Peter David, a creative force in television, and a bestselling author of comics and novels, has created a fantasy world sure to delight his legions of readers. The Damned Worldonce known simply as Earthhas become home to twelve races, each of which has fought the others for survival for generations beyond memory. These races, in the earliest days of humanity, had been the basis for Cyclopes, Vampires, Mermen, and other creatures of human myth and legend. But humanity has been hunted into near extinction, and only the legends live on, locked in mortal combat. And they all live in awe and fear of the all-powerful Overseer, whose authority none dare challenge. However, a new spirit has arisen among those sick of war and tired of living in fear. Some believe that it is possible for the races to become allies instead of enemies. With this new spirit has come a time of possibility, of change. Several of the races seek the legendary Orb of Light, believing it can provide an ultimate solution to all problems. The search for it will ensnare the fates of various individuals, including a human woman, Jepp; Karsen and his family of Bottom Feeders; and a desperate one-eyed leader in a kingdom of the blindnone of whom realize that the Orb was once known by a much more ominous name, or that acquiring it could lead to their complete destruction.