What Hath Me?

In Short

This science fiction novella is a high-stakes adventure set on Asgard, a mysterious, artificial asteroid that has ruled the Solar System for a millennium. The story follows Derek Stuart, a rugged, defiant spaceman who is abducted and thrust into a telepathic conflict between the god-like Aesir and their ancient, ethereal rivals, the Protectors. It is a tale of destiny, sacrifice, and the blurred line between human survival and post-human evolution. Its enduring appeal lies in its swift pacing and its grand, pulp-inspired vision of cosmic warfare.

The Story

Derek Stuart wakes up in a dark forest on an alien world, his memory a fragmented blur. He realizes he is on Asgard, the legendary asteroid that controls the Solar System through puppet governments and fear. Stuart, a man defined by his stubborn refusal to be broken, encounters strange, shifting phantoms—a swamp creature, a Martian warrior, and a devil-faced entity—before he is overwhelmed by a mysterious cold. A telepathic voice, actually two voices acting in unison, warns him that he has been "tested" and chosen as a vessel.

As he wanders toward the Aesir’s citadel, Stuart encounters other captives from across the planets, standing in a death-like trance in a pit. He meets Kari, a woman who claims to be a captive, who urges him to infiltrate the tower. Kari provides him with a crimson cloak, which turns out to be a trap; it is a sentient device that drains his strength and binds him to the will of the Aesir. Stuart realizes Kari is either a puppet or a traitor, yet he is struck by her haunting, half-alien beauty.

The story accelerates as Stuart discovers the Protectors—beings of pure energy who have been searching for a human "sword" to wield against the Aesir. The Aesir are ancient humans who evolved into entities of electronic power and entropy. Because the Protectors cannot fight the Aesir directly without burning out their own forms, they use Stuart as a proxy. He eventually manages to tear off the sentient cloak and channels the full, terrifying power of the Protectors.

The climax takes place in the cyclopean hall of the Aesir. Stuart, serving as a conduit for galactic energy, battles the Aesir directly. The temple shatters, and the alien gods are extinguished. In the aftermath, the voices of the Protectors—revealed to be two ancient humans named John and Lorna—explain that their own evolution has separated them from humanity. To restore Stuart and the dying Kari, John and Lorna agree to sacrifice their own unity, splitting into two entities to sustain the lives of the humans. The story concludes with Stuart and Kari alive in the ruins of the temple, beginning a new existence as humanity’s potential leaders.

How It Unfolds

The hunter becomes the prey. Stuart awakens on the surface of Asgard, confused and hunted by shifting, nightmarish illusions. He finds his way to the Aesir’s citadel, driven by an unreasoning, combative instinct to confront his captors.

The trap is set. Inside the fortress, Stuart finds a pit filled with petrified human victims and meets the enigmatic Kari. He is tricked into wearing a sentient, crimson cloak that saps his physical strength and binds his consciousness to the Aesir.

The battle of shadows. Stuart discovers the presence of the Protectors, two ancient beings who have been searching for a human vessel to wield their power. He manages to free himself from the cloak and begins a direct mental and physical assault on the gods.

The final gambit. Stuart channels the immense, destructive energy of the Protectors to destroy the Aesir, an act that nearly incinerates his own body. He realizes the cost of the victory when the Protectors choose to sacrifice their own eternal union to preserve his life and Kari’s.

The People

Derek Stuart is the quintessential hard-bitten spaceman, defined by his ability to hate and his refusal to submit. He is a "vessel"—a man whose capacity for anger and courage makes him the only tool the Protectors can use. By the end, he transforms from a solitary drifter into a potential leader for humanity.

Kari is a tragic figure, a woman who has lived on Asgard long enough to be fundamentally altered by the Aesir. She exists in a state of suspended humanity, torn between her past and the infection of the gods. Her sacrifice and her eventual restoration highlight the cost of the war.

The Protectors, John and Lorna, are the voices in the sky. Having evolved into beings of pure energy after a failed experiment with entropy, they represent the ultimate fate of humanity. Their warmth and pity for Stuart humanize their otherwise god-like, detached status, and their decision to separate for the sake of the protagonists provides the book's emotional resolution.

In Its Own Voice

"The thousand tiny eyes raced past him, glittering with alien ecstasy, shining brighter, ever brighter as they fed."

(This describes the sensation of the Watchers—or the Aesir—sucking the life force from a victim.)

"They are--what the race of man will evolve into in a million years."

(Kari explains the disturbing nature of the Aesir to Stuart.)

"I'll hold it long enough!" he promised desperately. "One second of power--only that! Enough to smash the Aesir."

(Stuart makes his final, suicidal demand for the power of the Protectors during the climactic battle.)

What It's Really About

At its core, this is a story about the intersection of evolution and entropy. The Aesir and the Protectors represent two divergent paths for humanity: one that chooses ruthless, parasitic power and one that maintains a tenuous, protective connection to its origin. The book argues that human survival—or the survival of our better nature—requires a bridge between the primitive, scrappy "manling" and the vast, incomprehensible future. It explores the idea that even gods are bound by the consequences of their own evolution, and that the only true power lies in the willingness to sacrifice one’s own existence for the sake of another. It is an argument for the endurance of human identity against the cold, entropic pull of the universe.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the brisk, high-concept storytelling of mid-20th-century science fiction will find much to admire here. It feels like a fever dream—compact, urgent, and constantly shifting between the visceral sensations of a dusty farm in Dakota and the cosmic scale of a temple that spans the stars. It does not pause for lengthy exposition, preferring instead to drop the reader directly into the psychic turmoil of its protagonist.

The book captures the specific, optimistic, yet melancholy mood of the post-war era, where space was viewed as both a terrifying void and a canvas for god-like potential. Modern readers should be prepared for the rapid, sometimes jarring jumps in logic that define the genre, as well as the period-specific gender dynamics—Kari, for instance, serves as a classic, if somewhat passive, emotional anchor for the hero. Despite these dated tropes, the central struggle—a man fighting to remain himself while being used as a weapon by higher powers—remains compelling. It is a brisk, intense read that leaves the reader considering the heavy price of being the "chosen one" in a universe that has long since moved past human concerns.