Kyreol and Terje are clearly drawn and believable characters who, despite their very different interests, never lose their strong commitment to each other.

Kyreol is fascinated by the opportunity to explore other planets. She explains that as "long as there's a place with a name that I haven't been to, I'll be curious about it." Kyreol's statement is soon tested when her spaceship is wrecked on a desolate moon, with only a strange alien for companionship.

Kyreol's skills and determination to interact with other cultures are immediately called upon, for she must confront her fear of this unknown creature and find a way to communicate with it.

Only through their mutual cooperation, a major theme in the novel, will they be able to survive on the inhospitable moon and return to their respective worlds.

Whereas Kyreol chooses space exploration, Terje decides to return to...