Dramocles, an ordinary king on an ordinary planet, finds himself thrust into an adventure that combines soap opera, Greek tragedy, and Shakespearean drama as he unwillingly, and disastrously, seeks to fulfill a momentous destiny that is only revealed to him a piece at a time as he manages to foment an interplanetary war, precipitate the disintegration of his family, lose all his friends, and uncover betrayal among his closest advisers as barbarian invaders besiege his realm.   From the very beginning of his career, Robert Sheckley was recognized by fans, reviewers, and fellow authors as a master storyteller and the wittiest satirist working in the science fiction field. Open Road is proud to republish his acclaimed body of work, with nearly thirty volumes of full-length fiction and short story collections. Rediscover, or discover for the first time, a master of science fiction who, according to the New York Times, was "a precursor to Douglas Adams."