Among fellow writers and readers, Paul Anderson has long gained a reputation as the "creator of worlds". Both novels, opening his collection, give the reader a great opportunity to appreciate this side of the writer’s work. The climate and geography, the history and customs of aliens, their language and beliefs, the peculiarities of biology and relations with people created a special atmosphere of authenticity. In the novel Winter Over the World, the action takes place on Earth, mutilated by a nuclear war, engulfed by a new ice age. The barbarian empire, which stretches in the place of Florida, seeks to capture the rich northern lands, but it is not easy to subdue the people whose genes are freedom ... In the second - "Fire Time" - the red giant approaches the planet Ishtar, burning it with its rays hordes of savages rush to the equator from the polar regions of the planet, and terrestrial settlers are forced to fight for survival among the warring tribes of the aborigines.