I just finished re-reading "The Green and the Gray" by Timothy Zahn. At times I re-read books that I recall were really well written, typically after 5-10 years have gone by. On the second reading sometimes a novel seems to come short of what I had hoped for, perhaps because of high expectations from recalling how good it was. However, in the case of this book, I found that it was actually more enjoyable on the second read through than I recall it being on the first!
Unlike some of this author's other works, this story is set in the present day, in New York City. It features two sets of aliens, passing as humans, who have lived there for many years, unaware of each other's presence. They have recently found each other and some factions in each group are either trying to avoid a war or gearing up to win the war.
Into the midst of this volatile situation comes a young married human couple who attempt to protect a 12 year old girl who is from one of the alien factions. As they do so, they are thrust into the midst of the upcoming confrontation with each group attempting to find the girl. In the process, the couple (Roger and Caroline Whittier) learns of the true story of the aliens' origin, history and how they came to our world, including details the aliens themselves were unaware of. They, along with a NYC police detective (Thomas Fierenzo), end up playing a pivotal role in attempting to defuse the situation before it means the death of thousands of aliens and humans.
It is somewhat of a cliché to call a book a "page turner", but that really was the case for me with this one. The story is well written, with enough suspense and plot twists to keep me up late several nights reading, yet still believable enough for me to enjoy the book without undue suspension of disbelief.
There is a fairly large cast of characters, so some are developed more than others. However, the main point of view characters, Roger, Caroline, and Detective Fierenzo, are all fleshed out well and you really care what happens to them by the end of the book. In the course of the story Roger and Caroline end up needing to learn to understand and appreciate each other better to effectively work together. The changes to the Whittier's marriage are not a major part of the story, and you can largely ignore it if you want to, but I personally found it added a more believable dimension to the characters.
I must admit that I tend to like most books by Timothy Zahn, so I did not come to this novel completely unbiased. However, like any other author, some of his books are better then others. I think this is one of the best of his I have read to date.
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