- In 1947 New York, pulp magazine editor Ray Palmer gets a letter from a man named Richard Shaver. Shaver claims he has discovered a hidden language embedded in ancient tongues that reveals a terrifying truth. He insists that beneath the Earth dwell the "Deros," degenerate descendants of a forgotten super-civilization, who use ancient machines to torment surface humans. In major cities like Chicago and New York, elevators in skyscrapers descend into the inner Earth and the realm of the Deros.
Taking a chance, Palmer publishes Shaver's letter as a story in the next issue. The popularity of this tale, and its sequels, catapults Amazing Stories to the top selling pulp magazine on American newsstands. But there are some who believe The Shaver Mystery is not fiction ... including Shaver himself.