"Life is transformation; you change or you die."

Ashamed of his past and overwhelmed by his future, Ronoah Genoveffa Elizzi-denna Pilanovani feels too small for his own name. After a graceless exit from his homeland in the Acharrioni desert, his anxiety has sabotaged every attempt at redemption. Asides from a fiery devotion to his godling, the one piece of home he brought with him, he has nothing.

That is, until he meets Reilin. Beguiling, bewildering Reilin, who whisks Ronoah up into a cross-continental pilgrimage to the most sacred place on the planet. The people they encounter on the way—children of the sea, a priestess and her band of storytellers, the lonely ghosts of monsters—are grim and whimsical in equal measure. And each has their part to play in rewriting Ronoah’s personal narrative.

One part fantasy travelogue, one part emotional underworld journey, The Heretic’s Guide to Homecoming is a sumptuous, slow-burning story about stories and the way they shape our lives.

“Compelling and complicated in all the right ways. …beautifully written, not just in mythos but also in its treatments of its characters. Tristen writes on these emotions in a way that is rich with understanding and empathy.” -Reader Views

“Tristen’s ambitious fantasy debut combines a coming-of-age tale, an obsessive love of words and stories, and an opulent created-world setting. …fans of detailed fantasy worldbuilding will revel in this voluminous story.”  -Publisher’s Weekly

“A character-driven story written with a gold-tipped pen. Highly recommended.”  -The Wishing Shelf Book Awards