Chronin: The Knife at your Back Signing with Alison Wilgus

Join creator Alison Wilgus for her very first Portland event: a launch party for her solo graphic novel debut: Chronin Volume 1: The Knife at Your Back, the first half of a queer historical SF duology from Tor Books. Come join us for drinks, snacks, good company, and celebrating a book that was a decade in the making!

Chronin follows Mirai Yoshida, a student of a prestigious college program which uses time travel to study the past. She spends her freshman preparing to visit Japan in 1864, but everything changes once she actually goes back in time. Mirai and her classmates are ambushed by rebel samurai; her friends are killed, her time travel machine is lost, and Mirai ends up marooned. In order to survive, she disguises herself as a wandering samurai and is hired by Hatsu, a tea waitress, as bodyguard for her travels. Mirai has to find her way back to the future soon, or else she may be the first casualty on the bloody front lines of a conflict that is destined to shape a nation.

“Wilgus’s full-length debut opens a duology with an intricate narrative worthy of its rich historical setting. […] Clever dialogue and detailed black-and-white images create an intense and moving story with plenty of heart and a mystery readers will want to solve.” — Publisher’s Weekly

“Lush historical setting, deft storytelling, and an ear for sharp dialogue.” — Ethan Young, Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated author of Nanjing: The Burning City

“A fascinating, intricate story.” — Tony Cliff, author of Delilah Dirk series

“Chronin is a tense, entertaining time travel caper, charmingly drawn and filled with endearing, complicated characters that you can’t help rooting for.” — Faith Erin Hicks, Eisner-Award winning author of The Adventures of Superhero Girl and The Nameless City trilogy.