From "the most powerful force in science fiction ever" [Isaac Asimov]
A million light-years from Earth, one solitary spaceship floats through a vast swarm of enemies. The ship was an experimental vessel from Earth that utilised a revolutionary new concept in space mechanics, developed by the near-superman Aarn Munro. The enemy vessels were wholly unknown to Mankind, for the new drive had taken the Terran vessel into an unmapped void, where not even the telescopes of Earth had ever penetrated before...
Born in New Jersey in 1910, John W. Campbell studied physics at MIT and then Duke University. Although a prolific early pulp writer - he made his first sale while still in his teens and was a recognised name in the genre by the time he was 21 - it was as an editor that he is best remembered. In 1937 he was appointed editor of Astounding Stories (now Analog), and over the next few decades would have an enormous influence on the field. He continued as editor of Astounding until his death in 1971.