This is a follow-up to The Voyage of the Sable Keech tracing the journey of an Old Captain, Orbus – a sadist in charge of a crew of masochists - to a planetary wasteland called The Graveyard’ lying between the Polity and the Prador Kingdom. An ancient war drone by the name of Sniper has stowed away aboard his spaceship, and the purpose of the journey is not entirely what the captain expected. Also heading in the same direction is the Prador king and the Prador Vrell. Vrell, having been mutated by the Spatterjay virus into something powerful and dangerous, has seized control of a Prador dreadnought, killing much of its crew, and is intent on heading back to the Prador Third Kingdom to exact vengeance on the King of the Prador, who tried to have him killed. All three ships are heading towards a climatic confrontation to The Graveyard, where underlying truths about the virus are revealed and an ancient menace to civilization reappears…

Profiling hundreds of space programmes and their different technologies, Jane's Space Directory enables you to identify thousands of different commercial and defence applications. Key objectives, developments and technical specifications of available vehicles and systems are reviewed, including the new generation of launch vehicles. Structured around the categorisation of functions and presented for quick comparison and evaluation, each entry comes with accompanying illustrations. Supplier and manufacturer listings help support your market research and procurement requirements. Key content includes: Government and non-government space programmes; Global space industry directory; Civilian operations; Orbital and suborbital launch vehicles; Propulsion; Commercial and military satellites; Planetary and space science; Human space flight; Launch listings; Contractors. For a complete listing of aerospace organisations and personnel around the globe see Jane's International ABC Aerospace Directory.

From Space News. January 27, 1997: "Many would do well reading this treasure of facts covering the development of U.S. launch vehicles. Starting from American Robert Goddard's pioneering work, Hujsak provides an overview of a half-century of booster business. The Atlas, Delta, Titan, space shuttle and its derivations are covered, as are the Delta Clipper and the single-stage-to-orbit National Aerospace Plane project. Also covered is past work on nuclear-powered rockets, as well as looks at unconventional propulsion using lasers and interstellar ramjets. This is a straightforward, no-nonsense easy-to-read book, particularly for those unfamiliar with the evolution of U.S. space launch capability."