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 Times A selection of the Quality Paperback Book Club(R) and The
Science Fiction Book Club(R)