Not a happy book, and not particularly well-written, but at times thought-provoking. The story is set in an absorbing science fiction universe, on a melancholy dying planet which is nobody's home world and where everyone lives by their own code. Topics like loyalty, violence and honour are explored through a people from a planed called High Kavalaan, who not only clash with outsiders, but also between the more traditional and liberal factions of their own culture. The plot is hard to judge. At first nothing seems to happen, then there are some unexpected plot twists, but the ending is a bit disappointing. It was as if not enough of the loose ends were tied up in the end. If the ending had been better, this book might've deserved four stars.