Publisher's Weekly
Despite a panoply of lovingly created technologies, Wolverton's subject in this impressive debut is the age-old problem of how far a just person may go in responding to injustice. His Earth is a planet torn by ideological wars and under covert attack by those charged with protecting its interests in space. Angelo, a Panamanian pharmacologist, becomes caught up in these historic events through his compassion for an injured intelligence officer and soon finds himself believing that his only choice is to murder in the name of justice. Wolverton paces the action smartly, and in the final chapters introduces a surprise revelation that throws the motivation for Angelo's decision, as well as its consequences, into complex relief. By keeping his moral vision firmly wedded to a gripping plot, Wolverton creates speculative fiction with both emotional depth and resonance.

Library Journal
A middle-aged pharmacologist rescues a fugitive from the Allied Earth Marines' Military Intelligence, escaping with her to a distant planet owned by a Japanese company engaged in a genocidal war. In a future where humanity is overshadowed by the ``advance'' of technology--cyborg soldiers, genetically enhanced humans, drug-induced mindwipes, and more--the struggle to remain human becomes a desperate search for identity and redefinition. The author's profound insights into the brutal reality of modern warfare, as well as his faith in the triumph of human compassion, make this first novel an excellent selection for most sf collection.