In a post-apocalyptic world where nothing is as it seems, seventeen-year-old Amy and Baby, a child she found while scavenging, struggle to survive while vicious, predatory creatures from another planet roam the Earth.

Sixteen-year-old indentured beastkeeper Koffi and seventeen-year-old warrior candidate Ekon forge an unusual alliance and venture into the Greater Jungle to hunt down a monster that has been menacing their city for a century. Includes author's note.

In this 30th anniversary edition of book one in the internationally bestselling fantasy series, five villagers, after The Two Rivers is attacked by a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts, flee into a world they barely imagined.