The only character well fleshed out in this novel is Elliot Grosvenor (pronounced ell-yot grow-venn-er), sometimes called Grove by his crewmates. He is some five or six years younger than any other science department head on the Space Beagle, perhaps thirty-five years old, and that is the only physical characteristic which the reader is told about him. Apparently he is healthy, strong and active, as would be expected of any astronaut.

All the other crewmates exist as foils for Grosvenor to interact with; they are knowledgeable in only one field, helpful or interfering as they see fit, and all of them are eventually deeply impressed by Grosvenor's Nexial training.

What the reader is told about Grosvenor is that he has been thoroughly trained in Nexialism, or to understand all the sciences. The author seems to have intended to impress the reader with Grosvenor's analytical...