Gail Dayton continues her story began in “The Compass Rose,” of Major Kallista Varyl, now a mother of twins and head of a large family or ‘ilian.’ She is also a ‘naitan,’ or wielder of magic, in a world where rebel forces assisted by demons are threatening world order. I was less intrigued by the major plot events involving this threat than I was by the unusual social organization and concept of family introduced by the author. Not as good as the first, but worth a read.