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Review of Measure of the Universe– from Booklist, August 2002 It is 2099, and Earth has been coping fairly well with the discovery of an intelligent species on Aldebaran. That species, the Negami, has set up a small outpost in the U.S and requested that larger research teams be allowed to visit. The UN, reluctant and suspicious, decides to honor the seemingly least important request, for a lone linguist to study ancient temples and inscriptions in Greece. A canny UN consultant convinces Aisha--a sharp-tongued, blind, female expert on ancient writing under whom he studied--to partner the amiable male Negami, Titek. Aisha rambles the Greek islands with the delighted Titek, and gradually, an unlikely but appealing romance develops. Unfortunately, Aisha discovers her underhanded former student's secret motivation at the same time that Titek reveals the grave importance of his mission, and the fate of the lovers is cast in doubt. Only by combining their talents can they achieve a reasonably happy ending. Studded with clever double entendres and puns, this makes an engaging weekend read for language lovers. Roberta Johnson |