Another broiling, sprawling, witty, adventure-filled hard-SF adventure, filled with the truly alien On the primitive world of Cull, a knight errant called Anderson is hunting a dragon, little knowing that far away someone else (now more technology than human flesh) has resurrected a brass killing machine called Mr Crane to assist in a similar hunt encompassing star systems. When agent Cormac learns that this old enemy still lives, he sets out in pursuit aboard the attack ship Jack Ketch - whilst scientist Mika begins discovering the horrifying truth about that ancient technology ostensibly produced by the alien Jain.