Draigkhiun

<I>I looked out at the rising sun. It formed a beautiful translucently violet horizon where the curve of Andowhan ended and space began. I wondered if there might be something better beyond that horizon. There must be some real meaning out there but I felt isolated and constrained from it.</I></P><P>Caleb Lonnergan is the youngest son of a family anxious to shield him from the civilization that has already claimed the life of his oldest brother. Although his relatives are indulgent and well-intentioned Caleb is often irritated by their sheltering and their efforts to keep him in the role of a traditionally dutiful Shondrean son. </P><P>Caleb's life changes dramatically when a letter arrives from his father's twin brother Malakai a letter which fulfills a drunken promise made during a long-ago visit. Malakai offers Caleb a job in a Colonial project scorned by most as a waste of resources-the human re-colonization of Terra.</P><P>Caleb impulsively accepts his uncle's offer having always been fascinated by tales of the dangerous ancient planet. But lying within Caleb like a quiet dragon is a rare genetic anomaly. And as he experiences first-hand the dangers that seem to lie everywhere but the devastated birthplace of humanity he learns there is much more to his uncle's offer than he initially realized . </P>