"A very good (and well written) alliance/union novel. The central character is forced to integrate into a shipboard crew/family he has never known, after living his early life (happily) elsewhere. The backdrop is the the ship's position in major negotiation of change afoot in the universe. While the protaginist has a small part to play, the reader is emotionally involved in him throughout.
"
Andrew Banks, Resident C.J. Cherryh Scholar
"It's very good Cherryh - drop somebody into stresses they cannot handle and watch them wriggle. In this case, it's a teenager spacer who has lived on a station all his life, and who after long years of hard work finally finds himself where he wants to be - on the planet, with the gentle aliens he so likes.
And just when he thought he'd settled in for good, along comes his mothers' ship. Politics demand that he be put on board said ship, against _all_ his wishes and desires.
We get to follow if he will or won't fit in on the ship, if he will or won't make it back to his planet and the aliens.
"
HeK, Resident C.J. Cherryh Scholar
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Overall Review
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book
- very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Coming of age
Yes
Youngster becomes
- an adult (general)
Political power play
Yes
Political plotlets
- saving govt/kingdom from external overthrow
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture
Yes
Culture clash-
- feelings of a human growing up among aliens
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
- scientist
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Terrain
- Planet surface, need spacesuit
- Space, need spacesuit
Spaceship setting:
- a space station
- futuristic human freighter/transport
- really, really giant spaceship/station
Planet outside solar system?
Yes
Takes place in spaceship?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 1st
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- none/very little science jargon needed
- a moderate amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
