The planet of Kiln is where the tyrannical Mandate keeps its prison
colony, and for inmates, the journey there is always a one-way
trip. One such prisoner is Professor Arton Daghdev, xeno-ecologist
and political dissident. Soon after arrival, he discovers that Kiln
has a secret. Humanity is not the first intelligent life to set foot
there.
In the midst of a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem are the ruins of a
civilization, but who were the vanished builders and where did they
go? If he can survive both the harsh rule of the camp commandant and
the alien horrors of the world around him, then Arton has a chance
at making a discovery that might just transform not only Kiln, but
distant Earth as well.