Third in a series of well-drawn fantasy novels, dealing with themes of power, race and self determination. In a world where everyone is psychic, the "resistance" to the cruel ruling hierarchy is strong but fragmented. To protect the movement, members of the resistance only know their own team--a tactic that could prove unwise. ( )

This third volume in the Distant Soil series shows a maturing Doran. The volume took three years to complete and it shows inn the reserve that was a bit lost in the second volume. This third volume is rather confined, with almost all of the action surrounding issues that can no longer be ignored. Jason and Liana's once-comforting telepathic connection is now muddled with Rieken's interfering connection and admission that he is, in fact, the very avatar that Jason's vowed to kill. The rag-tag group from Earth discover that they're not as trusted as they believe - and the already raw emotions over the death of one of their own begin to boil over. And all of this before we get into the abuses supposedly being inflicted on the Avatars...and the many revelations of friends and family yet to come. And in the midst of all of this? The time for action is upon our group.

With all of the revelations and action forward, Doran doesn't tie up anything neatly in this third volume. It's clear that she wasn't looking for an easy space opera to throw into comic book form. While making a very accessible story, she's managed to keep things sufficiently complicated and interesting. Enough so that I look forward to the conclusion in the final volume, Coda. ( )