Please see Hidden Empire and A Forest of Stars,
in this order before you read this title.

The Spiral Arm is in trouble. Hydrogue warships are laying waste to inhabited planets, Klikiss robots aren’t the harmless machines they claim to be, stardrive fuel is scarce, and stars are being extinguished.

The Ildiran Empire is reeling with the loss of the old Mage-Imperator. The new leader’s controversial policies threaten to create a rift among his close-knit people and spurs potent new enemies.

Among humans, Roamers and Therons learn to work together, while the primary government is growing desperate for resources. The de facto leader plots dangerous action against the Roamer space gypsies in order to grab material for the struggling Hansa.  The discovery of instantaneous transportation portals (much like “stargates”) offers hope for Hansa colonists, but unknown dangers lurk on some of the abandoned Klikiss worlds.

Although a titanic war is waged between elemental forces, the arrival of a fourth elemental species promises to change the tide for humans and Ildirans. Both species’ existence depends on stopping the hydrogues—and their inscrutable allies.

Anderson displays fine mastery in the creation and consistency of the many characters and storylines. Each is a star of their own accord, contributing to the overall picture while tugging at the reader in his or her own way. As noted in previous reviews, Anderson also excels in describing lush settings without dragging the reader through pages and pages of minute detail.

Anderson’s gift of story weaving continues to pull readers through a magnificent epic that will no doubt be considered a classic by future generations of sci-fi fans.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
6/12/2006

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