Stephen Leigh

I'll say it was better than the 1st one simply because the writing seemed smoother. Better or not, I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Like the 1st, this book can be read by itself, but will be better read in series. order.

Great story. Full of magic, political intrigue and classic coming of age fun. At times so gritty you can taste the crunch. This was a great find and even though it's in a series, the book stands on it's own--which is a relief in this age of cliffhanger endings (that, frankly, seem to me a cheat on the part of today's writers)

While short and somewhat of a pulp scifi novel, it asks an interesting question. Based on Asimov's Robot novel, it asks what would happen if a robot is given the Laws of Robotics (a robot protect humans, a robot must serve humans, and robot must protect itself), but isn't told what a human is, then abandoned on a supposedly uninhabited planet. An interesting thought experiment in scifi robotic theory.

A surprising good book with a clever idea. I like the characters and the premise and look forward to reading the second book.