I can sum it up with one word: terrible.
Basically the 600 pages of this book are about how the Race must cope with the fact that the humans are now technologically equal to them if not their superior. So they talk about it for a long time. Then they talk about it some more. The Big Uglies tour home. Kassquit sucks. The usual.
Then the Race gets a surprise which isn’t really a surprise and forces them to admit what they don’t want to:The foolish Big Uglies are now far ahead of them technologically. The Race then discusses how its completely fucked and could quite possibly face extinction and feels sorry for itself for the next hundred or so pages, then the book ends.
Trotsky might actually enjoy this book since its about the downfall of the Race, but then again he might not, since nothing actually happens in 99% of this book. But then again we should be used to that from turtledove by now.
In conclusion, I hate you Harry Turtledove.