Balshazzar's Serpent
 On
a Galactic Mission from God
Here begins an exciting new epic adventure by Jack
L. Chalker, a favorite of science fiction fans for years!
When the wormholes mysteriously failed and the
Great Silence fell across a third of humanity's interstellar
civilization, it was up to the Church to tie together what remained. As
had happened long before, during the Middle Ages, faith kept hope alive
in a new Dark Age for mankind.
Ishmael Hand, one of the Church's
"Prophets" or cyborg scouts, comes across a system with a gas
giant and three habitable moons, matching the description of the fabled
star system of the Three Kings, an El Dorado long sought by prospectors
across the galaxy. Like most Prophets, Hand is not completely sane; he
disappears after his final message-which does not include the location
of the system.
Centuries later, Doctor Karl Woodward, preacher
and leader of the starship The Mountain, brings the Word to a* lost
colony of farmers on an uncharted world, and discovers that
saving their souls is the least of his problems. A stranded crew of
space pirates has terrorized the peaceful villagers for decades. Now
their captain holds Woodward's crew hostage as well. And he wants The
Mountain....
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jack L. Chalker is one of science fiction's most prolific and popular
authors, with a readership numbering in the hundreds of thousands. His
bestselling novels and series include The Changewinds, Midnight
at the Well of Souls and its sequels, The Quintara Marathon
trilogy, the "Soul Rider" series, the "Rings of the
Master" series, and others. His novels have been translated into
many foreign languages and many have been book club selections. He is a
familiar figure at SF conventions, often as a guest speaker, frequently
as toastmaster. He lives in Maryland with his wife and son.
Illustration by Bob Eggleton
Cover Design by Carol Russo Design
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