KZIN . . .
   HUMANS . . .
      PAK . . .
         JOTOKI . . .
            OUTSIDERS . . .
               ALL THEIR SECRETS TOLD . . .
At the heart of known space lies mystery:

* How did so anarchic and violent a species as the Kzin ever learn to Cooperate sufficiently to develop the technology to conquer an interstellar empire?

* What is the. secret behind the seemingly primitive yet singularly effective human military technology? (Sure, humans are lucky, but luck can't explain everything.)

* It is said that adult humans are merely superannuated Pak breeders deprived of the Tree of Life. But whence the Pak?

* Same for the Jotoki.

* Why have the Puppeteers been so protective of humanity?

* Why have some of the Outsiders learned to hate us?

* And above all, who and what are the Radiants?

The answers to some of these questions have been hinted at before, but now Gregory Benford, a renowned high-energy physicist who is even more famous as an award-winning science fiction author, and molecular biologist Mark O. Martin bring their formidable talents and extraordinarily broad range of expertise to bear on all the mysteries of Known Space. Their light will be shined into some amazing places, but be warned: Known Space is darker than you think.

Publisher's Note: Part of this novel has been published separately in The Man-Kzin Wars series.