The latest entry in Viehl's StarDoc series (Shockball
, etc.) centers on the question of identity after the heroine, Dr. Cherijo Tojin, crash-lands on an icy world and must make her way without her memories in an inhospitable environment. Cherijo finds herself in the middle of a civil war as the ex-slave inhabitants of the planet's surface fight for their freedom from the windlords, who live lives of luxury in orbiting cities. Cherijo has information about the true events of a massacre with political implications, and suddenly, as rumors that she has survived spread, everyone is looking for her. Meanwhile, Teulon, an outsider and a friend of Cherijo's husband's, manages to unite the rebel forces and drive them to action. When the final battle comes, the stakes are both personal and political, with individuals drawn into a confluence of events and betrayals that mirror Cherijo's confusion of identity. Well-drawn cultures and fascinating aliens are marred by busy point-of-view shifts and a trick ending that confuses more than illuminates. Still, action, adventure and undying love win the day. (Jan.)
