Outside the Gates

A gifted young boy cast out of his village finds refuge among others like him in this dystopian fantasy classic.

Vren has always been told that the world beyond the gates of his village is filled with monsters, giants, and other terrifying creatures. But when he confides with his family about his ability to talk to animals, he’s exiled to the very world he’s been taught to fear his whole life. He expects to die alone, lost and confused, but he finds something different altogether—refuge in a community of shadowed people with extraordinary powers . . .

More than thirty years later, Whiting Award–winner Molly Gloss’s dystopian fantasy novel is just as timely, poignant, and stirring as ever in this brand-new edition.

“The best first novel I’ve seen in years.” —Ursula K. Le Guin