The Globes of Llarum, by Gene Lancour, is a thought-provoking science fiction novel set in a dystopian future. Cort Devereaux, mercenary available for the highest price, exile from a destroyed planet, finds himself stranded without credit on Llarum, a backwater frontier planet whose unique wealth is based on the gas voided by bioluminescent globes – a colorful product marketed through out the human-settled planets. The story offers readers a gripping tale that raises important questions about the nature of humanity and the potential dangers of unchecked authority.