In the midst of recovering from their successful if casualty prone first mission, the crew of the Alliance Space ShipVorpal Bladeare suddenly scrambled back into action. All other priorities take second place as word arrives on earth of a gate colony which has fallen to an unidentified alien assault. As the only space ship currently available to the Human-Adar Alliance, theVorpal Bladeis dispatched to find out what happened to the colony, rescue any survivors and learn the identity of the attackers.With new complexities added to the universe started in the novelInto the Looking Glassand continued inVorpal Blade,Manxome Foecontinues the tradition of non-stop action, valorous if quirky characters and rigorous science drawn from the frontiers of current theory. The odd-ball crew of theVorpal Bladeis an unlikely savior of earth, but none dare say they quail at engaging the Manxome Foe.