Three years after the disappearance of the High Priestess Silana, her successor Nisa struggles to combat the dark forces infiltrating the Advisory Council on the planet Chyoradan. But when Melina and Talas insist on searching for Silana on Earth, Nisa must convince them to stay and help her fight an even greater threat.
Meanwhile, six thousand years earlier on the planet Piral, Nova, Catyana, and Vilam journey to Tolares to attend a critical conference aimed at preventing war between the eastern and western provinces. But as Catyana’s growing powers draw the attention of a deadly assassin, her friends race against time to protect her—and uncover the truth behind the approaching danger.
Three years after the disappearance of the High Priestess Silana, her successor Nisa struggles to combat the dark forces infiltrating the Advisory Council on the planet Chyoradan. But when Melina and Talas insist on searching for Silana on Earth, Nisa must convince them to stay and help her fight an even greater threat.
Meanwhile, six thousand years earlier on the planet Piral, Nova, Catyana, and Vilam journey to Tolares to attend a critical conference aimed at preventing war between the eastern and western provinces. But as Catyana’s growing powers draw the attention of a deadly assassin, her friends race against time to protect her—and uncover the truth behind the approaching danger.
The alley was a gloomy place where stray cats prowled among rusty garbage cans and shadows slunk through filth and rubbish left there to rot by indifferent tenants. On warm summer evenings, a stale odor of things best forgotten pervaded the ominous silence, infesting obscure niches just below the surface of conscious thought until the cold winds of another bleak fall drove it out.
The street was a dead end. On three sides, brick walls towered over the narrow passage, smothering any hope of light from above and condemning the alley to perpetual shadow. At night, white and yellow bulbs cast their dim glow through grimy windows, creating ever-changing patterns of light and dark on the street and walls below. Only a muted hum penetrated the corridor from the city outside. To anyone stumbling into the close confines of this secluded world, it must have seemed a cheerless spot indeed.
But Jonathan hardly noticed his dismal surroundings. Despite his fatigue, he crossed his thin arms in front of his chest and propped his chin in one small hand. His brow creased in deep folds, the way he often saw his friend Mr. Denning stare at a table or chair before deciding where to move it. Not that Mr. Denning had much furniture in that damp hole the landlord called an apartment. Besides, Jonathan couldn’t see what difference it made where a certain piece of furniture ended up. There had to be some baffling grown-up logic behind the man’s constant urge to move things around.
The thought faded, drawn into the cauldron of jumbled images churning in Jonathan’s mind. He often found it hard to concentrate, as if only scraps and impressions could breach the mantle of weariness enshrouding him. What drove him was the fierce desire that had seized his heart. It had never been this strong…luring him, drawing him, entangling him in the chaos of his own bewildering emotions. Should he dare to hope?
Jonathan didn’t know why, but he felt he had to focus on this single moment in time and space. He stared at his favorite toy, a marionette resembling a tin woodsman that he had assembled from aluminum pots, metal tubes, and two crossed pieces of wood, with a funnel for a hat. At present, the puppet dangled from a nail next to Jonathan’s wooden crate in a dim corner of the alley, but it seemed about to come alive as it peered back at him from the depths of its black button eyes.
Jonathan narrowed his eyes into slits. Maybe if he concentrated hard enough, he could finally penetrate the veil separating him from that world just beyond his perception. He couldn’t say what was drawing him, but he knew he would recognize it when he saw it. He always did. Just before his mommy went away, she told him it was a gift, like the one his daddy had. Jonathan could sense things. Intuition, she had called it.
Jonathan’s piercing gaze drilled into the tin woodsman. He had to know, he just had to! But the more he tried, the more his sight was clouded by an intangible, shimmering mist.
Suddenly he recoiled. Had the puppet turned its head? Were its fiery black eyes staring right at him, mesmerizing, compelling, challenging?
When will you take me down again, Jonathan?
His eyes opened wide at the eerie whisper echoing through the alley. He wanted to look around, find a way to escape, but all he could do was stare at the puppet.
Why won’t you play with me? What are you afraid of?
Jonathan backed away. Could a puppet’s gaze be so reproachful? He pressed his hands against his ears, trying to banish the puppet’s thoughts from his mind.
I know you don’t want to stay here. You want to go just as much as I do.
Jonathan shook his head. No, it wasn’t time. Not yet. And he was sure a puppet couldn’t raise its hand like that to point an accusing finger at him.
You’re so cruel. Why won’t you take me home? Don’t you want to see your mommy again? The puppet tore at its strings and tried to get up. You can free us, Jonathan. Please, I’ll show you the way.
Jonathan felt confused and frightened. But for some reason, he also felt sorry for the tin woodsman. The puppet did have a point, and Jonathan’s mommy had always told him to be honest, no matter how he felt.
The puppet’s strings fell loose. All you have to do is follow the yellow brick road. There it is. Don’t you see it? The puppet’s eyes pleaded with him as it drifted closer. It pointed toward the shimmering path before them. Come on, let’s go! I’ll take you to the Emerald City. Or anywhere you want, as long as it’s far, far away from this terrible place. Please come with me before it’s too late!
The puppet stopped right in front of him, its eyes brimming. One of the tears spilled over. Jonathan watched it float downward, his lips parted in awe. The teardrop slowed as it fell, until it reached the space between their hearts, a tiny crystalline orb glistening in the clear light of this precious instant. There it lingered, as if frozen in time, while heaven held its breath.
What are you going to do, Jonathan?
The droplet splattered on Jonathan’s bare foot.
His eyes snapped open. He shook his head to clear his mind, tossing his thick black hair. Something cold and wet dripped onto the back of his neck. His hand shot up and slapped it. When he examined his hand, he saw it was only water. He glanced up and an icy cold raindrop struck him in the face, making him blink. Another one hit his arm.
He gaped down at the tin woodsman, but all he saw was a lifeless puppet made of wood, metal, and string. A thick raindrop smacked into the pavement beside him, much like the one that had torn him from his daydream.
Jonathan sighed. His limbs seemed filled with lead and he felt miserable. He had been so close, he knew he had! Why couldn’t he find out what was going on?
When he turned back to the puppet, he froze and his fingers tightened into fists. Was there a faint glimmer in the puppet’s dark eyes?
Jonathan felt his skin crawling. He looked at his arm. Goose bumps.
The High Priestess by Peter Krausche blends sci fi and fantasy in an ambitious blend, bringing together personal stakes, political intrigue and the prospect of war across timelines and planets.
Far from Earth, on the planet Chyoradan, the High Priestess Silana has been missing for three years. Nisa, her protegee, is attempting to keep their world together in her absence, trying to uncover infiltrators in the Advisory Council. Her closest allies, Melina and Talas, think that Silana might be on Earth and are determined to search for her there - but if they abandon Nisa, the wave of darkness rising on Chyoradan may wash her away. Six millennia earlier, on the distant planet Piral, three friends travel to attend a conference that may finally bring peace to their war torn world. But one of them, Catyana, is manifesting powers that attract the attention of a ruthless assassin, placing her, her friends and the whole conference in danger. As her friends Nova and Vilam fight to protect her, they stumble on a secret behind the conference that may threaten the fragile peace their world is depending on.
Stories with dual timelines can often be confusing or hard to follow, but these two timelines weaved around each other beautifully, with the tension and stakes rising in tandem in each storyline. The worldbuilding here is amazing, with readers given the right information at the right time without seeming like exposition. I could picture the locations and vistas described in the prose. The story delves into themes of power, loyalty and sacrifice, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat as the characters struggle with moral dilemmas and the consequences of their own choices and the choices made by others.
If you are a fan of epic, far flung fantasy with high stakes and personal consequences, this is the work for you. Although the scope of the story is vast, the characters never get lost in it and their moments of triumph, joy and sorrow will stay with you for a long time.
Book Recommendation:
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Priory also features intricate world-building, powerful female leaders and a mix of politics and mysticism. The epic fantasy will appeal if you enjoyed this novel.
Movie or Series Recommendation:
The Expanse (TV Series, 2015–2022)
It’s more a sci fi than a fantasy, but the high stakes conflicts and morally complex characters will seem familiar. The galaxy spanning stakes and character-level focus will keep you enthralled.