Dane Belfast is a young scientist seeking the whereabouts of a missing geneticist and family friend. A visit to the mysterious Cadman Corporation results in his being drugged and whisked off to a secret location called Dragon's Island, where "not-men" and other strange creatures -- as well as human geniuses -- seem to be created. Dane can't tell who to trust in this fast-paced adventure, which is the first novel to use the term "genetic engineering". A ground-breaking novel by the author of DARKER THAN YOU THINK and THE HUMANOIDS.
"On looking back over his long and influential career, I have no hesitation in placing Jack Williamson on a level with the two other American giants, Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein."
- Arthur C. Clarke
"A giant in the field of science fiction...When you're the acknowledged Dean of Science Fiction, you're allowed to coast a little. Jack is the only writer around who has demonstrably improved with every passing decade."
- Mike Resnick
"He is a man of extraordinary talent and consummate humility, of penetrating intelligence and great kindness, a scholar and a gentleman. We are unbelievably lucky to have him as one of the forefathers of the field."
- Connie Willis
"Not only is he (Jack Williamson) one of the best-loved figures in the field of science fiction, he has been a pioneering writer, breaking ground in new areas long before most of us had learned how to read."
- Ben Bova
"Like the best of... wines, vintage Williamson travels well."
- David Weber
"For most of a century, Jack Williamson has been exploring the edges of what human destiny might become."
- David Brin
Jack Williamson (1907-2006) was one of the most important and influential figures in science fiction. Born in 1907, he came to New Mexico with his family in a covered wagon in 1915. His first science fiction story appeared in a professional magazine in 1928, and he kept writing new novels and stories through 2005 when his last novel THE STONEHENGE GATE was published. His updated autobiography WONDER'S CHILD is available. Jack Williamson coined many words that became staples in science fiction and in the world at large: genetic engineering, terraforming, psionics, spaceport, prime directive, ion drive, Tellurian, neutronium. He is the only writer to receive both SFWA's Grand Master Award and the Horror Writer of America's Lifetime Achievement Award. The University of Eastern New Mexico, where he taught for many years, has a Jack Williamson library wing.
