The Drath: Wolf-like alien rulers of the galaxy. Unknowable, all-powerful, predatory. Melin: Desert world settled thousands of years ago by a human generation ship. Nthanda Ceelen: Ruler of the Ceelen, space-faring clan of warriors, traders and explorers who exploit the Wave Drive gifted to humanity by the Drath. Ru Shashi couldn't care less about any of it. Survival demanded all his attention as a Runner in Hexal City's Undercity caverns. Until the day that Nthanda Ceelen and the fate of the human species landed in his lap. This collects the first three books of the Drath series: Clash of Lines, Joining of Lines and Consort of the Crystal Palace.