The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman

The transformation of Desiderio's city into a mysterious kingdom is instantaneous: Hallucination flows with magical speed in every brain; avenues and plazas are suddenly as fertile as fairy-book forests. And the evil comes, too, as imaginary massacres fill the streets with blood, the dead return to question the living, and profound anxiety drives hundreds to suicide. Behind it all stands Doctor Hoffman, whose gigantic generators crack the immutable surfaces of time and space and plunge civilization into a world without the chains - or structures - of reason. Only Desiderio, immune to mirages and fantasy, can defeat him. But… Desiderio is stricken with love for Albertina, a woman he sees only in his dreams. And the evil doctor is also Albertina's father... Desiderio's battle will take him to the very brink of undeniable, irresistible desire in this magical, satirical adventure. * Pierwsze wydanie: Rupert Hart-Davis 1972 Pierwsze wydanie Penguina, w serii King Penuin: 1982 W katalogu ISFDB błędny ISBN Wydanie amerykańskie pt. War of Dreams