From award-winning author Ursula K. Le Guin comes a highly anticipated addition to her acclaimed Hainish cycle, "a social anthropology of the future, fascinating and utterly believable" (Peter S. Beagle).Once a culturally rich world, the planet Aka has been utterly transformed by technology. Records of the past have been destroyed, and citizens are strictly monitored. But an official observer from Earth named Sutty has learned of a group of outcasts who live in the wilderness. They still believe in the ancient ways and still practice its lost religion - the Telling. Intrigued by their beliefs, Sutty joins them on a sacred pilgrimage into the mountains...and into the dangerous terrain of her own heart, mind, and soul."Her language, which sings true in every line, is simple and profound, and her storytelling is sure." - Los Angeles TimesA selection of the Quality Paperback Book Club (R) and The Science Fiction Book Club (R)