The House that Stood Still

The House that Stood Still

First published in 1950, The House That Stood Still combines a Raymond Chandler style noir mystery with a science fiction thriller complete with robots, spaceships and telepaths. Allison Stephens is a property management attorney for the wealthy Mr. Tannahill, owner of the Grand House. While working late in his office, Allison responds to a scream in the night and finds a mysterious group in the office of a Mexican Import Company. Two murders follow, and Stephens embarks on investigation worthy of any police detective. Among the challenges he faces: a dead man whose grave is empty, a Mayan cult operating in Los Angeles, and his growing realization that the person heâ€™s talking to may not be the person he thinks heâ€™s talking to. Tied up in every piece of the mystery is the secret of the Grand House which has presided over Almirante, California since long before a Spanish conquistador appropriated it. Stephensâ€™ support group includes a member of the mysterious cult, the sexy and savvy Mistra Lanett, who, by turns, seduces and baffles Stephens, and a seemingly sincere robot space craft.

In this far reaching tale, van Vogt introduced many ideas now familiar in novels, films and TV: the international thriller of impending nuclear war, the undetectable mask used so often decades later by the Mission Impossible team, the hero with an "odd" gun (in Allison's case, a WWII Japanese Nambu pistol), immortality, a woman of immense power, and high speed story pacing. Long out of print, you can now read a remarkably modern novel.
Country USA
Manufacturer Agency Editions, Inc.
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2014-01-19
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Agency Editions, Inc.
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2014-01-19
Format	Kindle eBook

The House that Stood Still

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