Star Born

Three generations after Earth refugees fled to the distant planet Astra, a new ship from their homeworld arrives, and brings danger no one expected. The colonists who have spent nearly a century adapting to their alien home have built fragile lives among Astra's wonders and terrors, but they face a threat from the planet's ancient past: the remnants of a civilization that once tyrannized this world, now masquerading as friendly natives. Meanwhile, young Dalgard Nordis undertakes his coming-of-age expedition alongside Sssuri, an alien merman whose species holds secrets that could determine whether any human survives what approaches. As the truth unravels, the question becomes urgent: what does it mean to be human when humanity itself has been transformed by generations on alien soil? Andre Norton builds a richly atmospheric tale of first contact, buried history, and the search for identity among the stars.