For the first time, all of Stephen Leigh's "Alliance Universe" short fiction is collected together in one place. The Alliance Universe was also the setting for the "Hoorka Novels" (SLOW FALL TO DAWN, DANCE OF THE HAG, and A QUIET OF STONE), and also several short stories, including the title story, "A Rain of Pebbles," which was chosen as Best Short Story of the Year by the readers of Analog Magazine. The short stories and novelettes included in this collection are: "Answer In Cold Stone" "Encounter" "A Rain of Pebbles" "The Mask of Night On His Face" "Chaos Night" "In Darkness Waiting" "When We Come Down" "Shaping Memory" Each story is prefaced by a brand new introduction reflecting on the story and how it came to be written. Enter the Alliance Universe, where strange creatures and stranger worlds await