Acorna's People    by Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough Order:  USA  Can Harper, 2000 (1999) Hardcover, Paperback Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Acorna's People is the third entry in the unicorn girl series and the second that Anne McCaffrey has written with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. The latter is well known for her Godmother series and writes fantasy with a social conscience. Her trademark tough issues (child labor, child abuse and torture) combine well with McCaffrey's colorful clear-cut characters. After adventures and exploits across the galaxy, Acorna has accompanied her aunt and other spacefaring Linyaari (the unicorn race) back to their world. There she struggles with culture shock, and a homecoming that is chilled by the immediate departure of her companions on an urgent offworld mission. She finds it hard to be treated as a youngling despite experience well beyond her years. In the meantime, Captain Becker and his feline partner RK (Roadkill) have stumbled on a most unusual salvage and so attracted the interest of unsavoury characters, who are soon hot on their heels. The villains also take an interest in Hafiz and his well endowed bride, and they stop at nothing in their attempts to discover the location of the Linyaari world. There is plenty of action, and a developing romance as Acorna finally finds one of her species who interests her - Aari is just as much an outsider as she is, after surviving terrible torture by the Khleevi (interesting how close to 'evil' that name is). Acorna's People is a good addition to the series - I especially liked the Becker/Roadkill combination and hope they continue on center stage. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more SF books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews