A tour of the Zweeshen: What To Do And Where To Go

“Welcome to the Zweeshen. I’m a Prolog, an expert tasked with guiding you on your exploration of the realm of stories. Here is a magical guide for your convenience. No, no, you can’t open it like that. You have to ask the book to show you what you need. And do it nicely, or it might send you to the Dust—or worse.

What should you ask? Well, I would start with the highlights. The places no tourist should miss. And feel free to follow along on your interactive map. I’m magically bound to answer all your questions, so I’ll be here if you need me.”

Excerpt from The Official Guide to the Zweeshen

Zweeshen map from the young adult fantasy book Unwritten by Alicia J. Novo

Where to go and what to see on your first visit

The Bibliothekum

A semi-submerged, cathedral-looking building, the Bibliothekum protrudes like an island of spires out of the middle of a medium size lake. A glass drawbridge extends over the water, allowing access to the entry tower where an elevator carries visitors up and down.

The Bibliothekum houses all Leebers, the enchanted books inside of which the souls of stories are bound, and its shelves are said to be infinite.

Considered the “safest place in all the worlds,” the Bibliothekum is both technologically and magically guarded.

Visitors aren’t allowed inside unless invited by either the Council or the Librarian, but the exterior architecture is breathtaking enough to warrant a visit.

What to do: Take a selfie in front of the drawbridge. Note that it is lowered once a week on Friday mornings to test its functioning.

Stroll the surrounding military park and ask the statue of the winged woman to pose with you.

The green-blue cupola of the Bibliothekum is at its most photogenic at dusk.

Pod Station: Central Station (All Lines)

The Bookends café

Popular with the young crowd, the Bookends is one of the most famous places on the University campus. Always bustling, it boasts a comfortable dining room and several lounging areas. What makes it unique is that the Bookends reinvents itself regularly according to a different book-inspired theme. The fare consists of international favorites with a creative twist. It offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a snacks and pastries counter in the café section.

What to order: Try the “Journey through the Zweeshen breakfast,” which includes delicacies from 20 different bookworlds. If you are in the mood for tea time, you might like the Duke and Duchess Tray with specialties mentioned in classic Regency and Victorian novels. For dinner, don’t miss the Peryton, a mythical beast burger that’s hard to match for flavor and tenderness anywhere in the bookworlds.

Pod Station: University East (Yellow Line)

Kambala Road

The “Street of All” is the largest shopping destination in the Zweeshen. Just off the Great Bazaar, it’s a crowded boulevard full of a curious assortment of shops. Dancers, acrobats, and musicians perform every day in the middle of the street while people carrying bags zigzag around them. Lively and festive, do not be alarmed to see balls fly, snakes sway, sprites balance on tensed strings, and micro-robots collide with each other in mini-jousting matches.

The shops line both sides of the street, with narrow storefronts and assorted facades. A-frame signs and fabric banners advertise a wide array of wares, everything from brooches to capes to tech gadgets, to French baguettes, laser guns, and coal stoves.

What to buy: Try a conjuring service at a shop with the open hand by the front sign and create a custom gadget of your dreams. Just be specific in your requirements; magic is unpredictable, and Conjure artists, capricious.

The Superhero Superstore is an excellent choice for sci-fi and futuristic weaponry. They carry some limited time-travel devices that might come in handy too. Note that if your world does not possess this technology, those will be ineffectual in your land of origin.

If you’re in the market for apparel, visit The Gallery to get a pair of their famous Chameleon footwear that match whatever color you choose.

Feeling adventurous? You might swing by Grimm’s at Dark. One of the oldest shops in Kambala, it’s a treasure cove of antique, new, and lost things where you might find the perfect souvenir. The provenance of some items is questionable, so keep your receipt and be sure to declare any valuable objects before your return home. Be aware that you cannot leave the store with an even number of things, so plan accordingly.

Pod Station: Shopping District - Læsting City (Blue Line)

Kioshi Gardens

The blooming Cherry trees of Kioshi have been recognized as one of the most breathtaking views anywhere. Every day, starting at early dawn, the trees begin blooming and then losing their flowers in a random pattern. Catch one bud and lift it to your ear to hear stories and secrets from many places in the book universe. Under a spell that ensures consistent mild weather, the gardens have several picnic areas, a labyrinth, and two lakes where rental rowboats are on offer. The tea shop is a must-see.

The main musical water feature is also popular, where the nymph Echo of one of the most famous retellings makes her home to this day. Throw in a dekums coin, and if you’re lucky, she may answer with the key to achieve your deepest wish.

Pod Station: Læsting City (Purple Line)

Sherorth

Tired of the city. In need of fresh air?

You might want to venture to the Sussurr Woods near Navarsing University. With a bit of preparation, you might be lucky enough to stumble upon Sherorth, and what an amazing story to take back home. Sherorth, the fey and elementals neighborhood hovers above the Zweeshen in no exact location, and sometimes, if you stepp in the right place, they take visitors for a ride.

What to do: Enhance your chances of being “swept up” by wearing a shirt with a shiny design or intricate jewelry. Fairies have a predilection for beautiful things. Try humming. A good singing voice has been known to be valued. The exact combination of characteristics required by the fey is unclear, but it is believed a good imagination and a willingness to laugh at yourself are key. Visiting the forest during a purple moon might improve your luck as well.

Rules & Caution: While the legends about eating or drinking in fairy realms are not accurate in Sherorth, some fae food is too ethereal for consumption, so we advise you to come armed with snacks.

Make sure you do not have anything planned for the next day, as fairy time is dubious, and you won’t want to miss your return trip.

Do not, under any circumstances, cut flowers or pluck any mushrooms no matter how intense your desire.

Leave something small behind as a thank you. Otherwise, you will never be invited again.

Pod Station: History Faculty (Yellow Line). Walk towards the coastal boardwalk and take it to the furthest edge, then follow any of the hiking trails.

“I see you’re ready to explore already. Perfect. A word of caution before you set out, though. Be careful as you roam these places. The Zweeshen might be full of fun and wonder, but nothing is what it seems. Around here, danger doesn’t advertise, and everywhere you step, the Fogges lurk.”

Unwritten

The Zweeshen Chronicles #1

Alicia J. Novo

Publication Date: May 8, 2021

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Books whisper to Beatrix Alba. But they aren’t the reason she has never fit in. Bullied at home and school, she keeps a secret—a power of violence and darkness.

When the spell that keeps her hidden fails, she’s catapulted into the Zweeshen, a realm where all tales live, and her dream of meeting her favorite characters comes true. But wishes are tricky, and behind its wonder and whimsy, the Zweeshen is under attack. A character is burning bookworlds in pursuit of a weapon to rule both stories and storytellers. To succeed, he needs a riddle in Beatrix’s possession.

Now he’s hunting her down.

Joining forces with William, a cursed conjurer, Beatrix must face an enemy who knows her every weakness in a realm where witches play with time, Egyptian gods roam, and Regency heroines lead covert operations. And with her darkness as the only weapon, she may have to sacrifice everything to save a world that rejects her.

Unwritten by Alicia J. Novo link to Goodreads a young adult fantasy book

Pre-order Unwritten by Alicia J. Novo on Amazon young adult fantasy book

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About the Author

Alicia has a weak spot for happy endings and transformative journeys. She spent her teenage years

in Argentina and Europe, speaks several languages and loves to travel.

An eclectic reader, she grew up on a diet ranging from Lucy M. Montgomery and Jane Austen to Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Raymond Chandler, Hermann Hesse, Jorge Luis Borges, and many classics. She's never been cured of reading a bit of everything and is as likely to geek out about Mr. Darcy as Dr. Who.

She is a history and astronomy aficionado, who walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, completed her Masters in the Netherlands and worked for Google in Ireland. She decided to become a writer at six but took a full, winding road here. Along the way, she learned if there’s one thing that cuts across cultures, one unifying thread that pulls everyone together, it's a good story.

A big-city girl, she now lives in the Midwest, where she occasionally picks apples and pretends witches exist.

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