"Queen of the Martian Catacombs" marks the debut of one of Leigh Brackett's most iconic characters: Eric John Stark: orphan child raised on Mercury, who becomes a mercenary, fighting injustices across the solar system.
Eric John Stark is hunted by Earth police in the Martian desert. Simon Ashton is with them and makes a deal with Stark to act as his agent in preventing a holy war.
An unscrupulous ruler of a Martian Low-Canal city is partnering with a barbarian chief, Kynon, to plunder half the planet. Specialist mercenaries and criminals are coming from all over the solar system to join up.
When Stark reaches the city of Valkis, he witnesses a ritual that reveals deception at the highest levels.
The journey to the ancient ruins of Sinharat is beset with treachery and sandstorms, leading to a final confrontation with the secret masters of Mars.
This version of 'Queen of the Martian Catacombs,' by Leigh Brackett, was originally published in Planet Stories, 1949, later expanded into 'The Secret of Sinharat'.

Leigh Douglass Brackett (1915 - 1978) was an American writer, particularly of science fiction, and has been referred to as the Queen of Space Opera. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on such films as The Big Sleep (1946), Rio Bravo (1959), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980). She was the first woman shortlisted for the Hugo Award.