One man has made it his mission to liberate the mental prisoners. to restore their freedom in a world run mad. Nickie Halflinger, the only person to escape from Tarnover- where they raise hyper-intelligent children to maintain the political dominance of the USA in the 21st century – is on the run, dodging from loophole to crevice to crack in the computerised data-net that binds the continent like chains. After years of flight and constant changes of identity, at the strange small town called Precipice he discovers he is not alone in his quest. But can his new allies save him when he falls again into the sinister grasp of Tarnover...?

Udgivet af Gollancz 

John Brunner
Engelsk forfatter. Brunner startede med at skrive i 1951, da han fik udgivet sin første bog under et pseudonym. Hans historier er som regel intelligent fortalt og med et eller andet budskab. Blandt de mest kendte af hans bøger er "Stand on Zanzibar", om jordens overbefolkning. Denne bog fik en Hugo i 1968 og den engelske Science Fiction pris. En serie noveller om en mystisk person som redder jorden gennem århundreder blev samlet i "The Compleat Traveller in Black". Brunner døde i 1996.