There are many ways to deal with the unknown: Explore it. Ignore it. Or destroy it…In this powerful, provocative novel, Ken Wharton welcomes you to Mandala, an extra-solar Earth colony where the unknown is rapidly approaching… Cut off from Earth for over a century, the people of Mandala have created an utterly unique society-and developed religious beliefs and cultural customs that are completely their own.Now, word has arrived that thousands of new colonists-most of whom are frozen in cryogenic suspension-are en route from Earth. Fearing a crippling shift in the planet’s balance of power, the Prime Minister vows to do whatever it takes to keep them away.But someone else knows that they’re coming. A young deaf-mute, Drew Randall can communicate in his own unconventional way. And someone-or something-has told him that the new colonists have finally arrived…