Anne McCaffrey's bestselling Rowan saga has been praised as "good reading" (Locus). It becomes "more convincing with each novel" (Booklist) and offers "winning, carefully developed characters" (Publishers Weekly). Now the story continues, as the passionate and talented children of Damia and Afra Lyon confront the alien threat first detected by their grandmother the Rowan. Laria, Isthian, Rojer, and Zara Lyon share aspects of the telepathic, empathic, and telekinetic powers that have marked their family for generations. But as the family expands, it is clear that not all talents are alike: each of the four young Lyons has a very personal kind of ability. When they join forces together, as will be required to destroy the deadly Hiver aliens, their powers and their deep family bond make them the most powerful fighting force the Human and Mrdini races can create. And the peaceful races of the universe need every ounce of power that the Lyon clan can muster. The Hivers' own world has been destroyed by a sun gone nova, which has left them in search of a new home. The Hivers are a logical race, and their approach to finding this home is straightforward: when they locate a world that seems suitable, they destroy all life on it in preparation for Hiver occupation. The Lyons have seen the devastation the Hivers are capable of causing, and they understand all too well that the time has come to move into space in pursuit of this deadly enemy. None of them welcomes war, but the blackened worlds the Hivers leave behind are a powerful statement of its necessity. When the time comes, they will be ready with the full force of their power.