Lake of Fire by Frank Belknap Long

"Lake of Fire" by Frank Belknap Long is a science fiction novel written in the early 1950s. The story explores themes of love, identity, and the tension between aspirations and reality, set against the backdrop of a Martian landscape filled with relics of an ancient civilization. It delves into the complexities of an Earth man's obsession with a Martian mirror that captures the image of a long-dead woman, leading to a struggle between emotional attachment and sanity. The plot centers around two main characters, Steve Claymore and his companion Tom Gierson, who discover a Martian hand mirror in the desert. The mirror reflects the image of a beautiful Martian woman named Azala, who captivates Steve and leads him into a dangerous obsession. As Steve becomes increasingly fixated on the image and his belief that she is alive, Tom tries to intervene, understanding the destructive nature of such an infatuation. The story escalates into a confrontation with other treasure-seeking men, showcasing both the peril of Steve's fixation and Tom's determination to protect his friend. Ultimately, the narrative culminates in an unexpected twist when the shattered mirror leads to a genuine connection between Steve and Azala, revealing deeper themes of love transcending time and culture. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Long, Frank Belknap, 1903-1994
Illustrator Vestal, Herman B., 1916-2007
Title Lake of Fire
Series Title Produced from Planet Stories May 1951
Credits Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net
Reading Level Reading ease score: 83.2 (6th grade). Easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Science fiction
Subject Short stories
Subject Mars (Planet) -- Fiction
Category Text
eBook-No. 64072
Release Date
Last Update Oct 18, 2024
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 328 downloads in the last 30 days.

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