At the end of The Cyborg and the Sorcerers, Sam Turner was making a life for himself on the planet Dest. He thought he had left the long-lost interstellar war between Earth and its rebellious colonies behind him forever. "Forever" turned out to be eleven years. That was how long it took for another Independent Reconaissance Unit to respond to the distress call his ship had sent before it was destroyed. And this one made his own berserk killer computer look sane.

Men have been at war for centuries with the reptilian race called "Basics." As conquerors always have, the winners of each bloody encounter have made slaves of the losers-but in this far-future war, each side has improved upon its slaves with genetic engineering. And so at last there came to be two neighboring worlds: Aerlith, where men have raised a race of fearsome dragons to be their servants, and nearby Coralyne, where the descendants of those very dragons are served by strong,...

A Quest for Simbilis. Cugel the Clever, his mind bent on revenge against Iouconnou, throws in with Mumber Sull, a deposed ruler seeking the legendary wizard Simbilis for help against the minions of Slaye. Cugel and Mumber go up against cannibals, a crooked bridge keeper, and have a short stint as exorcists.

Allegiance of Man. A lucky subterfuge has fooled the Golden Dragon into leaving Opal Island; and she has trailed the Pisceran Porpoise out to sea believing that the newly-repaired Chalice of Ond, the only hope of resurrection for her precious golden son is hidden beneath her decks. On board, amidst the dragon-attacks, Lord Casper worries for his own son, Rollo, abandoned on the hob-infested rock. But Rollo has the real chalice in his possession and although the responsibility weighs heavily, he...