A Planet Called Treason

About “A Planet Called Treason”

This 1979 novel by Orson Scott Card follows the story of Lanik Mueller, heir to a kingdom on the metal-poor planet Treason. The planet was once the exile site for people who sought to rule through intellectual superiority. Over time, the descendants of these exiles formed warring and allied nations, all competing to build a starship. To obtain metal, they trade using teleportation devices called Ambassadors. The Muellers have the ability to regenerate body parts, but to get metal, they harvest organs from radical regeneratives, people whose bodies never stop regenerating. Lanik is a radical regenerative, so his father sends him as an emissary to the Nkumai, a rival nation. Lanik poses as a woman to infiltrate the Nkumai and uncover their metal trade. His mission leads to greater discoveries and the development of new abilities that will shape the fate of his planet.