From Nebula and Hugo Award–nominated Carolyn Ives Gilman comes *Dark Orbit, *a compelling novel featuring alien contact, mystery, and murder.

Reports of a strange, new habitable planet have reached the Twenty Planets of human civilization. When a team of scientists is assembled to investigate this 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, because of the risk that her very presence could revive unrest.

Upon arrival, the team finds an extraordinary crystalline planet, laden with dark matter. Then a crew member is murdered and Thora mysteriously disappears. Thought to be uninhabited, the planet is in fact home to a blind, sentient species whose members navigate their world with a bizarre vocabulary and extrasensory perceptions.

Lost in the deep crevasses of the planet among these people, Thora must battle her demons and learn to comprehend the native inhabitants in order to find her crewmates 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.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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### Review

''lntellectually daring, brilliantly imagined, strongly felt. This one's a winner.'' --Ursula K. Le Guin

''What a breath of fresh, invigorating air this novel is, full of surprises, delights, and challenging perspectives at every turn.'' --Suzy McKee Charnas, Nebula-nominated author

''The delight of discovery should be what all SF is about, but few authors are ambitious enough to tackle a theme that big. Gilman is, she does, and the result is a masterpiece.'' --Karl Schroeder, Hugo-nominated author

''Gripping . . . Gilman has created a breathtakingly strange new world, and she's populated it with vivid, compelling characters. A thoroughly engrossing story with a fast-paced plot, memorable characters, and big ideas, this book is science fiction at its very best.'' --*Kirkus Reviews* (starred review)

### 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.