We start on the moon. Superman astronaut Rafe is shoving his boss in a locker, school bully style. Is this just a fun prank that those wacky astronauts play on each other? Nope. He’s dead serious. Rafe is taking his bosses intended shuttle ride back down to Earth. Something fishy is going on and he’s going to figure out what’s up.
Down on Earth there is a machine that sends out a transmission that puts everyone to sleep at night. I never really understood why they needed the machine, but it does have a purpose other than knocking everyone out. Only one in a million are immune to the effects of the transmission. They are called zombies. They walk around in a dreamlike state like someone sleep walking. There are three guys who control everything. One is Rafe’s boss and then there is a military guy and a scientist or something. I don’t know, not important.
Rafe lands on Earth and walks into his boss’s intended meeting with fellow world overlords. He calls them out. Asks what’s up. He recommended a scientist friend of his who was perfect for the moon job. They didn’t hire him but gave wishy washy reasons. Now the friend is missing. The two bad guys say they have nothing to do with him missing. Rafe kidnaps them, takes a plane and flies to Iowa or something. While flying the plane it will be night and as everyone knows the transmission will be on and everyone will sleep. But guess what? Rafe has done yoga before, so he has trained his mind to stay awake and be mentally conscious though sluggish.
He leaves them at the airport, steals a car and drives a thousand miles to the home of his missing friend. As he is climbing over the fence, he senses something. Oh shit, there is a giant wolf waiting for him to drop down. The wolf should be asleep, it is after all, transmission time. The wolf then speaks to him. Rafe talks the wolf into getting his friend’s sister because Rafe is here to help find the brother. Wolf comes back with ok from sister. Meeting in the house. Rafe has gained their confidence that he is there to help.
From here on we jump around places wherein Rafe tries to get to the bottom of things. Him and wolf throw down with some shadow people and some sleepwalker zombies. We get some science jargon, futuristic stuff like sister is paralyzed but floats around in a stand-up hovering wheelchair, super-fast airplanes and cars with two wheels, Star Trek villains, muddled moral philosophy on good and evil, talking wolves, bloodthirsty sleepwalking assassins…lots of stuff. Things happen in this book quickly and with not a lot of explanation. Everything is very convenient. Like, they get separated and all of a sudden, he has a psychic connection with the wolf. Come on man. The dreamlike state of the world and the thin purpose gives you a dreamlike reading experience. Nothing quite makes sense, but stuff happens. It was hard to even remember what exactly happened when writing this review up. It’s all very meh and the ending was blasé.
Also, I saw another edition where the art was the total cover. On my copy of the book the art is shrunk down to a small box. Why would anyone do this?? You paid for the art. Put it big on the cover. God damn.
Daw 1972
Art by Kelly Freas
Review by Nick Anderson
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