A Rim Worlds story based around the adventures of Derek Calver, The Rim of Space sees Chandler's hero determined to join the Rim Runners in their exploration of desolate planets. He joins the crew of Lorn Lady and sets forth for Mellise, a planet inhabited by intelligent amphibians. He later visits Groller, where the natives have just qualified as humanoids; Stree, with its tea-loving lizards; and Tharn, the home of a pre-industrial civilization.