Since the fall of Bretton Katt, the Neorans have fared badly in their war against Victor Bastian, suffering major defeats in battle and the loss of resources. But if they can free the forest world of Nostra Sylvania from Bastian's tyranny, the odds will tip in their favor. Then Commander Rusorin and Lieutenant Roben Lorrondon can continue investigating the murder of Geoffrey Slater, and its wider implications for the Neoran Confederation. But Rusorin, Rob and their team discover it isn't only the forces of Victor Bastian and his 'assistant', Theo Walsam-trying to stop them. The ruling family, the Casaubons, are torn by conflicted loyalties, alcoholism, and a loss of purpose; it is also the base of a breakaway Neoran sect who conspires with Walsam's own minions. And Rob, now Rusorin's lover, is the son of their sworn enemy. Most dangerous of all, Nostra Sylvania is the home of a race more powerful even than Rusorin herself, capable of dominating the galaxy-and who have little liking for human intruders. Picking up three years after The Bretton Katt Alliance, Nostra Sylvania continues the story of the Lorrondon family, half-Terran, half-Neoran, and their determination to be participants rather than mere subjects in the great events of their time. As the war intensifies, the intrigue deepens. Relationships develop-or shatter. Questions are answered, leaving new ones in their wake. And Terrans, Neorans, and non-humans alike struggle for power and identity. For the classic question of what it means to be human is suddenly turned on its side: Who, or what exactly, is a human? Margaret Garside on herself: "I'm a college dropout who reads anything I can get my hands on. At an early age I conceived a passion for both fiction and history. Both genres are a gateway into new worlds; both encompass every aspect of humanity: Religion and psychology; politics; the messiness of family and nations; the thirst for knowledge and discovery, and their antitheses: Destruction and ignorance. Do I think that readers will 'learn' anything from my books? Darned if I know. I just want to tell a good story; anything more that anyone gets out of it is icing on the cake."