Short Synopsis
A psychologist sent to investigate a quaint yet oddly isolated town finds himself in danger in this novel by the author of the classic Dune.

Full Synopsis
Santaroga seemed to be nothing more than a prosperous farm community. But there was something...different...about Santaroga.

Santaroga had no juvenile delinquency, or any crime at all. Outsiders found no house for sale or rent in this valley, and no one ever moved out. No one bought cigarettes in Santaroga. No cheese, wine, beer, or produce from outside the valley could be sold there. The list went on and on and grew stranger and stranger.

Maybe Santaroga was the last outpost of American individualism. Maybe they were just a bunch of religious kooks....

Or maybe there was something extraordinary at work in Santaroga. Something far more disturbing than anyone could imagine.

"Herbert does more than carry events forward: he deals with the consequences of events, the implications of decisions." ---St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Herbert is one of the most thought-provoking writers of our time; by focusing on an 'alien' culture, he makes us examine what the true definition of 'human' is." ---The Pacific Sun

"Herbert may be one of our major prophets." ---The Berkeley Barb