Wizardly schemes, Jorian knew, went oft a-gley. But this time the wizard's plan seemed simple. Since ancient prophecy foretold that the clocks would save Iraz, Jorian must repair the great tower clocks that his father had built. If everything went well, Karadur could then plan the rescue of Jorian's beloved wife, Queen Estrildis, from Xylar. And Jorian would be appointed Clockmaster of Iraz, a position that would require him to break a pirate siege, placate an amorous priestess, and stay at least one step ahead of the Royal Guard of Xylar - where he was still wanted as the star attraction at a royal beheading!

Dirk Barnevelt, tame writer for Shtain Enterprises, is sent to Krishhna to find and bring home its company's explorer-founder, captive of the pirates of the Sargasso-like Sunqar. Zei, Princess of Qirib, is kidnapped from under Barnevelt's nose, and as this new book opens he is escaping across the floating weed beds on improvised skis, with the girl but without Shtain. The rest of the book is devoted to the process by which our hero finishes his original job

Meet Victor Hasselborg, easily the most miserable Private Investigator in the entire galaxy. More comfortable with the dull routine of investigating insurance frauds than interstellar adventure, Hasselborg is bound by duty to chase a runaway heiress across known space to the primitive world called Krishna. Clad in kilt and sword, his hair dyed green, riding a buggy driven by a six-legged monster of a beast, Hasselborg's quest takes him through the volatile world of feudal Krishna politics and into the presence of... The Queen of Zamba. A rollicking tale of galactic adventure - space opera at its very best, by one of the writers who invented the field

Barely had Dirk Barnevelt finishing writing a publicity campaign for his boss, then he learned that he would shortly find himself isolated in the middle of the terrible Sunqar, a floating swamp on the planet of Krishna. Without scientific equipment and surrounded by deadly dangers, he must escape from a place he knows is impossible to succeed

Three years earlier, Jorian had been crowned King of Xylar. But the laws of Xylar decreed that each randomly chosen monarch must be beheaded at the end of a five-year reign. Jorian had a prejudice against losing his head. With the aid of the aged wizard Karadur, he managed to flee. Unfortunately, he had not been able to bring his beloved wife, Queen Estridis, with him, nor had he yet been able to find a means of freeing her from the palace in Xylar City. But now his luck was about to change. He and the aged wizard Karadur were being flown through the night air in a great copper bathtub, powered by a demon under Karadur's control. Ahead of them lay Xylar City. There, while the demon kept the bathtub hovering above the palace, Jorian could let down a rope and rescue Estrildis. It should have been a foolproof scheme... "The Unbeheaded King...contains everything a fantasy should have: warring wizards, fantastical beasts, princesses, traveling players, dark forests, digressive cautionary tales"