She Had to Prevent Present and Future from Warring in the Past!
"Fast-moving adventure, told with engaging humor," is what the New York Times says readers can expect from this classic science fiction saga. Elspeth Marriner, once an ace journalist, is now a Time Watcher working from the mysterious House of Many Worlds. On some parallel time-tracks, Earth's cultures lag thousands of years behind our own. On others, science is far in advance of ours. As a Watcher, Elspeth's job is to keep advanced Earths that had discovered the existence of their parallel sisters from invading and exploiting those that were less advanced. Now the Watchers have discovered that the power-hungry dictator of one far-advanced civilization, having devastated his own Earth, has already infiltrated a parallel Earth still in the age of the Roman Empire, and is seeking to conquer it! Though chariots roll through the streets, and men with swords guard the cities, flying tanks and atomic artillery are gathering in secret behind the walls! In this sequel to Merwin's The House of Many Worlds, it's Elspeth's job to enter this world and stop the invasion! And all she knows is that the dictator's master plan centers around the famous events that occurred at Misenum on the 24th of August, 74 C.E. Worse, Elspeth learns that her co-agent on the mission will be the irritating, insulting Mark Fraser, the one man on this Earth whose presence she can't stand! The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that in the Elspeth Marriner doulogy, "Merwin has created characters that are human--entertaining and realistic." H. L. Gold, Galaxy Magazine raved that the series was "an exciting, modern science fiction story, with a new and highly unusual twist--outstanding for its realistic characters and expert seasoning of thrills and horror."
