The Merro Tree — Katie Waitman

In the far reaches of our galaxy, the artist will face the ultimate censorship.

Mikk of Vyzania, the galaxy's greatest performance master, commands stages on all the myriad worlds. His sublime, ethereal performances are unforgettable, drawing on the most treasured traditions of every culture, every people, throughout inhabited space. His crowning achievement, and his obsession: the Somalite songdance, an art form that transcends both song and movement to become something greater and more spectacular...almost divine.

When tragic events cause performance of the songdance to be proscribed, Mikk is devastated...until his strong sense of justice forces him to defy the ban. His trial will be the most sensational in the recent history of the galaxy--the sentence he faces is death.

Now the greatest performance master must hope to become the greatest escape artist. Somehow Mikk must break the stranglehold of censorship and change the law...or die trying!