The Betrothal at Usk

With the end of the Galactic Matriarchy, Vir'ism has risen, centered on Hesperia, the City on a Star. But one leader, Mart Kell, is out of power, while another, the Great Father, Ay'r, is quietly retired.

On a small resort planet with a rainbow of rings, Ay'r Eise'nstein-Kell, a 16-year-old boy, air skates across the sands, dreaming of escape to the famed City on a Star. When the rulers of the galaxy-wide republic and their glamorous entourages arrive on Usk to celebrate a great betrothal, Ay'r finds himself thrust into their midst but even deeper into dynastic schemes and power manipulations he cannot understand. Except when they are revealed to be perilous to his freedom and to his life.

Abused and alone, he flees with few resources but knowledge into the unique dangers of The Great Salt Ocean of Usk. There, he will find all the adventure a boy could want. He'll also discover the plight of the oppressed worker-species, the pamps, who have long awaited their Messiah, and he will discover who he really is: could Ay'r be The One?

Meanwhile, Kri'nni, heiress to the defeated Bella=Arth. empire,escapes her long bondage and plots her return. Holt, the youngest son of the Great Father, a playboy known as "The Cadet," flees the media circus of his life for a mission into the heart of the galaxy in search of a new source of the Beryllium ore that makes galaxy-wide communication and travel possible. What else will he find to reinvigorate the new Ib'r society?

The epic scale of City on a Star trilogy begins with Dryland's End, carries on with The Betrothal at Usk and concludes with A Bard on Hercular. A ReQueered Tales Original Publication.

Praise for Dryland's End (Book I):

"... like the best speculative fiction, this book provides the lucky reader with both an escape into the extraordinary and a mirror for humanity's deepest issues and concerns." – Jeff Mann, Edge

"In full-fledged sci-fi form, Picano has created entirely new civilizations, species, even new language forms for his society. A phenomenally well-written book." – Virginia Gazette