Ahvren returns from war with a compulsion for telling the truth and an extreme aversion to going back to war. He goes to T'Chin, a planet recently conquered by his people, the Vivitare, when his foster sibling, Sabri, asks for his help. Ahvren's father makes a deal with him: find out if the rumor regarding a rebellion against the emperor is true. If Ahvren can figure it out, he will have a whole year to figure out what to do with his life instead of going to Zodan to continue conquering, and he might even save Sabri from marriage to the odious son of the emperor.

I will try to be fair to this book, but the simple truth is, at least part of my rating has to do with the fact that this is one of my favorite authors, one of her first books, and not one of the first I've read. It just doesn't measure up to some of her later writing; I don't expect it to. The plot and characters were engaging, but there were definitely some shaky moments from an author who hadn't quite found her stride in plot development. Also, I may read a lot of fantasy and a fair amount of sf, but that doesn't mean I have a high tolerance for apostrophes in the middle of words, and the proliferation (T'Chin, K'Moth, N'Ssser to name a few) got old fast. An entertaining, quick read, but not one of Bell's best. ( )

Ahvren is a Vivitare warrior, but after two years of fighting he is ready to put down his sword. He joins his family and other Vivitares on the planet of T'Chin which they have recently conquered.

Rumors of an assassination plot against the Vivitare emperor abound. Ahvren strikes a bargain with his father - if he can uncover the plot, he can choose not to return to war and his sister will not have to marry the cruel heir to the thrown. Will Ahvren succeed?

Other books to try: The Ear, The Eye and the Arm

Other books by this author: Songs of Power ( )