Haze
Haze, a mysterious planet that lives up to its name in more than one way.  Set far in the future after a war with Asia that America lost, there is an American who is a Security Agent for the Federation that controls everything and everyone.  We get to share a very few of his previous assignments and the personal cost to him of each one.  Then comes his assignment to scope out the planet Haze, where he encounters a world and people he never imagined.  While I generally dislike books where separate stories are intertwined, Mr. Modesitt manages it seamlessly.  A very good read.
Fiction, science fiction, general, Science fiction, Fantasy fiction
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt, Jr. is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years, then moved to New Hampshire in 1989 where he met his wife. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993.