From Publishers Weekly
The epic of Danlo wi Soli Ringess of Nevermore, interstellar pilot, adventurer and the sole survivor of the Devaki tribe, continues in this elaborate space-opera sequel to The Broken God. Charged by the Master Pilot with discovering the reason behind the destruction of numerous star systems, Danlo takes his diamond-skinned starship on a quest that is hindered by predictable plotting and stilted dialogue ("You speak in paradoxes and riddles"). Zindell creates a universe loaded with spectacle: computers so immense that their components form orbital rings around suns, artificial intelligence that has evolved to godhood and technology that can shatter stars into novas. But Zindell's narrative conflicts are merely retread versions of plot devices that click with near-cliche familiarity. Despite these shortcomings, Danlo remains likable, for his sheer pageantry and color.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Fans of universe-building science fiction who haven't discovered Zindell's sweeping Requiem for Homo Sapiens are in for a treat. In this third installment in the series, Zindell continues the galaxy-spanning adventures of Danlo wi Soli Ringess, whose growth to manhood on the winter world of Icefall culminated in initiation into an elite order of lightship pilots. Now Danlo joins a battalion of fellow pilots on a sacred mission to establish a new religious order in a volatile region of space known as the Wild, where the hidden Architects of the Old Church are exploding stars in their quest to remake the galaxy. Hoping to stop the destruction and find his lost father, Mallory Ringess, who, according to legend, has become a god, Danlo penetrates the Solid State Nebula to confront a network of moon-size biocomputers that will challenge his beliefs and the foundation of human existence. Zindell embraces a wealth of tantalizing ideas, from mystical philosophy to exotic hyperspace physics, in a breathtaking saga that, completed, should match the grandeur of Herbert's Dune or Asimov's Foundation.
Carl Hays
