A Planet Called Treason
Encyclopedia
A Planet Called Treason (1979) is a science fiction
novel
by Orson Scott Card
. It was originally published by St Martin's Press and Dell Publishing Co. After being heavily revised, the book was republished under the title Treason (1988) by St. Martin's Press.
devices known as Ambassadors.
The protagonist of the book is Lanik Mueller, heir apparent
to the Mueller family kingdom. The Muellers, through generations of eugenics
, have the ability to heal at an accelerated speed and regrow body parts naturally. The dark side to the Mueller nation is that, in order to obtain iron and other metals, they trade organs and body parts, which are harvested from radical regeneratives ("rads"). Radical regeneratives are people whose bodies can't distinguish between health and injury, and so grow extra appendages as well as organs of the opposite sex; although this is a normal phase for most Muellers at the age of puberty
, the bodies of radical regeneratives never outgrow it.
After it is discovered that Lanik is a radical regenerative, Lanik's father must essentially banish him from the kingdom, so as to avoid sending him to the "pens", a place where radical regeneratives are kept in order to harvest their body parts; exile also functions to get Lanik out of the eye of the Mueller public, as well as to prevent harm from coming to Lanik's supposed younger brother Dinte. The banishment comes in the form of sending Lanik as an emissary and spy to the Nkumai, a rival nation. Due to his radical regenerative body, Lanik has grown breasts, which makes him appear to be a woman. Using this subterfuge, he poses as an ambassador from the matriarchal nation of Bird in order to discover what the Nkumai are trading in exchange for their abundant metals, which have allowed them to dominate their region militarily.
This mission is only the beginning of the adventure for Lanik, who discovers the secrets of the most powerful nations and at the same time gains additional abilities to save his people and determine the fate of his planet.
The regions of Treason are named after each of the banished inhabitants. The occupations of the founders are listed (where known).
The regions are (alphabetically): Allison (theology
), Anderson (leader of the rebellion, politics), Arvea, Bird (socialite
), Boccini, Brian, Britton (historian
), Cramer, Da Silva, Cummings, Dark, Drew (dream interpretation
), Duan, Dyal, Epson, Garvin, Gill, Goldstein, Grant, Hanks (psychology
), Helper, Hess, Holt, Hooker, Hunter, Huntington, Israel, Jones, Ku Kuei (philosopher), Lardner, Leishman, Ling, Mancowicz, Martin, McRae, Moatfort, Mueller (geneticist
), Nkumai (theoretical physicist), Olaen, Parker, Phillips, Porter, Robles, Rogers, Ryan, Schmidt, Schwartz (geologist
), Sill, Singer, Sloan, Stanley, Stradling, Tan'ani, Tellerman (actor
), Underwood (botanist), Van Horn, Wankier, Williams, Wizer, Wong, Wood and Wynn.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
. It was originally published by St Martin's Press and Dell Publishing Co. After being heavily revised, the book was republished under the title Treason (1988) by St. Martin's Press.
Plot summary
The premise of this novel is the banishment to the seemingly metal-poor planet Treason of a group of people who attempted to create rule by an intellectual elite. The novel centers on the descendants of these anti-democratic thinkers who remain imprisoned on the planet. Through the ages, these descendants have formed nations which warred and allied with one another to gain advantages over their rivals in the race to build a starship. Due to the metal-deficiency on Treason, nations are forced to obtain it through a system of barter using teleportationTeleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
devices known as Ambassadors.
The protagonist of the book is Lanik Mueller, heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the Mueller family kingdom. The Muellers, through generations of eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
, have the ability to heal at an accelerated speed and regrow body parts naturally. The dark side to the Mueller nation is that, in order to obtain iron and other metals, they trade organs and body parts, which are harvested from radical regeneratives ("rads"). Radical regeneratives are people whose bodies can't distinguish between health and injury, and so grow extra appendages as well as organs of the opposite sex; although this is a normal phase for most Muellers at the age of puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
, the bodies of radical regeneratives never outgrow it.
After it is discovered that Lanik is a radical regenerative, Lanik's father must essentially banish him from the kingdom, so as to avoid sending him to the "pens", a place where radical regeneratives are kept in order to harvest their body parts; exile also functions to get Lanik out of the eye of the Mueller public, as well as to prevent harm from coming to Lanik's supposed younger brother Dinte. The banishment comes in the form of sending Lanik as an emissary and spy to the Nkumai, a rival nation. Due to his radical regenerative body, Lanik has grown breasts, which makes him appear to be a woman. Using this subterfuge, he poses as an ambassador from the matriarchal nation of Bird in order to discover what the Nkumai are trading in exchange for their abundant metals, which have allowed them to dominate their region militarily.
This mission is only the beginning of the adventure for Lanik, who discovers the secrets of the most powerful nations and at the same time gains additional abilities to save his people and determine the fate of his planet.
Regions of the planet
Lanik travels to many of the regions of the planet Treason throughout the book, and discovers that those residing in different regions have different powers or capabilities. He first passes through the land of the Ku Kuei while on his way to Nkumai, learning that they can control the flow of time in a bubble extending out from themselves. When he comes to the land of Schwartz, he discovers that the people there are able to form rock to their will, as well as take energy from the sun. Lanik learns both of these skills and uses them to kill the "illuders" from Anderson. The illuders, as Lanik calls them, have the ability to appear to be anything they wish, clouding the minds of those around them to their will.The regions of Treason are named after each of the banished inhabitants. The occupations of the founders are listed (where known).
The regions are (alphabetically): Allison (theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
), Anderson (leader of the rebellion, politics), Arvea, Bird (socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
), Boccini, Brian, Britton (historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
), Cramer, Da Silva, Cummings, Dark, Drew (dream interpretation
Dream interpretation
Dream interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to dreams. In many ancient societies, such as those of Egypt and Greece, dreaming was considered a supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention, whose message could be unravelled by people with certain powers...
), Duan, Dyal, Epson, Garvin, Gill, Goldstein, Grant, Hanks (psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
), Helper, Hess, Holt, Hooker, Hunter, Huntington, Israel, Jones, Ku Kuei (philosopher), Lardner, Leishman, Ling, Mancowicz, Martin, McRae, Moatfort, Mueller (geneticist
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
), Nkumai (theoretical physicist), Olaen, Parker, Phillips, Porter, Robles, Rogers, Ryan, Schmidt, Schwartz (geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
), Sill, Singer, Sloan, Stanley, Stradling, Tan'ani, Tellerman (actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
), Underwood (botanist), Van Horn, Wankier, Williams, Wizer, Wong, Wood and Wynn.
Important characters
- Lanik Mueller - main character, heir apparent of the Mueller throne, radical regenerative. Note: Also called Lady Lark.
- Ensel Mueller - Lanik's father, kingMonarchA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of Mueller. - Dinte Mueller - Lanik's brother, later was impersonated by a second Lanik Mueller (regrown from a loose organ) who had learned the powers of the "illuders".
- Helmut (Schwartz) - Lanik's friend who discovers him dying in Schwartz, offering him help and curing him of his radical regenerative state.
- Mwabao Mawa (Nkumai) - de factoDe factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
ruler of the Nkumai, later found to be an "illuder". - Saranna (Mueller) - the love of Lanik's life.
- Lord Barton (Britton) - a LordLordLord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
in Britton who helps Lanik learn of the "illuders". - Glain (Britton) - a man Lanik lives with for about a year.
- Man-Who-Fell-on-His-Ass (Ku Kuei) - the first of the Ku Kuei Lanik met.
- Man-Who-Knows-It-All (Ku Kuei) - a Ku Kuei who taught Lanik and Saranna how to control time.
- Percy Barton (Britton) - Lord Barton's "son", actually an "illuder".
- Ruva (Mueller) - Ensel's wife.
- Vran (Britton) - Glain's wife.