Opaque and bizarre. The book begins as a light, pulpy sci fi piece, but soon veers into fantasy, philosophy, and preaching.

On a whim, a young man travels to a planet near the star of Arcturus and meets numerous people who all have different views on the meaning of life. There are pseudopods, third eyes, extra colors, flying dragons, and musical lakes. There is also a lot of violence, sexism, and walking. (No wonder Tolkien liked it!)

Oddly enough, this book most reminded me of "The Little Prince," but with significantly less charm. By the end, I was frustrated with the book's sermonizing and disagreed with its cosmology, at least as far as I understood it.