Fantastic aliens. Really creepy bad guys. Love the main characters!

This is one of the best science fiction novels with aliens I've ever read, specifically because each race is distinct, and also specifically because Earth is new to the Alliance, and one of our MCs, Amir Tarkos, is part of the 'special ops' core, and human. And good at his job. The other MC, the Sussurat, is intriguing. And the dangers they're sent into kept me reading the last several chapters all today. This is an ongoing story, mind you. This one sets the stage, and yes I will read the next one.

The only part that wasn't so good is Tarkos's declaration near the end, to another person, of his reasons for leaping toward danger. It was rather silly. Maybe I'll be proved wrong later, we'll see. ( )