The Avenger

"The Avenger" by Stuart Fleming is a science fiction novel that was published in the early 1940s. The story explores themes of human evolution and survival amid an alien invasion, concentrating on the concept of creating a new breed of humanity to combat superior extraterrestrial beings. The novel revolves around Peter Karson, a scientist who awakens from a coma to discover that Earth is under threat from invaders who possess horrifying abilities to fuse and harm humans. He creates a spaceship called "The Avenger" with the intent of sending himself into space to undergo mutative transformations to become a superman capable of fighting off the invaders. As he transforms and successfully breeds a new generation of intelligent beings, he faces the ethical dilemma of loyalty to his original humanity versus the kinship to the creatures he has created. The story culminates in a striking twist, revealing his creation's lack of emotional understanding and ultimate choice not to return to Earth, leading to a poignant conclusion about the nature of evolution and identity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of "To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for The Twilight Zone. He was married to fellow writer Kate Wilhelm.