FOREST OF THE NIGHT Author:Marti Steussy In "Forest of the Night", we meet Hashti and a crew of loggers who are trying to establish a base on a distant planet. Unfortunately, their operation seems to be threatened by the native feathered tigers. As Hashti tries to do her job caring for the crew's horses, her boyfriend Gay (yes,it is a name!) is convinced that the whole operation is a b... more »usiness ploy that will leave the workers indebted to their financiers for life, and the tigers aren't making matters any easier. Gay and some of the loggers hatch a plan to bail themselves out by hunting the tigers and selling their feathered hides for a profit. But Hashti and a few of the others, including Ross, one of the first to arrive and scout the planet, are convinced the tigers are an intelligent, sentient race and must be dealt with accordingly. Hashti eventually forms a close relationship with Khan, one of the tigers, and several of his comrades, and together they learn a great deal about each other's cultures. The book is a fascinating exploration of understanding other forms of intelligence than one's own. I thouroughly enjoyed "Forest of the Night" and would recommend it to anyone. It left me wanting to see what happens to the characters next. Stuessy's second novel, "Dreams of Dawn" (also out of print), takes place in the same universe but doesn't have any of the same characters.« less