Ray Cummings

A Brand New World

Ray Cummings' 'The Shadow Girl' deftly weaves the classic elements of science fiction with a twisting narrative that transcends time itself. The novel reveals an extraordinary tale that unfolds after a cryptic tower burgeons in the heart of a modern city, harboring a girl whose origins lie in the labyrinth of the future. Cummings' literary style is both evocative and accessible, punctuated by a mastery of suspense that keeps the reader enthralled. Set against a backdrop that is at once familiar and uncanny, the novel employs a narrative structure that challenges our perception of time and consequence, a prevalent theme in the golden age of speculative fiction to which Cummings' work is a vital contribution. In the realm of early twentieth-century science fiction, Ray Cummings stands as a pioneering force, with 'The Shadow Girl' exemplifying his reach into the exploration of time and its paradoxes—a constant motif in his expansive body of work. This particular journey may well have been sparked by Cummings' understanding of, and fascination with, the then-emerging theories of time and space, a subject he once described as the 'stuff from which the future is made.' Through the plight of the titular character and the harrowing choices that face the inhabitants of the present, Cummings contemplates the moral complexities of intervention across the temporal divide. 'The Shadow Girl' is recommended to aficionados of classic science fiction and readers seeking a narrative that melds the ordinary with the extraordinary. Cummings' inventive plot serves as an intriguing case study in the consequences of tampering with time's delicate fabric. The novel will particularly resonate with those who appreciate a story that poses ethical quandaries amidst the trappings of a timeless sci-fi adventure. The journey through Cummings' crafted multi-era conundrum is a stirring testament to the enduring power and relevance of speculative literature.

The Shadow Girl

The Girl in the Golden Atom

Raymond King Cummings (1887-1957), was an American author of science fiction, rated one of the "founding fathers of the science fiction pulp genre." Cummings worked with Thomas Edison as a personal assistant and technical writer from 1914 to 1919. His most highly regarded work was the novel The Girl in the Golden Atom published in 1922. His career resulted in some 750 novels and short stories, using also the pen names Ray King, Gabrielle Cummings, and Gabriel Wilson. Amongst his other works are: The Shadow Girl (1921), The Fire People (1922), The Man Who Mastered Time (1924), The Man on the Meteor (1924), Tarrano the Conqueror (1925), Beyond the Stars (1928), The Princess of the Atom (1929), The Sea Girl (1930), Brigands of the Moon (1930), Beyond the Vanishing Point (1931), Wandl the Invader (1932) and Into the Fourth Dimension (as editor) (1941).

The Fire People (Illustrated Edition) (Dodo Press)

Original Edition

The Fire People

The invasion began innocently enough when the meteor crashed to earth. Then a glow began to emanate from the meteor and everything that entered the light was destroyed. The fate of the Earth is now in the hands of Bob Trevor, a newspaperman, Professor Newland, and others. Would the Earth be saved from the invaders from the Mercutian Light and the invaders from Mercury?

Invaders from Mercury! The invaders from Mercury came in ships designed to look like asteroids. Thus did they avoid detection from the unsuspecting humans until they began to lay waste to entire cities. The women of Mercury are winged, but must have their wings clipped when they marry. But would human men allow them to keep their wings and their freedom? When the humans start to fight back some of the Mercurian woman begin to wonder. A rip roaring adventure from the beginning of the Science Fiction Age.

Chapter I. THE COMING OF THE LIGHT. The first of the new meteors landed on the earth in November, 1940. It was discovered by a farmer in his field near Brookline, Massachusetts, shortly after daybreak on the morning of the 11th. Astronomically, the event was recorded by the observatory at Harvard as the sudden appearance of what apparently was a new star, increasing in the short space of a few hours from invisibility to a power beyond that of the first magnitude, and then as rapidly fading again to invisibility. This star was recorded by two of the other great North American observatories, and by one in the Argentine Republic. That it was comparatively small in mass and exceedingly close to the earth, even when first discovered, was obvious. All observers agreed that it was a heavenly body of an entirely new order. The observatory at Harvard supplemented its account by recording the falling, just before dawn of the 11th, of an extraordinarily brilliant meteor that flamed with a curious red and green light as it entered the earth's atmosphere. This meteor did not burn itself out, but fell, still retaining its luminosity, from a point near the zenith, to the horizon. What the farmer saw was a huge fire burning near the center of his field. It was circular in form and about thirty feet in diameter. He was astonished to see it there, but what surprised him more was its peculiar aspect. It was still the twilight of dawn when he reached the field. He beheld the fire first from a point several hundred yards away. As he explained it, the light--for it was more aptly described as a light than a fire--extended in parallel rays from the ground directly upward into the sky. He could see no line of demarkation where it ended at the top. It seemed to extend into the sky an infinite distance. It was, in fact, as though an enormous searchlight were buried in his field, casting its beam of light directly upward.

Science Fiction Lengend

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Girl in the Golden Atom" by Ray Cummings. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

William P. McGivern

Eando Binder

Polton Cross

Jep Powell

A PULP TALES PULP REPLICA: This issue contains the following fiction stories: "Onslaught of the Druid Girls" by Ray Cummings, "Wanderer of Little Land" by Eando Binder, "The Man Who Bought Mars" by Polton Cross, "Amazons of a Weird Creation" by Jep Powell, "Sidney, the Screwloose Robot" by William P. McGivern, and "Bill of Rights, 5000 A.D." by John York Cabot.

June 1941

Fantastic Adventures

Overnight a mysterious tower sprang up in the city park - where there had been none. And a girl ran from it, seeking help. But the price of her rescue could mean destruction to that town not once but three times over. For the tower was a time-bridge that brought a tyrant's future metropolis face to face with a piratical colony of the past - to make today's city their battleground! One of Cummings' best works, The Shadow Girl remains thoroughly readable and enjoyable even though it was first published more than eighty years ago.

Large Print

Is the entire universe just one of the atoms of some even greater cosmos? Such was the conception of one scientist - and his effort to prove this theory was to take a party of Americans on an expdition to a place that was literally Beyond the Stars. Racing through the vast depths of space in a vehicle larger than the universe itself - a fantastic concept, and one that only the mind of a master pioneering science fiction talent could conceive and then translate into a classic tale of exciting trans-cosmic exploration that will thrill the most jaded imagination.

Beyond the Stars

Overnight a tower springs up in the middle of the city park, and a girl runs from it, seeking help. But the price of her rescue could mean the destruction of that town. The tower is a time bridge that brings a tyrant's future metropolis face to face with a piratical colony from the past.

The Golden God ruled a nation of walking nightmare statues—machines with lust and murder in their hearts! Classic pulp fiction by the author of The Girl in the Golden Atom. Introduction by John Betancourt.

The Robot God

When a young boy tells Don that he's seen a ghost, Don only laughs. There's no such thing as ghosts - and the little boy probably saw a reflection. But to prove the boy wrong, Don and his friend go to the hill where the boy says that the ghost floated towards him and through a rock. Don, however, brings his shotgun just in case - after all, it could've been a wild animal of some kind. And when they discover that it wasn't a ghost at all, but something altogether weirder, they must defend themselves from the onslaught of these White Invaders - or face the annihilation of everyone they've ever known!

The White Invaders

"In "Tarrano the Conqueror" is presented a tale of the year 2430 A.D.—a time somewhat farther beyond our present-day era than we are beyond Columbus' discovery of America. My desire has been to create for you the impression that you have suddenly been plunged forward into that time—to give you the feeling Columbus might have had could he have read a novel of our present-day life."

Tarrano the Conqueror

Chapter I The New Murders I was standing fairly close to the President of the Anglo-Saxon Republic when the first of the new murders was committed. The President fell almost at my feet. I was quite certain then that the Venus man at my elbow was the murderer. I don't know why, call it intuition if you will. The Venus man did not make a move; he merely stood beside me in the press of the throng, seemingly as absorbed as all of us in what the President was saying. It was late afternoon. The sun was setting behind the cliffs across the river. There were perhaps a hundred and fifty thousand people within sight of the President, listening raptly to his words. It was at Park Sixty, and I was standing on the Tenth Level.[1] The crowd packed all twelve of the levels; the park was black with people. The President stood on a balcony of the park tower. He was no more than a few hundred feet above me, well within direct earshot. Around him on all sides were the electric megaphones which carried his voice to all parts of the audience. Behind me, a thousand feet overhead, the main aerials were scattering it throughout the city, I suppose five million people were listening to the voice of the President at that moment. He had just said that we must remain friendly with Venus; that in our enlightened age controversies were inevitable, but that they should be settled with sober thought--around the council table. This talk of war was ridiculous. He was denouncing the public news-broadcasters; moulders of public opinion, who every day--every hour--must offer a new sensation to their millions of subscribers. He had reached this point when without warning his body pitched forward. The balcony rail caught it; and it hung there inert. The slanting rays of the sun fell full upon the ruffled white shirt; white, but turning pink, then red, with the crimson stain welling out from beneath.

To anyone interested in the roots of modern science fiction, the name of Ray Cummings should be well known. He wrote science fiction and fantasy before the name "science fiction" had been coined, publishing fantastic yarns in Argosy, Munsey's Magazine, and other mainstream pulp magazines. Of course, as soon as the science fiction pulps debuted, he moved to them, where his work received a hearty welcome from fans. Cummings publishing more than 750 novels and short stories over his long career, producing work in many genres, including the mystery field (see "Atom Boy" in this Megapack for one prime example). We are pleased to showcase 25 of his tales, ranging from science fiction to fantasy to mystery...more than 1,500 pages of great reading! Included are: THE GIRL IN THE GOLDEN ATOM (1919-1920) THE GIRL IN THE GOLDEN ATOM, PART 2 THE SILVER VEIL (1921) THE FIRE PEOPLE (1922) TWO PROPOSALS (1923) JETTA OF THE LOWLANDS (1930) THE WHITE INVADERS (1931) REQUIEM FOR A SMALL PLANET (1958) BRIGANDS OF THE MOON (1931) WANDL THE INVADER (1932) TARRANO THE CONQUEROR (1930) PHANTOMS OF REALITY (1930) DR. FEATHER IN "A SHOT IN THE DARK" (1936) DR. FEATHER IN "MURDER IN THE FOG" (1937) DR. FEATHER IN "THE DEAD MAN LAUGHS" (1938) DR. FEATHER IN "CLUE IN CRIMSON" (1943) THE WORLD BEYOND (1938) GADGET GIRL (1944) PRECIPICE (1945) PHOTOGRAPH OF DEATH (1945) STAMP OF DOOM (1946) THE SCALPEL OF DOOM (1947) ATOM BOY (1947) THE LIFTED VEIL (1947) BEYOND THE VANISHING POINT (1958) THE GIRL FROM INFINITE SMALLNESS (1940) PLANET STORIES' FEATURE FLASH: MEET RAY CUMMINGS And don't forget to search this ebook store for "Wildside Megapack" to see more entries in the series, covering science fiction, fantasy, horror, mysteries, westerns -- and much, much more!

Ray Cummings

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