Summary:
"Monster of the Asteroid" by Ray Cummings is a science fiction novel written in the early 1940s. The narrative unfolds in a futuristic setting during the year 1965, following the adventures of Thomas Ralston and his fiancé, Dora Franklin, who become ensnared in a bizarre and perilous situation involving extraterrestrial beings. The book delves into themes of captivity, identity, and the struggle against an alien consciousness that embodies the planet, showcasing Cummings' speculative imagination of the possibilities of interplanetary life. In the story, Thomas and Dora encounter a mysterious man named Bragg who lures them into a trap, leading to their abduction into space. Their captors consist of a criminal group, who have come under the dominion of a formidable entity referred to as the Supreme One, which exists on a desolate asteroid. As they navigate this fearsome new world, Thomas learns that the Supreme One controls various headless physical manifestations of itself to enforce its will. Among the captives are humans from Earth, Mars, and Venus, who have been coerced into the Supreme One's twisted plan to establish a new society under its rule. With rising tensions and a brewing revolt among the captives, Thomas must devise a plan to escape this cautionary tale where survival hangs in the balance. The climax propels them into chaos as the humans unite against their captors, leading to a dramatic struggle for freedom. (This is an automatically generated summary.)