This book finally takes us out of the emotional mire of Damia and focuses more on the science fiction elements that I enjoy. Damia and Afra have 8 children and most of them are Primes. The story follows the oldest 4 as they venture away from their family and into independent, adult lives. There is considerably more detail given about the Mrdini- who communicate through dreams as well as language. Both cultures are sent on a joint mission to find the origins of the hostile Hives and learn more about them.

Re-read 2/1/2023 ( )

While the book wasn't completely free of misogyny or problematic aspects, those elements fortunately took a far back burner to actual plot, which I greatly enjoyed. Following four of Damia's children throughout space made things more interesting, and I thought the pacing of developments with the Hive studies moved well. Hopefully the rest of the series continues this way. ( )

Anne McCaffrey is one of my all time favorite sc-fi/fantasy authors. Her 'The Tower and the Hive" series is among my favorite series of all time. The characters are engaging and the story grabs me right about and keeps me interested until the very end. I do feel that story gets a weak towards the middle but it picks up at the end. I enjoyed this novel as a way to see where this family is headed in this series more than I enjoyed the story itself. ( )

They inherited their mother's legendary powers of telepathy. But Damia's children will need more than psionic Talent to face the enemy's children--an alien race more insect than human... ( )

A really quick read, and it may be the nostalgia speaking (...AGAIN), but I loved it. The viewpoint jumps between a number of young characters, and I think it's silly and fun. ( )