Meet Luff Imbry, an insidiously clever confidence man ...He likes good wine, good food, and good stolen goods, and he always maintains the upper hand. When a business rival gets the drop on him, he finds himself abandoned on Fulda--a far-off, isolated world with a history of its own. Unable to blend in and furious for revenge, Imbry has to rely on his infamous criminal wit to survive Fulda's crusade to extinguish The Other. Hailed as the heir apparent to Jack Vance, Matthew Hughes brings us this speculative, richly imagined exploration of society on the far edges of extreme. A central character in Black Brillion, Luff Imbry is at last front and center in Hughes's latest rollercoaster adventure through a far-future universe.Praise for Matthew Hughes:"e;Matthew Hughes does Jack Vance better than anyone except Jack himself"e; - George R.R. Martin"e;Heir apparent to Jack Vance"e; - Booklist"e;Hughes's boldness is admirable"e;- New York Review of Science Fiction"e;Hughes effortlessly renders fantastic worlds and beings believable"e;- Publishers Weekly"e;A towering talent"e;- Robert J. Sawyer"e;A treasure"e; - David Gerrold