First in a brand-new Foreigner trilogy from Hugo Award winning author C. J. Cherryh. Cajeiri is the young son of the powerful leader of the Western Association-and he has become a target for forces bent on destroying his father's rule. For Cajeiri is the first ateva youth to have lived in a human environment. And after hundreds of years of fragile atevi-human coexistence, he may very well be the first of his people to ever truly understand the so similar-yet so dangerously different-aliens who share his home planet and threaten the hidebound customs of his race. " Complex and sophisticated ...those who persevere will be rewarded with a space opera where ideas are as important as action...fans will be delighted." — Publishers Weekly "Her lucid storytelling conveys enough backstory to guide newcomers without boring longtime series followers. The characters are well drawn, and Cherryh's depiction of both human and alien cultures is riveting ." — Library Journal "The latest Foreigner science fiction thriller is a superb entry in a strong chronicle ...once again C.J. Cherryh provides an interesting tale of a human living in an alien culture; however, the additional spin of the impact on an atevi youth having lived in a human culture for a couple of years refreshes the saga." — Midwest Book Review C. J. Cherryh planned to write since the age of ten. When she was older, she learned to use a type writer while triple-majoring in Classics, Latin and Greek. At 33, she signed over her first three books to DAW and has worked with DAW ever since. She can be found at cherryh.com.