Greetings! First off, let me say I am NOT a Elizabeth Moon fan....however this book was so good I had to come and write a review on Amazon once I read it. Overall, I found the storyline engaging and realistic. And I am glad she ddin't drown me in technobabble that I would have to look up. The DIALOGUE was excellent, interesting, and plausible. Many books are written that have lousy dialogue; this isn't one of them. I want to thank the author for writing an excellent science fiction book...and I HAPPILY look forward to more in this series. Thank you for a excellent read!