Acorna's Quest

Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball

Acorna is alone among the humans. She appreciates them, and some of them are her family who raised her and care for her. But she's the only one of her kind that she knows about. They have figured where her home planet probably is. She and Calum, one of the men who raised her, are readying to leave to see if she can find her people. But everyone keeps delaying them. She's aware hre friends and family don't want her to leave. Calum wants to marry, but has promised to help her first. They both are in a hurry to take off. So they sneak off before more delays come up. What they don't realize is that the hydroponics section has a malfunction, affecting Acorna's food.

Markel lives on the Starfarer, a spaceship in the galaxy that is full of nomads waiting for their planet to be returned to them by one of the large corporations who took it from them. Markel's father was one of the displaced residents and was one of the ship's leaders. But when mutineers took over, father and son were separated. Markel is hiding in the dark places on the ship that only he knows.

Melireenya, Neeva, Feriila, and Thariinye are coming into the human's galaxy. They have two purposes. The more important one is to warn any sentient beings that the Khleevi are coming. The Khleevi are a race of people who come in, take over planets, torture and kill the residents, then flatten and kill the planet itself before they are done. These four Linyaari are part of a group on envoy ships warning others about the Khleevi. They are also following the last known trail of Melireenya's sister, the sister's husband, and their daughter when the Khleevi attacked their ship. Melireenya is hoping there are survivors.

These groups are going to come together. Can they understand each other? How strong are the mutineers on the Starfarer? The Linyaari need to warn the humans of the Khleevi. Is their message convincing? What defenses are there against the Khleevi? They overwhelmed the Linyaari's planet and the neighboring planet. They will attempt to overwhelm the planets in this galaxy as well. When Acorna is trapped on the first planet in the Khleevi's path, the humans and the Linyaari move fast.

This sequel doesn't measure up to Acorna. It's good enough, an average, quick read that satisfies by the end. It needs more life. The tension is flat rather than edgy. Acorna's Quest is a light read that any Anne McCaffrey reader will appreciate even if not one of her better ones.

The Series:

Acorna The Unicorn Girl
Acorna's Quest
Acorna's People
Acorna's World
Acorna's Search
Acorna's Rebels
Acorna's Triumph