Book excerpt: A DESPERATE SEACH ACROSS PARALLEL WORLDS An orphan, Blake Walker has never really known who he was, and his strange flashes of intuition have always set him apart from those who raised him and everyone else he has known. Acting on one of those flashes, he prevented a murder. But neither the assailant nor his intended victim were from the world Walker had always known¾he had stumbled onto the greatest secret of the ages. Our Earth is only one of an infinite number of Earths, each with a slightly different history from the others, each separated from the others in a crosstime dimension. Walker was drafted into a frantic search for a madman from an advanced Earth who desires to be an absolute ruler of men. The would-be tyrant has chosen our Earth as the place where his reign will begin. And, if the powerful technology he controls does not give him complete control of the planet, he will not hesitate to destroy it utterly. . . . At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). "THE GRANDE DAME OF SCIENCE FICTION"* "One of the all-time masters."¾Peter Straub "The sky's no limit to Andre Norton's imagination . . . a superb storyteller."¾The New York Times "Andre Norton is a superb storyteller whose skill draws the reader completely into a fantastic other world. . . ."¾Chicago Tribune "One of the most popular authors of our time."¾Publishers Weekly "Extraordinary!"¾Washington Post "Andre Norton creates an air of mystery and suspense which captivates and holds the reader until the final pages."¾San Francisco Chronicle "Gripping adventure that will keep the reader on the edge of his seat until the final page."¾Seattle Times "Andre Norton tells a sheer adventure story as well as anyone going!"¾Fantasy & Science Fiction*TIME