La Cura Impossibile cover by Karel Thole

Published 1986
by Urania Mondadori

Translation of the novel Through the Eye of the Needle by Hal Clement.

Hal Clement (1922-2003) was a Science Fiction writer. He was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1998 and was named the 17th SFWA Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1999.

Through the Eye of the Needle (1978) was a follow up on his novel Needle published in 1950.
He wrote Needle as the result of a dare by John W. Campbell, Jr., the editor of Astounding Science Fiction. Campbell had said that it was impossible to write a genuine science-fictional mystery story. Any such would turn out to be a standard mystery with s-f trappings, such as being set in the future or around a superscientific macguffin; but stripped of those elements, it would turn out to be just a standard mystery. Clement wrote Needle, which Campbell conceded was a genuine mystery that could only exist as also a genuine s-f story.
In the follow up novel Clement again succeeded in writing a Science Fiction mystery story, which while being enjoyable was not as good as the original.


Karel Thole (Carolus Adrianus Maria Thole) (20 April 1914 – 26 March 2000) is renowned for his long work for science fiction magazine Urania. He also did covers for other publishers such as Mondadori where he painted covers for Mystery and Romance books.
Some of his Science Fiction covers were also published by Four Square Books (England) and DAW books (US).
A list of his Science Fiction work can be found on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database