I didn't like this book at all. Its only saving grace were the beautiful illustrations by Ned Dameron (though I had to dig on the copyright page to find the illustrator's name). This is a science fiction/fantasy romance. The background of the planet and society are under-developed: what we do know is given to us in a big info-dump and the rest is unclear. The heroine is insipid, stupid, and unlikable, and the "romance" happens way too quickly. The hero and heroine meet and all of a sudden they're in love. There could have been some interesting questions raised by the coelura (living creatures who spin "living fabric" but die if they spin more than they are allotted in their lives) about endangered species and our responsibility to the environment, but instead the plot is quickly tied up. Very disappointing. ( )

This early book related to the same setting as Namisha's Ship delineates the importance of the hereditary culture. ( )

Science fiction fantasy about a young woman whose father wants her to be married to produce an heir. She goes on an excursion and crash lands, meeting a young man who has the ability to make this creature, the coelura, form a living fabric. It was hunted to near extinction for its beautiful cloth. She eventually makes it back home and her father announces that he has arranged her marriage. Turns out, the man she met who had also been stranded, was a long lost member of this triad, and now was found and came to take his place on a reigning council. He ended up making a contract so that the Coelura would only be required to spin for a few times, so that they would not be overtaxed. Good book. If you get the illustrated version, it has some pretty drawn pictures.