A brand new stand-alone deep space adventure from Alastair Reynolds, featuring the author's long-running character Merlin, who has previously appeared in "Merlin's Gun" (1999), "Hideaway" (2000) and "Minla's Flowers" (2007). When Merlin encounters the derelict hulk of an old swallowship drifting in the middle of nowhere, he can't resist investigating. He soon finds himself involved in a situation that proves far more complex than he ever anticipated. "Reynolds is one of our finest SF writers, creating a universe rich with detail and thrilling in scope." -- Peter F. Hamilton "Reynolds is a master of modern space opera..." -- Publishers Weekly "Minla's Flowers is a touching, heartrending story..." - Booklist Review "While it may be difficult to write grand space opera in short story form, it's not impossible, and two linked stories, "Hideaway" and "Merlin's Gun" show just how well it can be done." - SFSite