Anderson prepares to conclude his brilliant The Saga of the Seven Suns series with this 5th and penultimate novel.

The citizens of Earth stand alone against the hydrogues as the populace of the Spiral Arm unites to face their common enemy. Hansa Chairman Basil Wenceslas, sure of Earth's superiority, has unwisely and rashly made many enemies and now Earth's population will pay the ultimate price for his brash and heavy-handed condescension. Even the neutral Ildirans have capitulated to the deep-core aliens and have agreed to assist the hydrogues with their plan to exterminate humanity. The Big Goose may finally be cooked and the rest of the galaxy is far too busy defending itself to mourn Earth's passing.

The Saga of the Seven Suns series has been a wild ride. Anderson is the Cecil B. DeMille of science fiction here, assembling a cast of thousands for a final showdown between humanity and the deep-core hydrogues. The story shifts point of view from chapter to chapter with no one given short shrift. There are a lot of characters and subplots to keep track of and they all turn out to be more or less equally interesting. Even the compies (robots) have their story told. Space opera has never been so much fun.