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A combination of intrigue, aliens, telepathy and romance keeps the plot moving briskly in this enjoyable and somewhat campy novel.
Reviewed by David on October 12, 1999
Genre: Science Fiction (Space Opera, ESP, Romance)
Synopsis: Sira di Sarc is perhaps the strongest member of the small but powerful race of humanoid telepaths: the Clan of M'hiray. Breaking the conventions of the xenophobic Clan, Sira choses a human telepath—Jason Morgan—as her mate.
As her relatives' reactions range from baffled dismay to poisonous, disgusted hatred, a trecherous and powerful faction of the Clan plots to use Sira's unique genetic heritage to increase their power.
Despite Jason's and Sira's self-imposed exile, the politics of the Clan reach out to submerge the pair in deadly multispecies intrigue, while the human Enforcers and the inscrutable Drapsk are eager to get their hands on the rare telepath.
Full Review: In this sequel to A Thousand Words for Stranger, the seeming resolution of the previous book is complicated by villains both new and old. While suffering a great deal, in this book Sira acts a number of times with both courage and effect, both for her own benefit, and out of her overdeveloped sense of responsibility to the various peoples she encounters. Sira, at last, becomes a well-rounded and sympathetic character, showing passion, intelligence, compassion and humor, with the right mixture of vulnerability and strength.
Jason and most of the supporting characters are more superficial but nonetheless satisfying. The villains, on the other hand, are largely flat, being defined solely by their ambition and hatred.
Several new and intersting species are introduced, including the Kif-like Sakissishee and the mild-seeming but stubborn Drapsk. The latter, while posessing some interesting customs, seem rather disingeniously cute, adding a tinge of unwelcome anthropomorphism.
Much of the book is spent by the protagonists chasing or being chased by their enemies. The view-hopping is frequent, and the short chapters often end in cliff-hangers, causing mild annoyance.
Various minor flaws aside, the plot keeps moving fast enough to keep the reader's attention firmly engaged, and entertaining enough to overlook the strains on plausibilty. The characters of Sira, and to lesser extent Jason and Sira's sister Rael, provide the biggest attraction in this view-hopping, romantic space opera.
Overall: 6; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 6.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1999, Donald A. Wollheim (DAW), November 1999, Mass market paperback, 484 pages
ISBN: 0-886-77850-6 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com