Raising the Stones

On Hobbs Land, human settlers arrived to find the indigenous Owlbrit species on the brink of extinction. Before their demise, humans gleaned fragments of the Owlbrit language, beliefs, and a unique religion centered around a strange, inanimate 'God' statue. The settlers, out of a blend of curiosity and cultural preservation, maintained the last Owlbrit temple and its deity. However, when this 'God' inexplicably disintegrates overnight, a new, radical initiative begins: to cultivate its replacement. Into this unfolding mystery comes Maire Manone, seeking refuge from the oppressive, patriarchal religion of Voorstod, her homeland. But Voorstod, unforgiving, dispatches agents to retrieve her, inadvertently setting their sights on Hobbs Land, a world whose emerging, non-anthropomorphic deity and its profound implications they dangerously underestimate. Tepper masterfully explores themes of colonialism, environmentalism, gender roles, and the nature of belief, as Maire's personal struggle intertwines with the spiritual destiny of an entire planet and its nascent, evolving divinity.