Delany"s first novel. Originally published in 1962 in a heavily edited form by Ace books, the restored text was published in 1968. This Bantam paperback is the restored version. A strange representative of an ancient Goddess sends two sailors, one a poet, one a giant, and a very young four-armed thief on a mission to an island where the final third jewel of Aptor is being held, along with the woman"s daughter. On the boat ride out, they are accosted by the first mate who accuses the thief of being a spy, but is he? Or is the first mate a spy? When they reached the monster-filled island, things are definitely not what they seem.