The Patchwork World: one planet with a mosaic of worlds. Each in a vast crater encircled by mountains that touch space. Each an isolated milieu with particular qualities. * Oceanica: a crater sea dotted with islands and girdled by mountainous rimlands. It is fractured in many nations that compete for resources and influence. Right now, an ambitious tyrant is seizing whatever he can. Three short-stories speak of ordinary people who strive to build or rebuild their lives in a time of turmoil. * The Desolation: an arid crater whose city states survive thanks to an ancient canal system that brings water from the encircling mountains to the latifundios in the central flatlands. Now, a violent revolutionary regime seek to topple the old social order. The novella Dusk and Dawn tells the story of Fennec, a bastard in a ruling house and involuntary heir to its throne. Exiled by war, Fennec must discharge xer sacred oath to xer ruler. But stakes are higher than that: the future of civilization.