The Crossing
Those who cross into Rheta from other worlds don’t usually arrive alive. Berro collects the crosser bodies for a prestigious secret project headed by his academic mentor, and he’s proud of his role, but when a living, breathing woman arrives in the forest through a crack in reality, the project and Berro’s ordered life are thrown into disarray.
On Rheta, nature is thriving and conflict is a distant memory. Chaos and cruelty are things belonging to other worlds, other times, and most Rhetari have lapsed into blissful complacency. But Berro is at the epicentre of an event that calls the delicate balance into question. As the crossing project unravels, he confronts the ugly truths about the civilisation he lives in, the work he’s committed to, and the broken parts of himself.
About the book
The Crossing is a soft science fantasy with a small, cosy, character-driven feeling, lots of angst and abundant descriptions of trees.
Most of this book was written many years before its release, which was repeatedly delayed primarily by massive slumps in self-confidence, but also by the indie publishing process, a pandemic and a new baby. It’s done now, and you can buy it if you want to. It’s available as a paperback or eBook on Amazon. It’s also on Kindle Unlimited. The cover’s pretty. I hope you don’t hate it.
If you enjoy the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It would mean a lot to me. Thank you!
BOOK CREDITS
Editing: Tallulah Lucy
Line-editing: Cat Hellisen
Proofreading: Nerine Dorman
Final readthrough: Kelly Waller
Beta readers: Xan van Rooyen, Masha Du Toit, Cristy Zinn
Cover design: Namkwan Cho
Cover illustration: Lindsay van Blerk
Content Warnings
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Language: No strong language — at least nothing familiar. The curse words are made up and unlikely to offend.
Violence: Detailed in places, but not gratuitous.
Sex: Mentioned and implied, but not described.
Possible triggers: violence, weapons, blood, gore, bodies, kidnapping, poisoning, emesis, prison, hospitalisation, vehicle accident, on-page deaths, post-traumatic stress (not named as such), recreational drug and alcohol use, spiders (not named as such).