The Accidental Pilgrim

Book excerpt: Talian Unsuana has never been better than average - in fact, average, for her, is pretty good. When she's not being average, she's more or less insane. The birds and the beasts, even the weather, talk direct to her head. She tries to drown them all out with EDDs (electronic distraction devices). She prefers computer games to the real world, and often gets the two mixed up. Hence, when Talian finds herself hanging upside down in the midst of a storm on a deserted mountainside one day, she's not sure how seriously to take her situation. It looks real enough; it feels real... If only the voices in her head would cut it out! Voices. The strangest thing about them is that they consistently give her good advice. Seems the thing that keeps her alive also keeps her insane? Whatever, the mountain is full of monsters and disasters, and the voices are telling her to run... Must she run forever? Can she fight back? If the world is fake, is there any point? If it's real, what could she possibly do? She's average. No question there. With so much self-doubt to overcome, Talian seems poorly placed to vanquish the worst monster of them all, the one in her own mind. But that's the monster she must harness if she wants to avert the catastrophe that threatens not only Lellia, but the whole Hasserican Empire. The Accidental Pilgrim describes a little known period of the Hasserican Empire. Based on primary sources and written by a first-hand witness, it has good claim to being the most authoritative account ever published. This newly translated edition is the first to appear in English. More information: http://cheravel.wikidot.com