Pilgrims to Transcendence

A space opera in ten parts...
An expanded version of the pilgrims' tales in the first book in the Transcendental Machine trilogy...
PILGRIMS is a set of related stories about how the pilgrims in TRANSCENDENTAL gathered at Terminal waiting for the beginning of their epic journey. They were published sequentially in ASIMOV'S, and include an essay on "Space Opera and the Quest for Transcendence" and conclude with an essay on the post-human.

Riley, a veteran of interstellar war, is one of many beings from many different worlds aboard a ship on a pilgrimage that spans the galaxy. However, he is not journeying to achieve transcendence, a vague mystical concept that has drawn everyone else on the ship to this journey into the unknown at the far edge of the galaxy. His mission is to find and kill the prophet who is reputed to help others transcend. While their ship speeds through space, the voyage is marred by violence and betrayal, making it clear that some...