A PLACE OF SILVER SILENCE

Number 8 in the Millennium series: first contact with an alien race. Andraia is the only member of the Interstellar Service on a planet that humans call Argent. She has been left, in isolation, to heal the psychological wounds she suffered when her mind-linked mate was killed during their first alien contact. When she finds that earlier explorers were wrong in believing that the small furry creatures she finds on Argent are of limited intelligence--they use tools and possess language--her first response is fear and panic; but she soon realizes that they are harmless and engaging. Meanwhile, her news that the planet is inhabited proves unwelcome to home base: dishonest members of the Interstellar Service had hoped to use Argent for biological weapons testing. Only by using all her ingenuity is Andraia able to save herself and her new friends from annihilation--but, in the process, her mind is healed. A sweet, gentle story, complete with illustrations of cuddly aliens. There are few surprises here--even when the bad guys try to blow up Andraia, there's not much suspense. Still, not every book needs to induce anxiety; and Mayhar deftly conveys the sense of exploring an alien world.