The Mind Net by Herbert W. Franke (DAW)
The organic and at the same time squarish Jugendstil forms of Charleston are used to convey an extraterrestrial mood, echoing the creature in the cover art by Frank Kelly Freas. Originally published in German in 1961 as Das Gedankennetz, this is the first English paperback edition, issued by DAW Books in the translation by Christine Priest under the title The Mind Net (UQ1136). Austrian scientist and science fiction writer Herbert W. Franke passed away earlier this year at the age of 95.
From the back cover:
In The Mind Net we encounter a vast space fleet exploring the cosmos. They find some organic remnants in the lifeless soil of an ancient world. But when the space explorers test these mysterious objects they suddenly find their ship trapped in an alien mental web and face a menace never allowed for on their computers.
