The Colors of Space

"The Colors of Space" by Marion Zimmer Bradley is a science fiction narrative aimed at young readers, set in a future where humans coexist with alien races like the Lhari. It unfolds through the eyes of Bart Steele, a youth with a mixed heritage, as he seeks his missing father and grapples with issues of his own identity and place in the galaxy. Beginning with Bart's departure on a Lhari ship intertwined with a sense of immediate peril related to his family's history, the story quickly escalates when he meets a man claiming to be his father, whom Bart soon realizes is an imposter. This launches Bart on a perilous quest, forcing him to evade the influential Lhari by adopting a new identity, all to unravel the enigma of the "Eighth Color" and uncover the secrets surrounding his father’s disappearance.