In Our Friends from Frolix 8, the world is run by an elite few. And what determines whether the first is part of the elite isn’t prosperity or privilege, but brains. As kids, every citizen of Earth is tested; some are located to become super-smart New Men plus some are Unusuals, with various psychic powers. The vast majority are Undermen, executing menial jobs within an overpopulated globe. Nick Appleton is an Underman, articles to choose the stream and eke out an life as a car tire regroover. But after his boy is classified as an Underman, Appleton starts to query the hierarchy. Building up his handle, and energizing the resistance movement, is information that the great resistance head Thors Provoni is definitely returning from a vacation towards the furthest reaches of space. And he’s brought help: a giant, indestructible alien.