THE RATIONS OF TANTALUS by Margaret St. Clair

Originally published in the July 1954 issue of Fantastic Universe magazine. Re-published in World of When, a 1962 anthology; then again in the omnibus called Message from the Eocene / Three Worlds of Futurity in 1964, a couple of re-issues in at least two foreign collections in 1966 and 1972, and finally in a complete collection of the author's work entitled A Compendium of Margaret St. Clair. The story's original introduction, from that 1954 issue of Fantastic Universe, was this: "Like Robert Bloch and Frank Belknap Long, Margaret St. Clair followed somewhat in the footsteps of the late, great Howard Phillips Lovecraft. She dedicated much of her early talent to the horror story. Then, having acquired an enviable reputation in that field, she turned to science fiction. Her stories breathe freshness and originality, and her insight into the psychology of alien life forms has seemed uncanny to many!" I own no copyright to this work, only give it my voice. Read by Darrell T. Smith II for my channel Quasar Spectra. Support me with a contribution: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?busine... Buy Message From the Eocene/Three Worlds of Futurity: https://www.amazon.com/Message-Eocene...