Paul Di Filippo favorably describes it as "utter futuristic strangeness unleavened by infodumps.

"[2] Less sympathetically, Groff Conklin, reviewing the novel on its release, declared that "The style is opaque, the characters wooden.

"[3] P. Schuyler Miller reported that although the novel violated most of the standard conventions of the mystery story, and is "unfair to organized readers" who expect that all the information needed to resolve the mystery is presented in the story, the novel still creates "a growing fascination in the situation as it unravels -- or rather entangles itself -- which is rather effective.

"[4] Set 6,000 years in the future, the novel concerns the murder of the head of a matriarchal society.

Victor Mitchel and his parents and sister struggle to replace her and find the killer before the society collapses.