At the heart of a bizarre planet lay the goal of every being that had ever lived…
Below average in height and unprepossessing in appearance, Nathan Brazil is an unassuming if cynical starship owner, carrying passengers and cargo for a living—hardly the sort of person to hold the fate of the entire universe in his hands.
But when Nathan detours from his route to answer a distress call, a hidden stargate hurls him and his passengers to the Well World, the master control planet for the cosmos. Billions of years ago, a godlike race unlocked all the secrets of space and time and remade the universe according to their grand design. Then they vanished and left behind the Well World to maintain the pattern of the universe.
Now someone is searching for the planet's hidden control room—the Well of Souls—to seize control of the cosmos. Nathan must stop them, but this planet causes bizarre metamorphoses in visitors, changing them into centaurs, mermaids, and giant insects seemingly at random. As a result, Nathan no longer recognizes his friends, let alone his unknown enemies. His task seems hopeless—until his long-suppressed memories begin to return and he realizes who he really is.
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“A big, bold book that takes traditional science fiction and turns it upside down!”
— Leigh Brackett, science fiction author and screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back
Jack L. Chalker (1944–2005) was born in Baltimore. While still in high school, he began writing for the amateur science fiction press, and in 1960 he launched the Hugo-nominated amateur magazine Mirage. A year later he founded Mirage Press, which grew into a major specialty publisher of nonfiction and reference books on science fiction and fantasy. His first novel, A Jungle of Stars, was published in 1976, and he became a full-time novelist two years later with the popular success of Midnight at the Well of Souls. Chalker was also a noted speaker on science fiction and fantasy at numerous colleges and universities and at the Smithsonian Institution. His awards include the Skylark Award, the Daedalus Award, the Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award, and the Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books. He was twice nominated for both the John W. Campbell Award and the Hugo Award. In 2005 he was posthumously presented the Phoenix Award of the Southern Fandom Confederation.
Peter Macon is an Emmy Award–winning actor. He has spent three seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and has had roles in various films and television shows, including Dexter, Law & Order, Without a Trace, Supernatural, and The Shield.