The theme of abused and neglected children is found in a number of Hoover's books. Almost invariably that abuse, rather than being an isolated incident, is seen as an innate part of the society in which it occurs. In Children of Morrow and its sequel, Treasures of Morrow, for example, the two young protagonists grow up on a degenerate, post-nuclear holocaust military base where they are routinely beaten for supposed faults over which they have no control. Like Merry in The Shepherd Moon, they must learn to make decisions for themselves because their parents are either absent or uncaring. Like Sami and Mikel, their abuse is actually condoned by the powers that rule the society in which they live. In both cases rescue from abuse involves the discovery of acceptable surrogate parents. Abused or neglected children are also found in The Rains of Eridan and This...