In 2092 the world's ecology is in ruins, drought and famine are widespread, and survival is a never-ending challenge. Harold Erdman leaves his dying community with one goal: to make his way to Esmeralda, an island paradise run by the Huntworld Corporation, which has turned public murder among willing competitors into a thriving and lucrative business. Can he survive the journey and the many rounds of deadly competition on his way to the Big Payoff? His neighbors' lives, as well as his own, hang in the balance. Hilarious, savagely funny, and imaginative, this is Sheckley at his best!    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."