
A weary professional gambler has finally found a quiet spot on the distant resort world Cassylia, hoping to leave his dangerous reputation behind. His brief respite is shattered when a hulking stranger, Kerk Pyrrus, forces him into a high‑stakes proposition, laying out a fortune in credits as a bankroll for a single night of ruthless betting. The encounter is a tense duel of nerves and firearms, hinting at a larger, deadly game waiting beyond the casino tables.
Beyond the glitter of the casino lies Pyrrus itself—a planet where the environment fights back with feral intensity, making survival a constant battle. The gambler must decide whether to trust the stranger’s promise of unimaginable wealth or walk away, knowing that on this world even chance has a lethal edge. As the stakes rise, the line between skill, luck, and raw survival blurs, setting the stage for a relentless, action‑filled adventure.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (316K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2009-03-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1925–2012
Best known for the wildly entertaining Stainless Steel Rat books, this American-born science fiction writer mixed fast-paced adventure with sharp humor and satire. He also created the Deathworld series and Bill, the Galactic Hero, building a long career that made him a favorite with generations of SF readers.
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