Rogue Queen by L Sprague de Camp

Cover by Richard Powers

 Worker Iroedh was confused. Though she was a lover of antiquity, she really could put no faith in the Oracle's prophecy. It was true that strange being, Terrans, had come from beyond the heavens. But these men were no gods. Had not she seen them making fools of themselves over a silly thing called love? Was this the action of gods? On the planet of a star, known to Terrans as Ormazd, the dominant humanoid species is organized into hive societies much like those of ants and bees. A hyper-fertile queen and a handful of male drones are responsible for their reproduction, while all other tasks are performed by a sterile female population of workers. This status quo is disrupted by an exploratory spacecraft from the Earth's space authority. It has a mixed crew of socially equal and universally fertile males and females. This opens up other possibilities to the natives.

 Printing History

Written by Lyon Sprague de Camp (1907-2000)

Hardcover 

Doubleday (1951)

The Eaton Press (1996)

Remploy (1974)

Paperback

Dell Books (1952)

Pinnacle Books (1954)

Ace Books (1965)

Signet Books (November 1972, June 1978)

Bluejay Books (June 1985)

E-Book

Victor Gollancz Ltd: SF Gateway (September 2011)
 Arc Manor: Phoenix Pick (January 2012)