A billion timelines. One devastating secret. A trans-dimensional conspiracy that could shatter the multiverse forever.
In the highly advanced Home Time Line, the Paratime Police maintain absolute dominion over a closely guarded secret: parallel realities exist, and they can be ruthlessly exploited. But when a routine investigation reveals the existence of the "Wizard Traders"-a brutal syndicate kidnapping humans from primitive alternate Earths and selling them into interdimensional slavery-Chief Assistant Verkan Vall is thrust into the most dangerous case of his career.
Alongside his brilliant wife Hadron Dalla and a squad of seasoned field agents, Vall must navigate treacherous timelines-from barbarian-invaded wastelands to sword-and-flintlock frontier worlds-to dismantle the syndicate. But the rot goes deeper than mere out-time slavers. A sinister political conspiracy is festering right on Home Time Line, and Vall's team is rapidly running out of time before the corruption destroys Paratime Civilization itself.
Why you will love this: Fans of golden-age Science Fiction will devour this high-stakes blend of hardboiled detective procedural and sweeping space opera. With intricate alternate history tropes, time travel espionage, and cinematic action, this pulp-era masterpiece delivers mind-bending world-building that pioneered the multiverse sci-fi genre.
About the Author: H. Beam Piper was a celebrated mid-century American science fiction author renowned for his rigorous logical world-building and the highly influential "Paratime" series. His gripping approach to alternate histories cemented his legacy as one of the golden age's most enduring and imaginative visionaries.
