This is the first Andre Norton book I've read and I'll certainly be reading more from this author. Ths story pulls you in from the 1st sentence. She has one of those styles that makes it easy to forget where you are and really enter the environment she's describing, and she has a gift for doing so with economy, kinda like a cross between Tolkien and Thomas Harris. I must say that I liked the 2nd half of the book better than the first, but the payoff at the end was not satisfactory to me after such a good buildup, but you might think differently so don't let this put you off. Recommended.