universe and one of those outside ones, that a Door should be opened from ours into one of those others in the infinite outside.”

  “A door into the infinite outside,” repeated Ennis broodingly, looking past the inspector. Then he made a sudden movement of wild impatience, the dread leaping back strong in his eyes again.

  “Oh, what good is all this talk about Doors and infinite universes doing in finding Ruth? I want to do something! If you think this mysterious Brotherhood has taken her, you must surely have some idea of how we can get her back from them? You must know something more about them than you’ve told.”

  “I don’t know anything more certainly, but I’ve certain suspicions that amount to convictions,” Inspector Campbell said. “I’ve been working on this Brotherhood for many years, and block after block I’ve narrowed down to the place I think the order’s local center, the London headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Door.”

  “Where is the place?” asked Ennis tensely.

  “It is the waterfront café of one Chandra Dass, a Hindoo, down by East India Docks,” said the detective officer. “I’ve been there in disguise more than once, watching the place. This Chandra Dass I’ve found to be immensely feared by everyone in the quarter, which strengthens my belief that he’s one of the high officers of the Brotherhood. He’s too exceptional a man to be really running such a place.”

  “Then if the Brotherhood took Ruth, she may be at that place now!” cried the young American, electrified.

  Campbell nodded his bald head. “She may very likely be. Tonight I’m going there again in disguise, and have men ready to raid the place. If Chandra Dass has your wife there, we’ll get her before he can get her away. Whatever way it turns out, we’ll let you know at once.”

  “Like hell you will!” exploded the pale young Ennis. “Do you think I’m going to twiddle my thumbs while you’re down there? I’m going with you. And if you refuse to let me, by heaven I’ll go there myself!”