Strongwilled Elana is sent to the planet Toris as an observer agent, having just graduated from the Federation Anthropological Service Agency. The Federation has matured over war, hate and superstition and believes in freedom for all worlds. Toris is a youngling planet, one that has nuclear weapons but still has to create colonies to escape to in case the planet explodes. Toris is caught between two superpowers Neostatits and Libertarians that has nuclear weapons. Elana can only watch, listen and learn all about the planet; and stay alive in case of a nuclear annihilation. The situation becomes delicate when Randil, a fellow agent falls in love with Elana's roommate Kari, a Torisian girl. Randil decides to interfere and gives the Neostatits a spaceship. Elana sets out to destroy it and gets caught. Kari is tortured to get to Elana who the Neostatits believe is an enemy spy. Intelligent and compassionate Kari chooses her planet's fate over Randil. In the end Randil realizes he and Kari cannot be together at all and he sacrifices himself to destroy the spaceship and the torturer with it. Toris passes the "critical stage" and slowly matures into a civilization like Elana's. I find the story really slow in the beginning but then starts to pick up when Elana was caught and tortured. I did not like the sense of darkness and sadness I was getting while reading the book, like a premonition of how our planet Earth is going to end if we keep abusing it. ( )

I can't stop re-reading this! Elena's all grown up and on her first "official" mission - only this time, she knows beforehand that the chance of her dying is very high!

More than just a sequel to Enchantress from the Stars. The issues raised are just as resonating as those raised in Enchantress, mainly how to keep a civilization from tearing itself apart from nuclear war. The civilzation parallels humans, urging us to draw connections and ask ourselves questions relevant to our own culture.

I wish she would write another book with these characters. I love them so much. Even poor Evrek, who has always seemed little more than Elena's sidekick boyfriend and never really his own character. ( )

Excerpts from published reviews at http://www.sylviaengdahl.com/reviews....