From the author of the #1 Sci-Fi/Fantasy bestseller, The Dig, comes an all-new Sci-Fi thriller.

"A highly recommended, character-driven sci-fi novel in the tradition of Robert A. Heinlein." -Kirkus Reviews

Nine brilliant scientists travel light years on a one-way trip to an Earth-like planet. Their mission is to study from orbit the two species of intelligent lifeforms on the surface. The first: an isolated people embarking on civilization and building their world's first city. The second: a brutal race of massive predators, spread thick and still growing across the dominant landmass--destined to breed and eat their way to extinction within a few centuries.

After eight years of observation, disaster strikes the orbiting station and only two crewmembers eject successfully. Drifting down through a dark alien sky, the pair realizes their escape pod launched not toward the safety of the city, but to the other side of the planet, touching down deep inside a land no human could possibly survive.