Triplanetary

"Triplanetary" by E. E. Smith is a science fiction novel first serialized in 1934 and published in book form in 1948. Ancient alien races wage a secret cosmic war through human history, manipulating bloodlines across millennia—from Atlantis to Rome to future World Wars. When humanity finally reaches the stars, forming the Triplanetary League, they face ruthless space pirates and amphibious aliens who harvest iron from entire fleets. Patrol agent Conway Costigan must use forbidden technology to save civilization and spark the first interstellar war.

Triplanetary, by E. E. Smith. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #20782.