Timothy Zahn is a master of his craft, as he proves with the Conquerors Trilogy. When I picked up this book years ago, I was expecting an original, gripping world of the far future... and I was not disappointed. After a taskforce encounters a new race and gets slaughtered, the alien Conquerors take a prisoner- a member of the influencial Cavanaugh family. When the family finds out, they illegally assemble a rescue party to find him.I like the alien Zhirrzh- they're original and really cool, and the human characters- though a little static- help the twists and turns along. I'd recommend this book for all sci-fi lovers.