Acorna, the "unicorn girl" has made peace with her Linyaari past, and aboard the interplanetary salvage vessel Condor she is finally free. But dread overtakes her when a distress signal summons Acorna and her companions to a nearby planet. For among the myraid wonders of this world of sentient plants and intoxicating perfumes are unmistakable signs that everythng Acorna holds dear is in peril. A promise of world-shattering devastation is in the celestial winds-and impending catastrophe at the claws of the cold-blooded insectile race that seeks to eradicate all Linyaari and human life from the galaxy...the Khleevi!

Gentle Unicorn Girl Acorna makes her fourth appearance in this galaxy-spanning successor to Acorna's Quest. Her shy, empathetic race, the pacific Linyaari, are still menaced by the horrid insectoid Khleevi, whose cannibalistic Young feast on their own elders as well as on other races they torture and destroy. Acorna, aboard the Condor, a spacegoing salvage ship captained by her friend Jonas Becker and accompanied by the vile-tempered Makahomian Temple Cat Road Kill and her Linyaari friend, Aari, who was previously maimed by the Khleevi, answers a distress call that leads her to a planet of sticky-veined sentient vines holding the secret to sapping the Khleevi and saving the Linyaari from extermination. Along the way, Acorna and Aari fall in love, a giant new Moon of Opportunity marketing venture (MOO) opens up for Acorna's adopted neo-Bedouin Uncle Hafiz, and the former slave children Acorna rescued earlier enjoy suitable education, gainful employment and a future of endless Happy Meals. Predictably strong on sweetness and light, noble self-sacrifice and plenty of teeny-bopper growing-up pangsAthough correspondingly superficial in characterizations and future scientific wondersAthis latest chapter in Acorna's adventures also offers (especially toward its close) some wry social commentary on capitalistic machinations and elder-eating younger generations: harmless good spacefaring fun. The novel includes a glossary of terms and proper names and "Brief Notes on the Linyaari Language." (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Returning to deep space after coming to terms with her lost heritage, the unicorn-like woman known as Acorna answers a distress signal that leads her to a new planet threatened by an old and vicious enemy. The fourth installment in this popular adventure series (Acorna, Acorna's People) demonstrates the storytelling expertise of coauthors McCaffrey and Scarborough. Old and new characters, exotic alien races, and unique methods of problem-solving make this a good choice for sf collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.