Sometimes the fate of entire worlds can be decided by a woman with nothing to lose, and the smartest gun in the multiverse in her hand . . . This is the story of Bess - or Dog-Bitch Bess as she came to be known.

It's the story of the gun she carried, whose name was Wakeful Slim. It's the story of the dead man who carried that gun before her and left a piece of himself inside it. And it's the tale of how she turned from teacher, to renegade, and ultimately to hero.

This is also the tale of the last violent engagements in an inter-dimensional war - one of the most brutal the multiverse had ever seen. This is how Bess learned the truth about her world. Came to it the hard way, through pain and loss and the reckless spilling of blood, and carried it with her like a brand on her soul.

And once she knew it - knew for sure how badly she'd been used - she had no option but to do something about it. From one of science fiction's most original and revolutionary voices comes a tale like no other. Vengeance always comes with a price .