A Planet Called Treason
Lanik Mueller, heir to one of the richest Families on the planet of Treason, is used to growing extra limbs - they are just removed and the body heals within the hour. But when trans-sexual growth occurs, he is banished from his militarist kingdom and doomed to wander the strange planet for ever...
His voyages carry him to wondrous new kingdoms where other Families teach him their own inherent skills and gifts - all used to obtain the rarest of metals, iron, to build spacecraft and escape from the ruthless rulers of Treason...
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card (born 1951) is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986) both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the only author to win both science fiction's top U.S. prizes in consecutive years. He is also known as an advocate for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which he has been a lifelong practicing member, and as a political commentator on many issues, including opposition to homosexual behavior and the legalization of same-sex marriage.
