El imperio de la muerte

# "El Imperio de la Muerte" (The Empire of Death)

A science-fiction mystery serialized in the Spanish pulp magazine Bolsilibros (SIP #18), authored by W. Sampas and published by Ediciones Toray in 1959. Inspector Shato Nugumi briefs Donald Callowan, chief of the Special International Police, on a series of inexplicable disappearances: twelve fishing vessels have been found completely abandoned along Japanese coasts, with crews vanishing without trace—no signs of struggle, storm damage, or mechanical failure. Six hundred young Japanese fishermen have disappeared. Despite military surveillance using radar and sonar, the abductions continue only at night. Callowan devises a plan: his agent Micky will hide aboard the fishing vessel Isima Maru with a portable radio transmitter, observing and reporting any approach. Naval destroyers will patrol nearby, ready to mobilize based on Micky's signal—"abierto" (open) for known threats, or "cerrado" (closed) for unknown phenomena. The narrative explores whether the disappearances involve submarines, aircraft, or something yet unidentified.