Against the Stone Beasts: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Against the Stone Beasts: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

Against the Stone Beasts is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Blish, James (1921–1975).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Against the Stone Beasts" by James Blish is a science fiction novel written in the late 1940s. The narrative explores themes of time travel, alien civilizations, and a war against an unseen predatory force inhabiting the Earth itself. It beautifully weaves speculative elements with deep emotional and philosophical undercurrents, capturing the tension between human experiences and alien cultures. The story follows the protagonist, Andreson, who accidentally time-travels to a future where winged beings called the Varese inhabit a civilization on Earth, now under siege by mysterious creatures known as the space-beasts. Through his interactions with Jina, a Varesian, and Atel, another winged being, Andreson learns about the war against these creatures that can move through solid matter. With the city under threat of annihilation and the characters facing tremendous odds, the plot navigates through themes of identity, survival, and the complex dynamics of interspecies relationships. The unfolding conflict leads to dramatic confrontations, revealing the fragility of existence and the illusion of separation between worlds, ultimately posing profound questions about belonging and the essence of life.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Against the Stone Beasts
- Author credits: Blish, James (1921–1975)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Adventure stories
- Science fiction
- Time travel -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Novels
- Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.


