Starhawk: Mack Maloney

Star Hawk 1. The year - 7200 A.D. Earth is the centre of a vast galactic empire - a militaristic state governed by stern repression. the Specials, an extended  family that has wielded power for nearly two thousand years, control the galaxy with iron-fisted zeal. After generations of genetic manipulation, they are virtually immortal. On an isolated planet on the galaxial fringe lives Hawk Hunter, pilot., He designs his own ships, using a strange technology - but he can't explain his abilities or his knowledge.  His past is a mystery, even to himself. But now his talents have been discovered. And in the Earth Race - a state-sponsored gladiatorial contest that pits pilot against pilot and earns both winner and sponsor unimaginable wealth - he will not only test the limits of his endurance, but begin to learn the truth of his identity. Cover art by Michael Herring and Jean Pierre Targete.

Paperback; 1st printing by Ace 2001; very faint spine crease and shelfwear otherwise near fine copy of an uncommon title.