Jinian Footseer

Unlike everyone else in her highborn family, fourteen-year-old Jinian of Stoneflight Demesne has no Talent. While her brothers have true Talents such as flying, mind-reading, and shape-shifting, Jinian's only minor ability is as a Footseer--even blind-folded, her feet can follow the Old Road as it winds through the lands of the True Game. Without a Talent, Jinian can only be a pawn in the Game, as she learns when her brother, Mendost, decides to marry her off to the rival lord of Dragon's Fire Demesne in order to make an alliance. Not willing to be a mere pawn, Jinian leaves the only home she has ever known and sets off on a journey of discovery--one that will reveal who she really is, her hidden Talent, and her role in the True Game....

Born in Denver, Colorado in 1929, Sheri S. Tepper began her writing career in her fifties. She has produced numerous works across genres including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and poetry. A noted feminist and environmental writer, Tepper has received a New York Times Notable Book citation, a 1991 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel , and has been nominated for both the Hugo and Mystery Writers of America Edgar awards. Now in her seventies, Tepper continues to write, commenting in a recent SciFi.com online interview that aspiring writers must: "Write every day... Even if you don't feel like it, even if you hate the idea, write every single solitary day."