This novel brings a breath of fresh air to the hard science-fiction genre. The science is credible and characters are well developed and believable. We are plunged into a world of deceit and manipulation, where Alien pirates and outlaws compete to steal the intellectual resources of Earth. The Aliens are intrigued by how much profit they can make from stealing and selling Artificial Intelligence, ideas and the hi-tech devices the clever Earth monkeys have created. As Aliens and Earthlings meet, they find they are more similar than they would like to think. Indeed some humans are genetically pure descendants of the Founder Race, from which they've all evolved. Both sides need to learn about each other and that process proves to be equally fascinating and frightening for both parties. A classic story of good and evil evolves while most of humanity is unaware of the Alien invasion and that the pirates plan to blow Earth up when they have finished with it. The race against time and the manipulation of science to prevent this destruction makes for a real nail-biter. The Earth needs to be protected and feint and counter-feint make for a thrilling story with lots of surprises.