"Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock didn't
understand." "He was young, handsome, athletic, an
excellent dresser, and third in line for the Throne of
Man ... so why wouldn't anyone at Court trust him?" "Why
wouldn't even his own mother, the Empress, explain why
they didn't trust him? Or why the very mention of his
father's name was forbidden at Court? Or why his mother
had decided to pack him off to a backwater planet aboard
what was little more than a tramp freighter to represent
her at a local political event better suited to a third
assistant undersecretary of state?" "It probably wasn't
too surprising that someone in his position should react
by becoming spoiled, self-centered and petulant. After
all, what else did he have to do with his life?" "But that
was before a saboteur tried to blow up his transport. Then
warships of the Empire of Man's worst rivals shot the
crippled vessel out of space. Then Roger found himself
shipwrecked on the planet Marduk, whose jungles were full
of damnbeasts, killerpillars, carnivorous plants,
torrential rain, and barbarian hordes with really bad
dispositions. Now all Roger has to do is hike halfway
around the entire planet, then capture a spaceport from
the Bad Guys, somehow commandeer a starship, and then go
home to Mother for explanations." "Fortunately, Roger has
an ace in the hole: Bravo Company of Bronze Battalion of
The Empress' Own Regiment. If anyone can get him off
Marduk alive, it's the Bronze Barbarians." "Assuming that
Prince Roger manages to grow up before he gets all of them
killed."--