The titanic conflict continues between galactic civilizations and the life-destroying force of sentient shadows… After the events in the Hugo-nominated The Dark Between the Stars, the humans and Ildirans have narrowly escaped annihilation by the Shana Rei and their alien robot allies. But civilization in the Spiral Arm is at the risk of extinction from the deadly black clouds that absorb all life. The last few survivors of the mysterious Gardeners, whose worlds were smothered by the Shana Rei millennia ago, raise countless questions of their own, and these alien refugees may be a disaster in disguise. What is their true intent? A desperate alliance among empires tests a provocative new weapon that may be powerful enough to combat the deadly shadows … but its horrible failure could bring the human race and its allies to the brink of annihilation. An epic space opera filled with intertwined plots, colorful ideas, a large cast of characters, and dozens of solar systems, alien races, and strange creatures.