Reports of a new habitable planet have reached the Twenty Planets of human civilization. When a team of scientists is assembled to investigate this new world, exoethnologist Sara Callicot is recruited to keep an eye on an unstable crewmate. Thora was once a member of the interplanetary elite, but since her prophetic delusions helped mobilize a revolt on Orem, she's been banished to the farthest reaches of space, at the risk that her very presence could revive unrest.

Upon arrival, the team finds an extraordinary crystalline planet, laden with dark matter. A crew member is found murdered and Thora mysteriously disappears. Thought to be uninhabited, the planet is in truth home to a native blind populace, who navigate their world with a bizarre vocabulary and extrasensory perceptions.

Lost in the deep caves of the planet among these people, Thora must battle her demons and learn to master these mystical faculties in order to find her crew-mates, and warn them of an impending danger. But her most difficult task may lie in persuading the crew that some powers lie beyond the boundaries of science.

About the Author
Carolyn Ives Gilman is a Nebula and Hugo Award-nominated writer of science fiction and fantasy. Her novels include Halfway Human and the two-volume novel Isles of the Forsaken and Ison of the Isles. Her short fiction appears in many Best of the Year collections and has been translated into seven languages. She lives in Washington, D.C., and works for the National Museum of the American Indian.