The Emissary — Peter Krausche

From the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon to the Suviltan Plateau of the planet Piral; from the beginnings of a tragic romance in the early 1980's to an imminent civil war 4,500 years in the past; The Emissary, the first volume of the Selanian Chronicles, will take you on a thrilling ride of epic proportions. In the summer of 1982, a year after the assassination of President Ronald Reagan, Philip almost runs over a beautiful but mysterious young woman named Silana living in the forests of Oregon. Silana is worried her presence may have caused ripples that have disrupted this timeline. But what can she do about it? And how is she related to the stranger who discovers a body hidden by the side of the road when he suddenly appears on the planet Piral one bright spring morning? As the stranger, who calls himself Vilam, attempts to investigate the murder, he finds himself wrapped up in events that threaten to destroy the Neo-Victorian society he finds himself in. Nova, an acolyte of the Selanian Order and chief of staff of a former High Priestess, is tasked with finding out more about the stranger and helping him solve the crime. But her best friend Catyana's powers are growing at an immense rate, and she doesn't know how she'll be able to protect her from their enemies when they find out what she can do. Catyana's sister is having horrific visions about a sinister figure she calls the Goddess of Death, and tensions between the eastern and western provinces are about to escalate. On this strange world populated by such fantastical beings as enchantresses, mermaids, unicorns, and dragons, and in this difficult time in which everything seems to be coming to a head, can Nova, Catyana, and Vilam find the answers they so desperately need before their society descends into the chaos and violence of a civil war? Find out by reading the first volume of the Selanian Chronicles, The Emissary.