The story is told from three points: Darya Lang and party, Louis Nenda and party, and Hans Rebka and party. If you don't know who these characters are, you probably won't enjoy this book much. This is book 4 in a series that revolves around these characters, and you really do have to be familiar with them in order to appreciate this story since a lot of it has the characters performing actions that really only make sense if you know why they're acting the way they are.

That being said, if you have read the rest of the series, this story won't disappoint. It is as good as the second book in the series, and a bit better than the third. Sure, the story does jump from one area of space to the events in another, but you won't have trouble following who's doing what as long as you're familiar with the characters.

I enjoyed how the mystery of the Builders was (almost) wrapped up. I liked how the recurring characters were further developed. I liked the space/time concepts. There is not much "techy-talk" and you don't have to understand physics to follow the story. I also don't think you really have to know/remember much about the Builder Artifacts either - the story flows along and it won't matter if you've forgotten from book 2 what the Pandora Artifact does.

There is no graphic violence or sex or foul language. While there is another book in the series, this book didn't end with such a cliffhanger that you'll have an urgent need to start the next one immediately. ( )

The story opens with news that the Artifacts, centerpiece of this series, seem to be changing and, in some cases, disappearing. To further complicate matters, Artifact expert Darya Lang finds her academic turf threatened with the sudden appearance of newcomer Quintus Bloom who tells her he has discovered a new Artifact and also has a theory about the Builders and the purpose of their Artifacts. He thinks they were built by future humans to foster our development.
In a huff, Darya Lang sets out to explore Labyrinth and prove Bloom wrong. Hans Rebka, after a lover's quarrel with Lang, has no idea where she went and undertakes the exploration of another newly altered Artifact. Meanwhile, Louis Nenda and Atvar H'sial enter Bloom's employ as he explores the Torvil Anfract, the Artifact discovered in the last book of the series, TRANSCENDENCE.

The simultaneous exploration of these Artifacts gets a trifle tedious and confusing, but the characters make up for it. ( )

Humans reached the stars and found the Artifacts--enigmatic structures, seemingly defying natural laws, left by an ancient vanished race. Suddenly, a new Artifact appears from nowhere, and other, older Artifacts begin to alter their already inexplicable activities. Now, a motley crew of scientists and treasure hunters set out for three different Artifacts, in search of answers. Original.

ZB5 ( )