Product Description
by Robert E. Vardeman (Author)
Sir Francis Barstow has unlimited funds from the alchemist's dream--he can transmute lead into gold with a special ray confined to a Cornish coal mine. To exhaust generated fumes from the electrical equipment, he uses a strange black portal only a foot in diameter--the portal opens onto an entire new dimension, the World of Rust. Other, larger holes have appeared across the world. The Kaiser uses one to smuggle contraband from the United States into Switzerland in preparation for launching a great war, but he is opposed by a brilliant scientist unwilling to thrust the world into such devastation. To achieve his ends, the scientist explores the Rust World to scavenge technology unavailable anywhere else. Sir Francis, with the lovely French aviatrix Nicole Larouse, find themselves in conflict with the Kaiser, his subjects and those who would use the strange black portals to a different world for their own purposes. As a bonus, the short story "The Transmogrification Ray" detailing Sir Francis' alchemical researches (originally published in the anthology Steampunk'd) is included.
Author Biography
Robert E. Vardeman is the author of more than 100 fantasy, science fiction, high tech thriller and mystery novels. Tie-in titles include those for the Sony videogames God of War 1 and God of War 2 as well as others for Traveller and Magic: The Gathering. In addition, he has published two Star Trek novels. He lives in New Mexico where he enjoys the high-tech hobby of geocaching.
