The Spoils of War

After the disappointment I had with the 2nd book in this series, I found the conclusion through inter-library loan. The third book is the strongest, which surprised me. Normally a bad second novel means a fragmented third. Lalelelang, a Wais who studies humanity, is the main character, and human Colonel Staait-ien (also of the telepathic Core) is the secondary character. Unlike the other books, Foster stays magnificently focused on the story with about 90% of the book directly involving scenes with the main characters that advance the plot. This is a huge improvement. Foster can write well, provided he doesn't go off on zillions of tangents (a case with his work in general). This novel gave me exactly what I wanted: a philosophical novel which concluded the Weave/Amplitur war and wasn't rosy afterwards. It explores the potential for violence in humanity within the confines of Foster's idealized alien universe. If you like either of the previous books in this series, you'll love this one because it's better than both of them.