One of the best futurist writers ever imagines an international detective—a professional risk taker working outside government, law, and order—and takes him on an adventure to what may as well be an alien planet as he goes on a mission into deepest Iran in search of the black opium of Baluchistan.    From the very beginning of his career, Robert Sheckley was recognized by fans, reviewers, and fellow authors as a master storyteller and the wittiest satirist working in the science fiction field. Open Road is proud to republish his acclaimed body of work, with nearly thirty volumes of full-length fiction and short story collections. Rediscover, or discover for the first time, a master of science fiction who, according to the New York Times, was “a precursor to Douglas Adams.”