A human boy named Dez is born on a farm far outside Earth. From the moment of his birth, his only value to society is measured in calories; his qualities as a person are equivalent to fat content. The myriad of alien species who farm and consume his kin live in a wider Galactic Federation: a complex machine that governs nearly all sentient life forms in the Milky Way. With its rules, regulations, and opportunity assessments, the Federation is an essential...