Dan Randolph never plays by the rules. A hell-raising maverick with no patience for fools, he is admired by his friends, feared by his enemies, and desired by the world's loveliest women. Acting as a twenty-first privateer, Randolph broke the political strangle-hold on space exploration and opened the solar system to all mankind-becoming one of the world's richest men in the bargain.
Now an ecological crisis threatens Earth, one that will exterminate billions in a few short years if it continues unchecked. And the same politicians that Randolph outwitted the first time want to impose a world dictatorship to deal with it. Dan Randolph knows that the answer lies in more human freedom, not less-and in the boundless resources of space. But can he stay free long enough to give the world that chance?
A daring tale of one man's struggle against overwhelming odds, Empire Builders is a stunning near-future thriller by one of the most acclaimed science fiction writers of our time.