What An Ythrian Looks Like

In a single short story or novel, an alien, like an Ythrian or a Merseian, is described just once. When we read a series, we must accept the repetition of the description. We can, of course, check whether the descriptions are consistent - are Merseians mammals or not? (See Inconsistencies) - and also whether some accounts are more detailed than others.

In "Lodestar," when Coya joins van Rijn and Hirharouk, she compares their appearances and judges the latter more sightly, even handsomer than herself or even David. This, of course, leads to a description of the Ythrian for the reader's benefit, not for Coya's - she has been conversing with them during the voyage - but new readers need to be told and old readers to be reminded. Do not skip past the description. You might miss details. Do you remember the colors of the limbs or of the feathers? What would an Ythrian look like standing in front of you? I would have problems with it. Hirharouk is feathered and crested although fortunately not beaked. But I would want to keep my distance from a body that looks avian even though it is not a bird.