Description:

From Publishers Weekly----- In this tantalizing prequel to Czerneda's Trade Pact Universe trilogy (A Thousand Words for Stranger, etc.), the roots of the Clan refugees are revealed. On the planet Cersi, the seven Om'ray clans coexist with the technologically superior Tikitik and Oud, who maintain peace by banning change. Aryl Sarc, a young Om'ray of the Yena Clan, hides her forbidden psychic abilities, but when a UFO attacks Yena harvesters, Aryl teleports her best friend, Bern, to safety, while others die, including her brother. The Tikitik then abduct Aryl and set her to spy on the off-world Strangers who may have sent the UFO. Human researcher Marcus Bowman's fact-finding mission on Cersi becomes inextricably linked to Aryl's adolescent rite of passage. Czerneda's world-building flair and fascinating characters set this intricate story well above most SF series prequels. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. ----The fascinating debut of the prequel series to The Trade Pact Universe This prequel to The Trade Pact Universe series begins in a time before the Clan had learned how to manipulate the M'hir to travel between worlds. Aliens have begun to explore the world of Cersi, upsetting the delicate balance between the Clan and the two other powerful races who coexist by set rules. And one young woman is on the verge of finding the forbidden secret of the M'hir- a discovery that could prove the salvation or ruin of her entire species.