Silence is Deadly Author:Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Twenty agents of the Galactic Synthesis were missing on the Silent Planet of Kamm-the victims, it seemed, of the most powerful death ray the universe had ever known. But how could the primitive technology of the Kammians have produced such a weapon? And why had they unleashed its power against the Synthesis? — It was Jan Darzek's mission to find ... more »out. Surgically altered to resemble the natives of Kamm, he travels to that eerie world where all life forms are deaf and the only communication is through sign language.
Living as a Kammian, Darzek adapts himself to a culture of surprising complexity. He learns to appreciate the importance of its exotic colors and scents, to understand its intense political rivalries, and to marvel at its worship of the harbingers of death.
But the secret of the Kammian death ray that threatens the security of the entire galaxy continues to elude him...until at last he comes face to face with the living reality of Kamm's most ancient legend and begins to experience the deadly power of silence for himself. And on the Silent Planet no one would hear the cries of terror...« less