After eighty years of fragile peace the Architects are back, wreaking havoc as they consume entire planets. In the past, Originator artifacts– vestiges of a long-vanished civilization– could save a world from annihilation. This time, the Architects have discovered a way to circumvent these protective relics. The Human Colonies are in turmoil: some believe a unified front is the only way to stop the Architects; others insist humanity should fight alone. And there are those who would seek to benefit from the fractured politics of war, even as the Architects loom ever closer. Idris has spent decades running from the horrors of his past, but now as an Intermediary he could be one of the few to turn the tide of war. -- adapted from jacket