Triplanetary

Before the Lensmen, there was the Hyperion. E.E. "Doc" Smith launches readers into a universe where ancient races wage war across galaxies, and Earth sits unaware at the fulcrum of cosmic destruction. The Arisians, benevolent psychics who have watched their universe for eons, detect the coming invasion of the Eddorians: corrupt, all-consuming entities who吞噬 everything in their path. To fight this impossible enemy, the Arisians have begun a millennia-long breeding program across a thousand worlds, seeking to create warriors whose minds and bodies transcend mortal limits. On Earth, the program nears fruition. But first, the Hyperion must survive the opening salvo. When pirate activity and mysterious disappearances give way to a poisonous gas attack that leaves the crew reeling, first officer Conway Costigan must fight through paralysis and betrayal to save the ship and discover the truth lurking in the void. What begins as a tense interstellar mystery spirals outward into the first chapter of a conflict that will define the fate of countless worlds. For fans of sprawling space opera, this 1934 classic established the template that would influence everything from Star Wars to Foundation.