L.E. Modesitt, Jr. returns to the world of Corus and concludes the trilogy of the intertwined stories of Dainyl, the Alector, and Mykel, the native soldier, which began in Alector's Choice and Cadmian's Choice.

The civilization of the Alectors, which has farmed and developed all life on Corus to produce sustaining life force for their vampiric civilization, must move wholesale from one planet to another every few thousand years as it exhausts the life force of another world. This time, two worlds have been prepared, and the time is at hand for the great move. And Corus is the looking like the loser, to be abandoned by the civilizing forces of the government of Alectors, but used as a dumping ground for malcontents and others who don't make the cut to move on to a richer new world. This neither bodes well for the future of human civilization, nor for the honest Alector's such as Dainyl, trying to hold everything together, as all systems are failing. But the mysterious Ancients, the Soarers, are a force to be reckoned with, and they may hold a powerful and destructive trump card.

"Modesitt's concluding volume to the Corean Chronicles (after 2005's Cadmian's Choice) brings the fantasy saga to a thunderous, satisfying climax. The High Alector Dainyl is now a Marshal, charged with keeping peace among the infighting alectors on the planet Corus, a world they've settled and developed after exhausting the resources of their home planet, Ifryn. This final episode also continues the story of the Mykel, a human Major who possesses some psychic talent (like the alectors') in addition to his military prowess. The alector leaders have chosen to move the bulk of their population to a planet other than Corus, leaving Corus to chaos, with various human and alector factions fighting it out for survival. But it's the winged native Soarers, or Ancients, who will determine the fate of their planet and all its inhabitants. Modesitt's panoramic, battle-filled final installment ranks among his best work." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Modesitt's concluding volume to the Corean Chronicles (after 2005's Cadmian's Choice) brings the fantasy saga to a thunderous, satisfying climax. The High Alector Dainyl is now a Marshal, charged with keeping peace among the infighting alectors on the planet Corus, a world they've settled and developed after exhausting the resources of their home planet, Ifryn. This final episode also continues the story of the Mykel, a human Major who possesses some psychic talent (like the alectors') in addition to his military prowess. The alector leaders have chosen to move the bulk of their population to a planet other than Corus, leaving Corus to chaos, with various human and alector factions fighting it out for survival. But it's the winged native Soarers, or Ancients, who will determine the fate of their planet and all its inhabitants. Modesitt's panoramic, battle-filled final installment ranks among his best work." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"The characters have become more fascinating with each novel...bringing the adventures...to a stunning conclusion while leaving enough unanswered questions for many more Corean stories." Booklist