Divergence

I liked this book even better than the first in the series. The characters are the same, and have been further built on, and the mystery as to who/what the Builders are was tantalizingly developed. I think there is a little more character development and a little less space-tech in this installment. Well, maybe not... the first of the book is quite techy, but the story does become more about social/species interactions as the story progresses.

There are several alien species in this series, and they are distinct and believable. They are also interesting and creatively written. I like the "excerpts" from the alien directory which matter-of-factly describes each alien type, without interrupting the story itself.

The plot in this book is show more concluded at the end, but it's clear there's a future book in the series since we still haven't met the Builders, or found out what happened with the "bad" aliens. Or how the "Question" the Builders have will be answered.

I am starting the next in the series now. show less

With the second book of the Heritage Universe series, Sheffield kicks things into high gear. All the characters from the first book are back along with the addition of E.C. Tally, a computer brain in a human body. The book gets a fair amount of comedy out of the discrepancy between his Federation supplied databanks and real galactic affairs.

But the main drama comes from further exploration of Builder artifacts and a meeting with artifical constructs of theirs who may or may not be telling the truth about the Builders' origins and the purpose of their artifacts. Also making an appearance are the legendary Zardalu, land-octopi thought long dead after their Empire was overthrown by their underlings.

Sheffield also throws in some inventive show more entries from the Universal Species Catalog for humans and aliens, major and minor. show less

For millennia, humans and the other intelligent races have studied the bizarre, unfathomable constructs of the legendary beings known as the Builders. Then, the planet Quake opens up, something comes out, and it looks as if, at long last, the Builders themselves are at hand.

Professor Darya Loang and trouble-shooter Hans Rebka continue to find information on the "Builders" that left the known universe but left artifacts behind.

ZB5