The Lost Tribes of Venus

An interplanetary crew bound for Venus endures a meteoroid strike that cripples a ship's propulsion, forcing a craft technician to perform a perilous external repair under lethal Sigma radiation; the incident exposes shipboard tensions, responsibility codes, and the hazards of the Five Ship Plan. Once on mist-shrouded Venus, survivors confront swamp and sea, unfamiliar technologies, and the island society of Tana, where strict customs enforced by Komso limit personal freedom. A developing relationship between the Earthman Barry Barr and a native woman named Xintel complicates choices about duty, cultural boundaries, and survival in an alien environment.