David Falkayn -- Few indeed had won their Master Merchant's certificate as young as he, let alone become confidential associates of an uncrowned prince like Nicholas van Rijn, or ruled entire planets. 

But with an alien posse riding hot on his heels, even Falkayn can't feel completely at ease...

In his magnificent Future History of mankind's second great age, Poul Anderson has conjured up a universe too immense for even the human race to despoil. 

Across the grand expanse of space roams the Polesotechnic League, a band of merchant princes from every inhabited planet, in search of adventure and riches beyond the wildest dreams of our earthbound time!