The Princess of the Atom

Giants appeared off the coast of New England on the day beautiful Dianne returned from oblivion. That mysterious beauty had disappeared from the home of her guardian, Dr. Ferrule, and had been sought in vain. But with her return, she brought terror to two worlds and an astounding adventure to the two young men who loved her.

In this breathtaking excursion into atomic mysteries, you will be enchanted by the unearthly beauty and peril of Dianne, princess of a world too small to be seen. You will be thrilled by the startling journey Frank Ferrule makes into infinite smallness to save an unsuspecting planet. You will be astonished at the terrific fight of Drake Ferrule against the lustful Togaro, the man who would rule the universe.

Here is a masterpiece of science-fiction by a dean of fantasy, Ray Cummings. Unavailable for many years, this unforgettable story of atomic warfare and invasion from an alien world is the first of the new series of AVON FANTASY NOVELS, selected by Donald A. Wollheim, editor of the famous AVON FANTASY READER, and specially designed for the growing public that has discovered the new thrill of Science-Fiction.

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Table of Contents

The Coming of the Giants The Mysterious Visitor The Signal Fire The Strange Island Princess of the Atom The Chase into Smallness The Flight in the Cellular Caverns Death of the Giants Tiny Fragment of Rock The White Flag Giant in Ambush The Meeting The Stowaway The Locked Door Togaro at Bay Frank's Plan The Tiny Prowler The Escape of Togaro Night of Turmoil In the Blood Light of Dawn Riding the Giant "Vengeance of Togaro!" Doomed Little Planet! The End of a World In the Campfire Light The Black and White Flags The Fight on the Rock Summit The Return to Earth The Theft of the Rock The World at Bay Togaro Strikes The Fugitives The Combat of Titans Princess of the Cottage

"Beautiful with a grace beyond the reach of art."

Prologue

I was seventeen years old before I had any idea that there was a mystery in my family. My name is Frank Ferrule. My mother died when I was still a child. There was my father; my older brother, Drake; and my younger sister, Dianne. We had always seemed to me an average little family group, except for Dianne's beauty. That, in truth, was abnormal enough. And upon that, I was to learn, the mystery hinged--tragedy it was for Dianne, striking all unheralded like a bolt from a cloudless sky.

Our life, up to that August when the sudden, inexplicable tragedy came, was perfectly prosaic, uneventful, so that I can find little of it to record here that would be of interest. Father was a consulting chemist. My brother Drake, six years older than I, grew up to be a stalwart blond giant of a fellow--a full six feet two--with a lazy, rollicking good-nature like a huge dog conscious of his own strength. Father often said that; and called me a terrier. I was always small and slender, with dark hair, and by nature excitable.

There was nothing unusual, nothing of particular interest about Drake and me. But Dianne's beauty would have fascinated the world. I can remember that she had always been beautiful. In the advertisements of fashion magazines there are drawings of children--ideally beautiful little girls. Dianne, as a child, was like that, a blue-eyed flaxen-haired doll.

But soon she began to develop character. At sixteen the doll look was wholly gone. Her face bore the stamp of her individuality; but it remained as exquisite, as colorful as a cameo, or like a pastel, so delicately flawless of feature, so perfect of natural coloring that the effect was startling. I have heard people say, meeting her, that she seemed unreal. And certainly, everywhere she went, she attracted unusual attention.