The original story was first published in 1958 and expanded in 1960. The original story is still popular, and many readers still enjoy it. Among the many interesting things about the novel is the fact that it's a reprint of an old science fiction classic. The book is set in a far-flung planet and involves a gang of space criminals. However, this space prison will be an expansion of an old Russian gulag.

The story is about the crew of a space ship being attacked by the Gerns, an alien race that's currently in the expansion phase. The Gerns separate the people on board the ship into "Acceptables" and "Rejects." The Acceptables will become slave labor for the Gerns, and the Rejects will be forced to land on a planet that has 1.5 times Earth gravity. The inhabitants of Ragnarok are extremely hostile and deadly, and their only hope is a zero gravity simulator.