Interstellar Empire Author:John Brunner Once there was a mighty empire spanning the stars. Like all empires in human history, that one, the greatest of them all, declined and fell. Its colony worlds were left to themselves, falling into a galactic Dark Age of ignorance, barbarism, superstition. But they had one heritage in common: the imperial starships still functioned. They were sel... more »f-repairing, foolproof, impervious, and obeyed the commands of any who reached their simplified controls. This is the basis of John Brunner's panoramic novel, the saga of those who tried to climb out of the New Dark to a New Renaissance, with only the aging starships to sustain their efforts.« less