The fate of the mysterious criminal mastermind known as Dr. Cornelius was left uncertain at the end of Gustave Le Rouge's 1913 classic The Mysterious Doctor Cornelius. Now, Brian Gallagher reveals how the diabolical Doctor escaped justice, selling his surgical skills to whomever pays best.

World War One has arrived, and the Great Powers of Europe are all eager to use the services of the infamous "Sculptor of flesh" to gain a decisive advantage in the upcoming conflict. But Dr. Cornelius will soon meet his most implacable enemy yet: Countess Irina Petrovska, a Polish patriot and loyal agent of the Habsburg Empire, who from Sarajevo to Vienna, will thwart his devilish schemes again and again.

With alien artifacts, super-weapons, and strange inhuman powers at stake, the conflict between the Doctor and the Countess threatens to tear the Earth asunder and reshape the 20th century.

A bonus story by Brian Stableford casts a new eye on Dr. Cornelius's sinister wartime activities.