Plot and characters are adequate, and it doesn't start too badly, but the quality of the writing steadily declines and by mid-book the writing is ghastly. One example:..."Come, children, eat your suppers, and let us not dwell on grim thoughts."Verona, among alien telepaths, managed to fork it in, with some wisp of appetite left after all the terrors, grainy wafers that were crisp enough, an unidentified vegetable, rehydrated tomato slices, and a protein something that was far from chicken.This is typical. Not incomprehensible, but clunky and awkward. The book just isn't worth the wade.