Robert Sheckley

A heart-rending story of a Native American community told through the generations Following the arc of two centuries, from the horrors of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 to the early 21st century, Wandering Stars is an indelible novel of America's war on its own people. It is also the tender, shattering story of several generations of a Native American family, searching for ways through displacement and pain, towards home and hope: a wondrous novel of poetry, music, rage and love, from one of the most astonishing voices of his generation.

This volume contains the major short science fiction of Robert Sheckley. Introduction by David G. Hartwell Contains: Leech -- Demons -- Fool's mate -- Monsters -- Seventh victim -- Shape -- Untouched by human hands -- Something for nothing -- Accountant -- Thief in time -- Battle -- Milk run -- Ghost V -- Laxian key -- Skulking permit -- Squirrel cage -- Lifeboat mutiny -- Necessary thing -- Citizen in space -- Ticket to Tranai -- Skag castle -- All the things you are -- Bad medicine -- Early model -- Pilgrimage to earth -- Native problem -- Language of love -- Deaths of Ben Baxter -- Wind is rising -- Gray flannel armor -- Holdout -- Prize of peril -- Minimum man -- Sweeper of Loray -- Triplication -- Store of the worlds -- Prospector's special -- Shall we have a little talk? -- Sarkanger -- Dukakis and the aliens.

When a mysterious alien woman from the planet Laertes convinces Dr. Bashir to gamble for her at Quark's gaming tables, things seem innocent enough. Yet the more Dr. Bashir wins, the more things go wrong in the Federation: Ore ships vanish. Planets lose their atmosphere. Suns go nova. The cause and effect is hard to understand, but is proven by the bizarre Laertian science called Complexity Theory. When Bashir tries to stop gambling, a Laertian warfleet appears to force him to continue, while on the planet Laertes itself Major Kira and Science Officer Dax must battle their way through chaos and danger to find a way to stop the Laertians -- and save Deep Space Nine and the Federation from utter destruction!

It is a dying Earth's defiant answer to a seemingly hopeless future. While the world's remaining population struggles to survive on a planet made barren by humanity's own greed, a small, select group of men and women seek wealth and glory in the challenge of death itself. They are the Hunters. and they are also the Victims, co-conspirators in a mutual duel of destruction played out for the world's vicarious entertainment. One by one, the have come to the small Caribbean island where the Hunt is held. And two by two, computers have assigned them their roles - Hunter and Victim - to Kill or be killed by any means fair or fowl.