'World That Couldn't Be' Summary

On Layard, a planet where native tribes thrive despite lacking traditional gender roles, a human farmer named Gavin Duncan arrives with a singular goal: to cultivate vua plants, whose berries hold the key to curing mental illness. His quest for profit soon faces an unexpected obstacle – the Cytha, a seemingly harmless but devastating creature that threatens to decimate his crops. As Duncan struggles to protect his investment, he finds himself entangled with the native tribes, who view the Cytha with a mix of fear and reverence. Their beliefs clash with Duncan's pragmatism, forcing him to question his motivations and confront the ethical dilemmas of exploiting a planet and its inhabitants for personal gain. The story explores themes of societal structures, cultural clashes, and the complexities of human ambition against the backdrop of a unique and enigmatic alien world.