A classic of science fiction from SF legend Gordon R Dickson winner of three Hugo awards a Nebula award & an inductee into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame Humans & alien adversaries contend on a world whose inhabitants resemble bears both in appearance & in temperament A BEAR OF A CHOICE! Planet Dilbia is in a crucial location for both humans & their adversaries the Hemnoids Therefore making friends with the Dilbians & establishing a human presence there is of the utmost importance which may be a problem since the bearlike Dilbians stand some nine feet tall & have a high regard for physical prowess They&re not impressed by human technology either A real man er bear doesn&t need machines to do his work for him But Dilbians are impressed by sharp thinking & some have expressed a grudging admiration for the logical (and usually sneaky) mental maneuvers that the human "shorties" have used to get themselves out of desperate jams Just maybe that old human craftiness will win over the Dilbians to the human side If not humanity loses a nexus & the Dilbians will learn just how unbearable Hemnoids can be!