Couldn't decide between 4 or 5 stars.
Probably the best book I've read so far this year.
I liked how quickly the story just started with action and kept moving.
Hoping the series continues the standard. ( )

I was surprised to see this was first published in 1999. It has a very 50s, space man with ray gun, shoot bad guy, kiss pretty girl, save galaxy vibe. I wonder if this is a plot May wrote earlier in her career and published after her Many-Colored Land success. ( )

I have been a longtime fan of the author's other works but had never picked this one up and it turned out to be a little bit of a disappointment. The premise of the book sounded good but I did not really find any of the characters within the book very enjoyable and this is probably why I did not like this one as much as expected.

3 stars for a good premise but not one I am going to out in my favorites. ( )

a great writer, all fiction but heavy on the science, reading her books makes me feel kind of intelligent

the future is controlled by corporations, money takes precedence over principle, there's extreme social stratification and aliens abound. we join our flawed hero, long after he'd been thrust from the height to the lowest depth of society, as he's pulled back into the jungle. humph, i managed to make it sound boring. it's a fun & fast read despite my description, worth trying ( )

For fans of Julian May, this book is a welcome addition, but not up to the quality of the Many Colored Land Series. Its more science fiction than fantasy, and moves along well, but is not nearly as compelling as the earlier books. ( )

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.asp?ID=164 ( )

Seems to have been written in some haste; still, kinda cool. Reminds me of Zelazny's short story set in a hostile world where some kind of law enforcement guy uses tech to protect the citizens from the bad xeno-biology and carries a cane. Deh, I'll get the story name here, one day.

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