by Jack L. Chalker

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

Copyright (c) 2000 by Jack L. Chalker

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original

Baen Publishing Enterprises

P.O. Box 1403

Riverdale, NY 10471

www.baen.com

ISBN: 0-671-57880-4

Cover art by Bob Eggleton

First printing, August 2000

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chalker, Jack L.

Balshazzar's serpent / by Jack L. Chalker.

p. cm.

"A Baen Books original"—T.p. verso.

ISBN 0-671-57880-4

1. Life on other planets—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3553.H247 B35 2000

813'.54—dc21 00-031145

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

Produced by Windhaven Press, Auburn, NH

Electronic version by WebWrights

http://www.webwrights.com

Printed in the United States of America

For James White

from the Sole Survivor

BAEN BOOKS by JACK L. CHALKER

Balshazzar's Serpent
The Changewinds
The Demons at Rainbow Bridge
The Run to Chaos Keep
Ninety Trillion Fausts
The Identity Matrix
Downtiming the Nightside