Far, far from Earth is the planet World, and Gthnaargh, their most reluctant astronaut, is sent into space to investigate the weird aliens or die in the attempt. He nearly does both when he strands himself on Earth at the mercy of some very weird people indeed. But Dire Robvek, World's Chief Astrophysicist, has a lot of questions: if they must send someone, why send Gthnaargh, a man so stupid the word 'thicko' had to be added to the computer's lexicon? And what is the connection between the mission and the mysterious World Security Agency? She's determined to find the answers. But that doesn't mean she has to like them ... "If you enjoy books by Tom Holt you'll love this story ... Sci-Fi/fantasy farce at its best "