The Iron Orchard
A working moon hides a cost its production figures cannot explain.
The opening situation
Kharon Spire combines agriculture and industry. Missing workers and trouble in Zone 7 draw the crew into a material investigation: machinery, labour, cooling and the decisions behind a production target. This book begins with Jun aboard and gives the people who work there a continuing stake in its outcome.
Who travels here
The Doctor, Raven, MINO and Jun; Tala, Kells and Yara.
A question to carry into the story
Watch how responsibility travels through a workplace. A technical fault may be real without being an adequate explanation for why the danger was allowed to grow.
This guide introduces Book 17 without its ending. Read The Iron Orchard →
Already finished? Open the Book 17 recap (ending spoilers).
Music alongside the book
Explore The Quiet Ground, the album linked to Books 17–18.