Chapter I: Front Matter

[Cover Illustration]

PAGAN PASSIONS

Adult Science Fiction,
with the supernatural making complete sense.

The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome had returned to Earth--with all their awesome powers intact, and Earth was transformed almost overnight. War on any scale was outlawed, along with boom-and-bust economic cycles, and prudery--no change was more startling than the face of New York, where, for instance, the Empire State Building became the Tower of Zeus!

In this totally altered world, William Forrester was an acolyte of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and therefore a teacher, in this case of a totally altered history--and Maya Wilson, girl student, evidently had a totally altered way of grading in mind--but what else would a worshipper of Venus, Goddess of Love, have in mind?

This was just the first of the many Trials of Forrester, every bit as mighty and perilous as the Labors of Hercules. In love with Gerda Symes, like him a devotee of Athena, like him a frequenter of the great Temple of Pallas Athena (formerly known as the 42nd Street Library)--dedicated, in short, to the pleasures of the mind--Forrester was under the soft, compelling pressure of soft, compelling devotees of Venus, Bacchus and the like, and in need of all the strength that he and his Goddess, the beautiful and intellectual Athena, could muster to save him from the endless temptations of this new Earth.

And into this sensuous strife strode Temple Myrmidons--religious cops sworn to obey orders without question or hesitation--with a pickup order for William Forrester.

Where he was taken, what happened to him, the truly fantastic discoveries he made about himself and the Gods and Goddesses--here are the ingredients that make up this science fiction novel of suspense, intrigue, mystery and danger. For science fiction it is, with the supernatural making complete sense, and fun too, despite the Sword of Damocles hanging by a thread over Forrester's head!

_by Randall Garrett and
Larry M. Harris_

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A GALAXY Selected Novel For BEACON BOOKS

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_By
Randall Garrett
and
Larry M. Harris_

_Published by
Galaxy Publishing Corp.
New York 14, New York_

ALL CHARACTERS IN THIS WORK ARE WHOLLY FICTITIOUS AND ANY RESEMBLANCE TO PERSONS LIVING OR DEAD IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL

Copyright 1959 by Galaxy Publishing Corp.

_Galaxy Novels_ are sturdy, inexpensive editions of choice works of imaginative suspense, both original and reprint, selected by the editors of _Galaxy Magazine_ for Beacon Books.

THIS IS BEACON BOOK NO. 263

_Cover by Robert Stanley_

Printed in the U.S.A. by THE GUINN COMPANY INC. New York 14, N. Y.

Transcriber's Note

Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.