On a sweltering El Paso afternoon, John Stewart meets Jimmy Miles, a starving young electrical engineer whose wild intelligence is matched only by his obsession with a scarlet, star-shaped crystal bought from a pawnshop. Jimmy believes the object came from ancient ruins in Chihuahua and may be a doorway to another world, and his eerie demonstrations seem to prove it: a sardine tin sent through the crystal returns battered and altered, as if it has crossed time itself. Stewart is drawn into Jimmy's desperate experiment, and when the young man steps through the crystal, he vanishes into a crimson mist and reappears transformed into a scarred giant, changed by a realm where time moves differently. Jimmy's account opens into a savage other world of giant trees, warm rain, and prehistoric danger, where he survives by instinct and is protected by Harr Garr, a shaggy, half-human wanderer seeking a mate. Together they meet Tol-ga, a graceful, intelligent woman whose courage and compassion reshape their fragile alliance as they flee monstrous beasts and hostile tribes. In Harr Garr's mountain cave, they face Kog, a brutal chief who rules through terror and sacrifice, while Tol-ga discovers fire and turns it into a weapon against the tiger-like guardian and the violence around her. Blending science fiction wonder with primal adventure, this tale explores discovery, survival, love, and the thin line between civilization and barbarism. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
