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The planet of Avionia is inhabited by sentient bird-like aliens called Cheereek. These feathered chirpers live high above the plains of Avionia in tented nests built in scrap-wood trees and swallow stones to aid in the digestion of their food. For unknown reasons, the stones change shape and color inside the bodies of the Cheereek, emerging in their droppings as brilliantly polished gems much valued for their beauty. In the 25th century, the Confederation rules the planet earth. The Confederation has quarantined Avionia in an attempt to forestall outside interference in the development of its primitive society. A space station has been set up in orbit around the planet to monitor any possible intrusions. The cost of the station is offset by occasional sales of Avionian gems to unsuspecting earthlings. Val Carney and Pigget Thigpen have learned the secret of Avionia. Politically ambitious people, they hire mercenary Sam Patch to smuggle gems from the planet. The sale of said gems will finance their attempt to take over control of the Confederation. When the monitoring scientists on the space station stumble onto the plan, they notify the President of the Confederation. She in turn sends Gunnery Sergeant Bass and the Marines of the third platoon, STARFIST, to capture the smugglers and any weapons they may have traded to the Cheereek. It's easy to tell who the bad guys are in this sci-fi audio book. They're mainly cowardly, grossly obese, drunken, or just plain evil. The good guys, on the other hand, are an elite team of physically fit Marines dedicated to the preservation of the Confederation. While the book makes a good point about interference in the affairs of less advanced societies by technologically superior ones, it lacks the battle scenes one expects in a story of this kind. The chapters that do show the Marines in action are few and far between. Still, the plot and characters should interest sci-fi fans, especially those who have read the preceding four books in this series. The reviewer is the author of the Caroline Rhodes mystery series.
Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, February 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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