Koontz. Petaja, being of Finnish descent, is best known for works making up a series based on the Kalevala, the Finnish verse epic. In each of the books which comprise the "Otava Series" – Saga of Lost Earths (Ace Books, 1966), Star Mill (Ace Books, 1966), The Stolen Sun (Ace Books, 1967), and Tramontane (Ace Books, 1967) – an Earth descendant of one of the four main heroes of the Kalevala is reborn into an avatar's role in order to re-enact adventures on Otava, the planet of origin of the Kalevala pantheon. The series brought Petaja readers from around the world; while his mythological approach to science fiction – an early example within the genre – was discussed in scholarly papers presented at academic conferences. In 1979, two omnibus editions of the "Otava Series" were published by DAW Books. A fifth novel in the cycle, Return to Otava (1970), remains unpublished. Another novel unconnected with the series but related to the Kalevala is The Time Twister (Dell, 1968). The Green Planet books – Lord of the Green Planet (Ace Books, 1967) and Doom of the Green Planet (Ace Books, 1968) – recount similar adventures befalling its Irish protagonist, who finds himself role-playing Celtic deities for the benefit of a madman armed with instruments of coercion. Other novels dating from the late 1960s and early 1970s include The Prism (Ace Books, 1968), The Nets of Space (Berkley, 1969), The Path Beyond the Stars (Dell, 1969), and Seed of the Dreamers (Ace Books, 1970). Four other novels remain unpublished, Glory Stone (1970), Little Gods (1972), Spin the Star Wheel (1975), and Zodiac World (1980). This latter work concerns a planet whose population is ruled by astrological beliefs. As chairman of the Golden Gate Futurians – an informal club for writers and fans – Petaja hosted meetings for friends and colleagues at his home in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. Among the regular attendees were local noted authors like Fritz Leiber, Avram Davidson and E. Hoffmann Price. Writers and editors who might be visiting from out of town – such as Donald Wollheim or Harlan Ellison – would also attend and there have a chance to meet local figures like the Satanist Anton LeVay or the film maker Kenneth Anger. Petaja enjoyed the company of other writers and artists and was acquainted with a number of individuals who lived in the San