In book one, The Golden Queen, the insectoid Dronons have slain the human queen Semarritte, throwing into chaos the ten thousand worlds over which she reigned. But a new queen has been created: cloned from the dead monarch, born to rule, Everynne instead is on the run, often only one planet ahead of the Dronons. Everynne falls in with cocky bodyguard Gallen O'Day; the pious Orick, an intelligent black bear; and the beautiful orphan Maggie Flynn. Leaping from world to world via an ancient system of instantaneous transport gates, the heroes face terrible dangers and great wonders as they seek the heart of the Dronon worlds, carrying the battle straight to the enemy. In the second book, Beyond the Gate, Maggie Flynn is now, by test of combat, the new Golden Queen. Gallen, Maggie, and Orick face an attack by Dronons on a planet where humans have achieved the pinnacle of genetic engineering. They must stop them while guarding the secret of Maggie's whereabouts, for she is only the Golden Queen until her champion, Gallen, is defeated by a Dronon challenger. In the midst of a slam-bang story, Farland raises and examines deep questions of humanity's definition and identity.