gerald r stanek

“The sound of his voice made him wish he had not spoken at all; it seemed so small. It couldn’t possibly be heard, or if heard, would never be heeded. “I serve You, “ he said softly, and dropped his offering into the pit.”

Grandfather, expelled from his native land as a young man and facing death from exposure, is rescued by beings of the sky and transported to a world of strange beasts, powerful women, violent men, and telepathic 'demons'. He meets Grenoth, a hoarder of secrets, Ilakein, a master of ancient wisdom who advises him to 'learn a way', and attempts to open his mind to forgotten realms, and sweet Lyta, a visionary and dreamer. Although he is absorbed into this new society, Grandfather is haunted by a desire to return home, so he learns divination, practices dreaming, and scours the landscape for a route back to the valley of his birth, until at last he learns the value of all things unseen, learns to let go of desire, and remembers who he is.

“Whether you want it or not, it will come to pass, my friend, as surely as water flows to the sea, you cannot oppose it. For you will live again and again and again, until you know all that can be known, until you hold all that can be held. Then you may let go. Then you will live in the Eighth House.”