By Mary Doria Russell. By their nature they invite comparisons to the previous work, and naturally fail to measure up. Until the first paragraph. Russell, as ever, refuses easy answers.
Nobody lives happily ever after.
Sandoz's personal and spiritual vindication is not quick, complete or entirely to his liking. And the changes which occur on Rakhat as a result of his presence there do not all turn out for the best, not right away. Russell, in returning to Rakhat, makes a case study of the world and society she created. In her characteristic spare, direct prose, she explores the truths about societies which emerge when those societies undergo violent change. She deals with general issues through stark personal stories of the inhabitants of the planet whose lives are thrown into chaos.