The Gods Of The Gift: An Ancient Universe Novel

Collectors are passionate about the things they collect. There is a legend about a collection that has lit a frenzy among the richest of the rich. Emperors of galactic civilizations seek out pieces of this collection. Princes, merchants, interplanetary drug lords all vie for possession of the notorious Puzzle Pieces of The Starwind Communion. What are these things? Why are they so valuable that millions of counterfeits float among the stars?

The novel's hero,Garuvel Zimrin, is a wandering seeker after spiritual wisdom. He is on the world R'zelfo when he stumbles upon an unusual duel. The combatants banter as they fight. Garuvel doesn't understand what they're talking about. He listens patiently. He hears hints of an ancient conflict, of murder, genocide and planetary destruction. Mention of "Puzzle Pieces" is made. The enemies talk about "Planet-People", implying that they, themselves, are such beings. Their worlds have been doomed. The orbits of their home stars have been somehow altered. In a million years, perhaps less, they will be sucked into the galaxy's black hole.

How can they emigrate? How to transfer billions of people to viable star systems ? A solution is devised: each world's population will merge themselves into a single being. They will become Planet-People. The peoples of one hundred eight worlds will transform themselves into one hundred eight avatars. Garuvel has chanced upon a pivotal drama in the story behind the legends of The Starwind Communion. Each avatar carries its planet's cultural essence in an object. These objects are the Puzzle Pieces. Each piece is a fragment of The Puzzle Of The Endless Gates.

The duelists are named Nutun Utulo and Boraz Bufaisdek. In reality they are the Planet-People Melolos and Calakadon. The duel is a trap. Calakadon will cheat and murder Melolos. He will take the Puzzle Piece of Melolos and add it to his collection. His ultimate purpose is to prevent the Puzzle Pieces from being assembled into their whole, their solution. Something special will happen when the Puzzle is solved. Calakadon does not want the puzzle to be completed. He is the criminal who is responsible for sending the stars of the Communion spinning into the Black Cauldron. He is enraged that Planet-People emerged as a way to continue the quest to solve The Puzzle Of The Endless Gates. Now he must murder them again! He will take their Puzzle Pieces and sell them to greedy collectors. He has already thrown several pieces into the Cesspit of Hellbore. The Puzzle will never be solved! The deepest mystery of Cosmic Physics will never be understood.