
In a glittering future where interstellar travel and sentient robots are routine, Anson Drake is a name that rings fear across half a hundred worlds. A seasoned Earthman with a taste for danger, he finds himself in the opulent Flamebird Room of Thizar’s Royal Gandyll Hotel, watching a native orchestra while plotting his next move. He’s there because Viron Belgezad—a proud Thizarian magnate—has just acquired the legendary Necklace of Algol, a prize Drake intends to reclaim.
The necklace will be displayed at the upcoming coronation of the Shan, drawing the galaxy’s elite and the most desperate thieves. Drake must navigate a web of hostile officials, a jealous rival, and a lethal assassin who tries to slip a poison into his vein—all while staying one step ahead of the law. The stage is set for a high‑octane heist that will test his cunning, combat skill, and the razor‑thin line between luck and betrayal.
Language
en
Duration
~25 minutes (24K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Apr 10, 2008
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1927–1987
A prolific American science fiction and fantasy writer, Randall Garrett is best known for the clever Lord Darcy mysteries, where magic functions as a rigorous science in an alternate twentieth-century world. His energetic short fiction and collaborations helped make him a memorable voice of mid-century speculative literature.
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