This is a classic sci-fi book written in the 1950s. By the time it came up on my list and I started reading it, I had forgotten when it was published and was very confused about the timeline, especially when they kept talking about the ‘70s and things being only fifty years after silent films. I finally figured out this book is set in the 1970s, which was the future. War has shaken up world politics and India is the lead country. Americans are second class citizens. Instead of building skyscrapers, we build downward into the earth for stories. Things are future and antiquated at the same time. Two American men had been working towards world peace when suddenly one ruins their whole work. We find out right away this is because of aliens. This all sounds exciting, but the execution was dull. I tried to force myself through it, but it’s too slow and academic seeming. If you are super into sci-fi, you may want to read this as popular cannon, but for a more light reader like me, it’s a skip.