THE OUTCAST (Dark Sun, Tribe of One Trilogy, Book No 1)

From Publishers Weekly Hawke's "Tribe of One" trilogy opens with the youth and early adventures of Sorak, who is part elf and part halfling; he possesses psionic (mind-reading) talent as well multiple personalities, the latter the result of early childhood trauma. Found abandoned in the desert, Sorak is raised by benevolent villichi, or psionic human priestesses, who have educated him in the responsible use of magic. Athas, his home, is a dying planet whose resources have been ruthlessly exploited by sorcerer-kings, but there is a belief that a savior is coming. Armed with two gifts from the priestesses--an ancient elvish sword called Galdra and the Wanderer's Journal, stocked with information on people and places--he leaves the villichi temple to learn about himself and his past. Sorak's quest becomes a search for the savior and takes him to Tyr, a city rife with political intrigue where one can contact the Veiled Alliance, a secret group opposed to the sorcerer-kings and who receive messages from the savior. Hawke ( The Reluctant Sorcerer ) more than intimates that Sorak himself is the long-awaited savior. His yarn offers fans of the fantasy genre some interesting themes to ponder. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. Product Description A new set of heroes embarks upon a quest to discover the secrets of power in the Dark Sun world, including an outcast, whose bloodline combines the lithe grace of elves with the feral savagery of Athasian halflings. Illustrations. "A tribe of one ... cast out to die ... a half-breed child is rescued ... raised by the mystical villishi, Sorak learns the 'Way of the Druid' ... his ordeal ... has fragmented his personality. He has become a 'tribe of one', possessing multiple identities trapped within one body, each with its own voice and hidden attributes. Sorak embarks on a quest to find his origins and seek out a powerful preserver known only as the Sage, who has been marked for death."--Back cover