What happens when humanity's deadliest game of chicken is about to go nuclear, and the only ones who can stop it aren't even from Earth?

Dive into Stanton A. Coblentz's 1967 pulp sci-fi classic, "The Day the World Stopped," a chillingly relevant tale of Cold War paranoia and cosmic intervention. The year is 2020 (as imagined from the '60s!), and the United States and Red China stand poised to unleash "Black Dragon" satellites, each armed with enough hydrogen warheads to obliterate civilization. President Armitage and Chairman Yu are locked in a terrifying standoff, with Earth's fate hanging by a thread.

But humanity is not alone in its folly. From the vastness of Jupiter, the highly advanced, peace-loving Omegriconians have been watching. Alarmed by Earth's ("Mugud's") self-destructive path and the potential for interplanetary contamination, they dispatch a trio of observers—the sagacious Zerdyl and his quirky companions Quam and Zab—to understand, and if necessary, intervene.

Thrust into the bewildering world of Washington D.C., these uniquely gifted aliens, with their mind-reading abilities and amusing struggles with human customs (and clothing!), find an unlikely confidant in the earnest Senator Harvey Torrington. As Torrington is drawn deeper into Zerdyl's mission, he becomes a pivotal, if reluctant, player in a game with stakes far higher than any earthly politics.

Witness a thrilling blend of political intrigue, classic alien encounters, and a desperate race against time. When diplomacy fails and Earth hurtles towards annihilation, the Omegriconians deploy their ultimate, awe-inspiring measure: The Great Paralysis. In an instant, all technology on Earth grinds to a halt, plunging humanity into chaos but offering one last, stark chance for survival.