It took me a while to get into this one. Usually with Zahn I’m sucked in by about page four. “The Green and the Gray” is a bit different from Zahn’s usual fare (set in present-day Earth with the protagonists being normal everyday humans), but thankfully I stuck with it and got rewarded in the end. As always with Zahn’s work, there’s at least one character that becomes an instant favorite (in this case, Detective Fierenzo). And, though it’s a little late in coming, the edge-of-your-seat suspense so typical of Zahn is still firmly there; the last hundred pages or so went by in a frenzy. Spoiler alert! I greatly enjoyed the twist when it turned out this was a time-travel story rather than space-travel one. End spoiler.

There are a few plot points that are a bit far-fetched even for a sci-fi/fantasy novel (specifically, Caroline’s vague notes to Roger, the meanings of which Roger is somehow able to decipher precisely; I found that a bit unbelievable). The end could have been more satisfying; as it was I felt it needed more closure. Still, there are too many positive elements for me to dwell on the few-and-far-between negative ones.

All-in-all highly recommended, especially if you’re already in the Zahn camp.