Boucher and McComas described the 1949 edition as "twelve superb short stories of a future in which the new gods have led man into strange scientific and sociological bypaths -- a book it would be difficult to overpraise."
The 1949 edition was commended by Boucher and McComas for its exceptional collection of twelve science fiction tales that depict a dystopian future where humanity is led astray by new gods, resulting in bizarre scientific and societal developments.