Rated 9/10climactic novel of two of the main themes of the darkover series,q.v.;
the relationship between the expanding terran empire, mainly benignly and protectively inclined towards darkover, but very interested in the power of the darkovan mental gifts or talents, and the privileged mentally talented darkovan aristocracy, jealous of their wealth, position and political power, for which they have paid a high price over generations, not least in the selective breeding to produce and concentrate particular laran powers, originally the sole guarantee of human survival upon this planet, as well as of these immense, albeit somewhat specialised mental powers.
this hard-won over many years, and sometimes very unstable balance, such as it is, is undermined by a powerful commercial corporation seeking to gain control of these powers and their potentially extremely profitable exploitation, without any understanding of, or interest in, the risks involved - whatever the human or environmental costs of achieving this might prove to be -
- including to the young regis hastur, newly come into his lordship of one of the most powerful families of the comyn aristocracy, full of noble ambitions and idealistic plans to improve the lot of ordinary darkovans, to promote talent whether it be found in the comyn or the common, "ordinary" people, and facing opposition from the more traditionally-minded and entrenched conservatives.
- and the human costs most certainly will not be low, as the simplest, quickest - and, most importantly, cheapest - method would seem to be by selective assassination of the controlling comyn aristocracy;
- selective assassination - or, if needs be, their wholesale slaughter.
hutchinson publishing group arrow books imprint uk p/b, first uk edition
dedication:
''to four people who---each in his or her own way---kept my sense of wonder alive:
anne mccaffrey
juanita coulson
ursula le guin
and
randall garrett''
cover art by melvyn grant (signed melvyn)
cover price 95p, $3.20 australia recommended. $2.95 new zealand
224pp. including six unpaginated pp. titles, indicia etc, three end pp. advertising
cover design is uniform with that of arrow books' then upcoming ''legend books'' f&sf imprint edition darkover series uk p/bs, but neither the logo nor the word, 'legend' appear upon this book.