In Old Earth's penultimate age, the corpulent master criminal Luff Imbry moves through the halfworld like a full-fleshed shark. Thief, forger, confidence man, and sometimes go-between, he maps out his illicit operations with exquisite care then carries them out with courage and panache. But, often, things don't go as Luff planned, and he must call upon a talent for improvisation and a ruthless will to survive. This collection brings together seven short stories and novelettes previously published in Postscripts, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and the anthology Forbidden Planets, plus two novellas formerly only available in limited editions. It offers Luff Imbry in all his moods and guises. "Hughes has made a name for himself as heir apparent to Jack Vance" Booklist "A tremendous amount of fun." George R. R. Martin "Hughes has been the best-kept secret in science fiction for too long: he's a towering talent" Robert J. Sawyer "Superlative. A droll narrative voice, dry humor, and an alternative universe that's accessible without excessive exposition" Publishers Weekly "Matthew Hughes is one of those writers whose witty, wry writing style is as enjoyable as the story he's writing about. His Archonate universe is a wonderfully compelling far future that mixes fantasy and science fiction." Kirkus Reviews