"[Has] not only the powerful characterization and intriguing scientific concepts of the first
two books, but also an elegant subtlety and a far-reaching sense of destiny that carries her to the highest
rank of master storyteller."Romantic Times

"Anna Fields narrates with her usual control, while maintaining the subtlety of the characters and plot.
Each of the powerful matriarchs who become intrigued by Kelric is powerful but distinct in personality
and manner."AudioFile

Catherine Asaro, a physicist who combines believable hard science with first-rate storytelling, exploded
onto the science fiction scene with her stellar debut novel, Primary Inversion. Now she brings us
the third tale of the Skolian Empire, which AudioFile calls "a classic tale of power and conflict,
with a twist."

When Kelric, a scion of the imperial family of Skolia, crash-lands his fighter on the off-limits planet of Coba,
he figures it will be only a short time before he makes his way home. But he fails to account for the powerful
matriarchy of Coba, the mistresses of the great estates who do not want the Empire to know about their
recent cultural advances. First they take him prisoner. Then, one by one, the most powerful women on the
planet fall in love with him!

Catherine Asaro grew up near Berkeley, California. She earned a Ph.D. in chemical physics and an M.A. in physics, both from Harvard, and a B.S. with highest honors in chemistry from UCLA. She runs Molecudyne Research and lives in Maryland with her husband and daughter.

Anna Fields has found her true home behind the microphone after beginning her career on the stage in Washington, D.C. She has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards and won the coveted Audie Award in 2004.