Courtship rite

the long version

From back cover Timescape paperback September 1983: On the planet Geta, the only food is man. And one powerful family, the maran-Kaiel, must make an ambitious marriage with a beautiful, heretical priestess. Courted, the priestess can only prove her worth in the Ritual of Death. Courting, the three brothers and two wives of Kaiel fight to survive in a harsh civilization. The long-silent Sky God has begun to speak. The priestess and her suitors are swept into the violently unfolding destiny of a dark and ancient past!