STEPPE

Granada / Panther SF paperback, 1980. Cover illustration by
Fred Gambino.

Alp the Uigur steps into the Game 

Alp is a 9th Century warrior on the great Steppes of Russia, suddenly plucked from his own time by 24th Century Galactics, players of the Game. 

The Game is a reconstruction of history, controlled by a super-computer. Any Galactic with enough money can buy himself a part. The more he prospers, the more points he scores and the more fans he acquries on the outside. The history being re-run now is Steppe, 9th Century...with a difference. Instead of on rolling grasslands, the Game is played over an entire galaxy. Instead of on sturdy ponies, the competitors travel by individual spaceship. Only the women, and the need to use cunning and strength, seem the same..."