Overlord of Colony Eight

"Overlord of Colony Eight" by Robert Silverberg is a gripping science fiction story that plunges into a world of control and resistance on the distant planet Damballa. Jim Reese returns home to Colony Eight expecting to reunite with his sweetheart, Lois, after a month-long journey, but he finds his friends now act as soulless puppets to the evil scientist, Dr. Tersen, and his controlling mind-control experiments that have seized the colony, turning people into slaves. The once welcoming colony is now a dangerous place where Reese and Lois must fight for their survival against their former friends as Reese seeks to reveal the source of Tersen’s power. In a showdown, Reese confronts Tersen, where the battle for dominance highlights the triumph of love and freedom over oppression.