A sympathetic biography of Nikola Tesla traces the growth of his childhood dream, the realization of it and the rocky path he travelled toward each of his startling inventions. From the ridicule of his European professors who could not comprehend the boy's genius, to the mild acceptance of Edison who was later threatened by Tesla's discovery of alternating current, to the acclaim and backing of George Westinghouse, Tesla's most influential sponsor, the book builds toward a satisfying success story. But the facts of Tesla's later years were to change this. For though he conceived of fantastic inventions, he died a lonely man in an obscure hotel room defeated in his efforts to realize his last discoveries. Carefully documented, fictionalized in style, this is within the grasp of the non-scientific reader though the interest level would indicate otherwise. Generally good writing with occasional melodramatic lapses.