Revised and expanded from Slavers of Space (1960.) It was carnival time on Earth. Prosperity was at its peak; all human needs were taken care of by computers, robots, and androids. There was nothing left for humans to do but seek pleasure where they found it, without inhibitions or thinking of the price. Then an android died - in a senseless, brutal murder. And young Derry Horn was shocked out of his boredom and alienation. His life of ease had not prepared him for a dangerous mission to outlying, primitive stars- but now, at last, he had a reason for living. Even when he found himself a prisoner of ruthless slavers, when he learned the shocking truth about what the androids really were and where they came from... even when he saw the orderly, civilized universe he knew turned upside-down and inside-out... he fought on. For that universe had to be shattered and reborn - even if Derry Horn and the Earth he had left behind died in the process!