Overview: A breathtaking climax to the series told by a great storyteller.

This series is rather hard to describe - it's not a simple three act play. There are many themes and plots weaving in and out, so it is hard to say "this is a story about...", because it is about so many things. It is a story about prejudice, about societal norms, about guilt and social pressure. It has all the good points of old fashioned Science Fiction, real science and imagined situations - lots of good "what if" scenarios - yet it explores them with a truly diverse cast of believable people who you come to know and care about. These people have plenty of interpersonal drama and growth, as well as getting put in dangerous situations that are described in such amazingly written action scenes that I found myself having to remember to breathe. Perhaps the greatest asset (apart from the brilliant writing style that sucks you in from the first line) is the setting. The setting is so rich and detailed with fascinating hints strewn throughout - I truly believe that there is enough material touched on in this book alone to fill another 100 volumes (Tellon Blaze, Cioni's Apprentices, Jarra's grandparents, Paul who stood with Helena - just to name a few).

Janet Edwards is my favorite living author, and she just keeps getting better.

Once more, thank you Ms Edwards!