This is a unique science fiction adventure story that is relatively unknown and unloved. I found it to be one of the more memorable Foster novels.

A man arrives on a planet that is made, essentially, of prism- or glass-like structures. Flora and fauna are all composed of this clear prism material. The planet appears to be beautiful and benign, but no one who explores there ever returns. Being the cautious, the man arrives in a bazillion dollar suit that can protect him against anything-- and the suit is destroyed almost immediately, leaving him nearly naked on a dangerous world.

This is a really easy read. Foster tends to write in a very palatable way that could be engaging for all ages and fans of different genres. Clearly speculative fiction fans would probably enjoy it the most.

This novel is notable for me because it scared me more than any book I've ever read. I am a horror addict, and yet this little scifi novel freaked me out more than any horror novel. It has moments that disturb me personally, though I doubt very much that most people would react the same way.

Foster is not a brilliant writer, but he is a brilliant storyteller. For those familiar with his other work:

This novel is part of the Humanx Commonwealth, but it has nothing to do with most elements in that series. For instance, there are no Thranx or AAnn in predominant roles. It does however touch on what I believe Foster writes best: first encounters with alien races.

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Created Oct 30, 2014 at 8:43pm • Submit your own review...