Children of Fire

Starred review from July 15, 2013
This energetic epic revitalizes the traditional fantasy quest with tragic heroes, evocative imagery, and sweeping conflict. Decades after the tyrannical Order of the Crown suppresses magic with the violent “Purging,” the Legacy, a barrier protecting the mortal realm from ancient Gods, is weakened. Lucifer-like Daemron transports four pieces of enchanted stone into the mortal world through the birth of four children. Each child is destined to wreak destruction with chaotic powers, thrust into a cruel and desperate war among gods, mages, and kings where the prize is reality itself. Keegan, one of the four children, burns with chaos and struggles between rage and mercy without realizing he is a pawn between old magic and the church. Karpyshyn (author of numerous novels in the Star Wars and Mass Effect universes) injects mature moral dilemmas and powerful characterization into frenzied moments of battle, betrayal, and terror. This intricately layered adventure breathes realism and overshadowing menace into ancient mythic archetypes, exposing the pain and wonder inherent in magic and the mingled hope and cynicism of modern fantasy. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown.