duane@anasazi.UUCP (Duane Morse) (12/17/85)
The jacket reads: "The city--or the alien Elwere-- city of rainbows, where the fortunes of the planet Oroga are concentrated in the grasping hands of the privileged few. To David, stolen from Elwere as a baby and raised as a thief of the Lower City, it is a dream of paradise, a treasure trove to which he must find the key, no matter what the cost... And Eschteef--a schrift of the jewel-and-precious-metals schtann, twice the size of a human, more than twice as strong, with frightfully glowing eyes and rows of needle-sharp teeth. It, too, has a dream, a dream of which David has suddenly become the crucial focus. And once a shrift has chosen, nothing can change its path. Elwere or the alien--two different roads to the future, leading to either wealth and power--or death..." As usual, the jacket description is inaccurate. David doesn't dream of living in Elwere, nor does he search for the "key" to fitting into that society. He's more driven by events than in control of them. The book is mainly action and adventure. It takes place on an alien world in a society that includes alien races. There's no emphasis on new technology, but some time is spent talking about the kind of society which has developed. I had read Rosenberg's "Guardians of the Flame" series with much pleasure. This book comes as a disappointment. Just when things start getting interesting, the plot takes an abrupt turn and new characters appear. As a result, all of the characters are rather shallow, and I could never get engrossed in the story. There are some good ideas here, but they aren't adequately developed. I give the book 2.5 stars; it's good for a quick read, but it's not very satisfying. -- Duane Morse ...!noao!terak|anasazi!duane or ...!noao!mot!anasazi!duane (602) 870-3330