It has been two hundred years since Owen Deathstalker fell, dying to save the Empire and all Humanity. Now it is a Golden Age for all: for men, for aliens and for the AIs of Shub. But one evil man has determined to bring it all crashing down, and now the Terror has finally arrived, threatening them all with extinction.The old heroes have become legends, and the cry goes out for new heroes. It's time for the latest Deathstalker, Lewis, to do his bit. Unfortunately, he and his companions, a diva, a conman, a homicidal psychopath and a reptiloid called Saturday, have all been outlawed and declared traitors. Deathstalker luck. Always bad. Unless Lewis Deathstalker can defy the odds to get to the Madness Maze and tread the same dangerous path to glory that his ancestor did, the Golden Age is about to be wiped out for ever. Together with Humanity . . .