The Gods themselves do battle in this prequel to Modesitt's popular Recluse saga. Set centuries before last year's The Death of Chaos, the story recounts a space battle in which the frigate Winterlance is blown into another universe and makes an emergency landing on a habitable planet. The castaways, mostly female space marines, initially must struggle with the harsh weather and their own failing technology in order to survive. Soon, however, they discover that they share their new world with a more intelligent enemy: other humans.