After finding out that he has unusual powers, Martin Martel is banished from the planet Karnak. He is thrust into the tranquil world of Aurore, vacation paradise for the galaxy, and finds that the reality of Aurore is much different from the planet's serene veneer. The gods are wantonly cruel and indifferent to the chaos they cause: are they really gods or just men and women with larger-than-life powers?...

"The colony world of Stittara is no ordinary planet. For the interstellar Unity of the Ceylesian Arm, Stittara is the primary source of anagathics: drugs that have more than doubled the human life span. But the ecological balance that makes anagathics possible on Stittara is fragile, and the Unity government has a vital interest in making sure the flow of longevity drugs remains uninterrupted, even if it means uprooting the human settlements. Offered...

A collection of short stories set in the world of the Recluce saga features seventeen new tales and four popular reprints spanning the thousand-year history of Recluse, in an anthology complemented by a background essay.