Chambers’ Wayfarers cycle, of which this ostensibly is the last instalment, is the rare kind of SF that works its magic though the heart more than through the brain. The story of five aliens marooned, for a little while, on what is, essentially, an intergalactic road stop, will make you cry over a smile, rekindle your belief in humanity (even if nary a human plays a part) and, at times, laugh out loud (apparently, the matter of cheese is the most befuddling issue aliens would have with humankind). Or at least it made me do so.