In a universe where intelligence depends on location, from the superintelligent Transcend to the primal Unthinking Depths, space itself is divided by a mysterious force. When a powerful Transcendent artifact is misused, it unleashes a force that devastates worlds and enslaves countless minds—natural and artificial alike.
Amid the chaos, Ravna, a lone survivor, escapes with a ship full of cryogenically frozen children—the last remnants of a destroyed space-lab. Her desperate flight ends on a planet ruled by the Tines, an alien species bound by a medieval culture and a chilling hive-mind intelligence.
As Ravna battles to protect the children, the Tines’ ruthless power games threaten everything. The artifact’s destructive force looms ever closer.
Can Ravna outwit her captors and save the galaxy’s last hope?
