A collection of six stories featuring Jirel of Joiry.

Life was just about ideal for Howard Rohan. Nor should this be thought surprising, for he was hailed as the greatest actor in the United States and his wife, Miranda, as the most popular actress. On top of this, Comus (Communications U.S., which of course actually ran the nation) gave him a free hand in his work. But then suddenly life showed itself to be anything but a happy-ending play for Howard: Miranda was faithless to him. In a state of shock, Howard let himself slip to depths of personal dereliction. There seemed every indication this would be his last role, except Comus was having its difficulties, too -- in particular, rebellion in California against its authority. Not only were there outbreaks of violence, but it was not possible to locate the mainsprings of the revolt. In a last-resort move to regain control of affairs, Comus called upon Howard and his still great acting ability. How could an actor in a play learn what Comus, with its vast resources, could not otherwise lear

"The definitive collection of explorers and soldiers, charting the dark frontiers of our expanding universe. Amongst the infinite stars we find epic sagas of wars, tales of innermost humanity, and the most powerful of desires - our need to create a better world. The second volume of seminal short science fiction, featuring twenty-six new stories from series such as Wayfarers, Confederation, The Lost Fleet, Waypoint Kangaroo, Ender, Dream Park, the Polity and more.