Short and Sweet WTF

Your name is Sophia Kathryn Manning, but to everyone except your mother, you’re just Sophie: the unremarkable author of an unremarkable novel, a disillusioned twenty-something who works at a cafe and volunteers at the public library. Your social circle consists of your mother, your coworkers, and a stray cat that sometimes lets you feed it. You’re not sure if your coworkers really deserve to be on that list; in all honesty, the cat is a much better friend and not nearly as dramatic.

Ever since your debut novel flopped, you’ve wished something would happen to jumpstart your creative battery—but this wasn’t exactly what you had in mind. Not a minute ago, you were in the kitchen getting coffee. Now, you’ve somehow been transported to an entirely different dimension. A talking white rabbit informs you that the place is called Stellalune, though you’ll also hear people refer to it as “the Liminal City” or just “the City.” He introduces himself as Cheshire—“yes, like the cat”—but instructs you to call him Cher (“yes,” he says, with a put-upon look, “like the singer”).

You’re not convinced this isn’t a vivid hallucination, but Cher ignores your existential angst and gives you a map, a flyer advertising free lodging, and a list with photos, names, and details for twelve of the City’s residents. Apparently, if you want to get home in one piece (which Cher assures you is not metaphorical), you’ll have to complete twelve challenges—one for each of these twelve specific people. If you fail more than two of them, you’ll be condemned to wander the wilderness that surrounds the City forever—unless the City’s Warden returns and releases you. “Unfortunately,” Cher informs you cheerfully, “nobody’s seen that old loon in a goony bird’s age.” He wishes you the best of luck and melts away into the shadows, leaving you alone in the streets of Stellalune.

You’re Sophia Kathryn Manning, the unremarkable author of an unremarkable novel, and this is the adventure you didn’t know you were waiting for.

In other words, you’re screwed.