PERSEUS SPUR: The Rampart Worlds: Book 1 (Rampart Worlds S.)

I was living in pleasant anonymity under the name of Helmut Icicle, taking smartass sport-divers out on holocam trips around the reefs of Kedge-Lockaby.

Fourteen thousand light years away from civilization, K-L's a freesoil planet way out in the boondocks. That's why I like it: it makes life easier if no one asks nosy questions.

So one minute there I was, subbing around Brillig Reef; the next thing I know, some giant sea-toad has eaten my house and I'm caught up in a galactic conspiracy! From gently coaxing an ageing submersible around the shores of K-L to piloting a state-of-the-art Javelin starship may seem like a big jump: but when it looks as if the future course of human civilization is under threat, it's a hell of a motivator.

'Perseus Spur'delivers everything readers have come to expect from worldwide bestseller Julian May: galactic scope, high adventure, humour, and complex political intrigue in a finely worked balance.

"A writer of exceptional perception and power"

JEAN AUEL, author of 'The Clan of the Cave Bear'