The book starts well, but never truly develops the characters. I wanted to like the main character, but never really got a chance to know him. The plot is thin, and deals mostly with internal conflict. Because of that (internal conflict in a not-fully functional character), it was a flat read for me.

I wasn't expecting much from this, an early Russo, which from the cover blurb looked like just another potboiler pulp fiction.

So I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of characterization and the fast-moving story. The writing is pretty-much classic Russo, which is to say among the best in the business.

Oh, there are quibbles -- the story takes place on a different planet which is apparently indistinguishable from earth, the science of being an empath is never explained, the ending builds and builds only to kind of peter out in the end -- but overall this book surprised me by providing a very entertaining read. Let's hope it's back in print soon.