An ordinary king finds himself on an extraordinary quest in this intergalactic soap opera by the acclaimed sci-fi author and "precursor to Douglas Adams" (The New York Times). Dramocles, an ordinary king on an ordinary planet, finds himself thrust into an adventure that combines soap opera, Greek tragedy, and Shakespearean drama as he unwillingly—and disastrously—seeks to fulfill his destiny. Unfortunately, that destiny is only revealed to him piece by piece. In the meantime, Dramocles manages to foment an interplanetary war, precipitate the disintegration of his family, lose all his friends, and uncover betrayal among his closest advisers as barbarian invaders besiege his realm.