Ampris, the Golden One, is taken from her home and made the pet of the precocious Sri-Kaa (Princess) Israi. Ampris is part of the race of feline/humanoid slaves known as the Aarouns. Israi is part of the superior reptile/humanoid race known as the Viis. The two form an instant bond. Meanwhile, Elrabin, one of the canine/humanoid Kelth, decides to strike out on his own, leaving his mother and the rest of the litter to fend for themselves. His story is rife with action and adventure as he dodges the Viis police force and establishes himself as a thief. The story of Ampris and Israi differs in that they get caught up in less dangerous everyday adventures while learning about the Viis empire and various aspects of a political life. Ampris learns things that none of her race have been priviliged to learn, preparing her for what happens later on in life. As the story moves forward you see Ampris and Israi slowly and sadly drift apart.

Anyone who loves to use their imagination.

The rich descriptions of the alien races that inhabit the many planets of the Viis empire.

The book tends to drag in certain places. But it's worth the read since this is only the first book in the trilogy and only the introduction to the great, more exciting tale to follow.

I wanted to read it again and again until I had the entire story memorized.

Excited. I never thought I could connect with these characters, but by the end of the book I desperatley wanted to find out how this all turned out.

Deborah Chester is a magnificent wordsmith with an incomparable descriptive power. Her history in the Romance genre helps to create a solid story that mines an entire spectrum of emotions for the reader.

The alien characters are so richly imagined and expertly brought to the page by Chester. She helps them to transcend their alien roots and become as human as you or me.

There are themes in this story that are tackled with such vivid imagination that it's impossible not to relate to the characters or their plights. You find yourself rooting for the heroes and utterly despising the multi-faceted villains. Anyone who picks this up and dismisses it as "just another stupid Star Wars book" would be sadly misinformed. It is a product of Lucasfilms, but does not tie-in to Star Wars in any way. These novels stand alone as the greatest science-fiction trilogy of modern times.

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Created Oct 20, 2003 at 4:06pm • Submit your own review...