From Publishers Weekly
An interesting first-contact political thriller is buried in this sequel to Foreigner, but readers will have to work hard to pry it from the dull surroundings. Bren Cameron continues as paidhi, the interface between the human community and the indigenous atevi population on a planet that the humans colonized years before. Cameron's musings about politics and language take up much of the novel; these generally are not deep thoughts ("Hell, maybe human caring was a survival disadvantage. Who knew? It sure screwed up lives"). The return to the planet of the human spaceship Phoenix brings the promise of many changes in both atevi and human ways of life. Cherryh takes the reader plodding through the resultant conflicts, many of which are political and most of which would be more interesting if they weren't rehashed so often. This novel?which reads like the prelude to yet another sequel?is simply too static. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
After an absence of nearly 200 years, the starship Phoenix reappears in the skies above the human enclave of Mospheira, throwing both humans and the native atevi population into consternation and threatening the delicate balance between two distinctly alien civilizations. This sequel to Foreigner (LJ 2/15/94) continues to explore the patterns of thought and culture that define a species' civilization. Veteran sf author Cherryh combines a flair for hard science with a keen insight into the complex rationales behind human-and nonhuman-actions. Highly recommended for sf collections.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Midwest Book Review
Be sure to pursue the predecessor Foreigner before partaking of Cherryh's sequel: it will make the transition to the politically-complex interactions between alien and human much smoother. Battles between competing political figures spill over into alien/human relationships and threaten many fragile alliances in this fast-paced story of social and political 'duels'.

ANNOTATION

For 500 years, humans have lived in exile, a lone colony stranded on an alien world. Years of isolation and suspicion. Years of waiting. But now, the wait is over. For a human-piloted ship orbits overhead, threatening to upset the carefully planned balance of power between the humans and their alien overlords.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

An interesting first-contact political thriller is buried in this sequel to Foreigner, but readers will have to work hard to pry it from the dull surroundings. Bren Cameron continues as paidhi, the interface between the human community and the indigenous atevi population on a planet that the humans colonized years before. Cameron's musings about politics and language take up much of the novel; these generally are not deep thoughts (``Hell, maybe human caring was a survival disadvantage. Who knew? It sure screwed up lives''). The return to the planet of the human spaceship Phoenix brings the promise of many changes in both atevi and human ways of life. Cherryh takes the reader plodding through the resultant conflicts, many of which are political and most of which would be more interesting if they weren't rehashed so often. This novel-which reads like the prelude to yet another sequel-is simply too static. (May)

Library Journal