I have a treat in store for this episode of ‘For the Love of Books’, with a trilogy that reminds me of all I love about the YA fantasy genre. I anticipated enjoying the Book of Fire series, with feral people, a wild girl and hidden forests – what’s not to love? It’s all that, and so much more.
Book of Fire
We begin with Book of Fire, and the Great Holy War of 2025 that left the UK enveloped in cataclysmic dust clouds. With cities in ruins and thousands of refugees, the government’s scientific team opened the Lifedome doors to give shelter. In the present day, the Lifedome is a landmark and the country is divided. Outsiders, like the protagonist Talia, are taught of the devastating effects of biochemical warfare, and of how humans in the Lifedome develop differently – an uncorroborated fact since no outsider has entered the Lifedome and returned. In this divided world, the forests outside (with hidden villages and communities) is a dangerous place: sweepers from the Lifedome regularly do the rounds to steal from the natural world. Insiders, who knows, except to suggest that they believe life outside should not be possible. But two worlds are set to collide when members of Talia’s family are taken in an unexpected forest raid.
I adored the diverse cast of characters: Talia’s strength, resilience and determination; her twin brother, Eli, deaf and mute from birth, he moves through the forest with gentle stealth that brings him close to the animal world; and their friend, Max, resourceful, and with abilities and skills that bring the village world to life. The world-building is well thought out and a feast for the senses, using a perfect blend of imagination, mythology and plausible scientific advances to describe a possible future dystopia. The backdrop unfolds with ease as the characters take us on a magical and dangerous ride through their forested world. I wanted to dive in and join them, run through the trees, take on the sweepers, and at the end of the day, curl up next to the resident snow leopard.
Danger heightens when Talia is forced to head out on the ultimate rescue mission. Her perspective, complete with coming-of-age firsts is perfectly captured, making for a complex, challenging, endearing protagonist whose personal journey sees the mysteries of this dystopian world unravel. There is fascinating depth built on a cocktail of fantasy, history, biology and brilliant invention. It is a place where monsters can be heroes and personal strengths can be found in the most unlikely places, where all of life’s imperfections merely enrich the world. The story is a rollercoaster of twists and turns that you think you should have seen coming, but you don’t. Leaving book one and heading straight into the sequel, we are sure of one thing: ‘Come what may, nature finds a way’.
City of Dust
It is one year on from when Talia, Max and Eli left Pantheon behind. The impacts of their terrifying adventures are still being felt, with rumours in the forested village rife about what they may have seen in the Lifedome. It leaves them disconnected from their communities as they keep the truth of Pantheon to themselves. And as a result they look to each other for comfort, a need that brings complexities to their relationships.
It’s what I love about the YA genre, the power of coming-of-age firsts that we can relate to at any age. The complexities and depth of the characters’ personal journeys make them utterly compelling, for all their strengths, flaws, loves, and losses. And the complex dynamics deliver important messages about love and loyalty, adapting to change, and accepting changes in those close to us. These personal dramas set a compelling stage to kick the book off. Not to mention the vivid world of the outer forests that provide sanctuary for their resident griffin. All seems well enough, until a sighting makes Talia realise the hidden, dangerous world she thought she had left behind is closing in.
Prepare for a rollercoaster ride, as the author ramps up the emotional anti. Loyalties are tested and characters are pushed to their limits, in a story that once again perfectly harmonises fantasy and believable science. Delving deep into the forested world of Arafel, plausible and well-explained forecasts of the impacts of climate change are revealed. It offers food for thought for the world we live in, asking the question, can science be a friend to nature?
Storm of Ash
Talia returns to Arafel with two unlikely companions, Unus and August. For the folk of Arafel it is the arrival of a rebellious young woman, a cyclops and a gladiator, not a comfortable fit for this forested world. But the strangers are welcomed, grateful for the return of their lost daughter of Arafel.
I adored how the author expanded the world, and in particular the forest communities. Depth was delivered with concise prose that left me feeling submerged in a world that pulled on all the senses. If I close my eyes, I can hear the rustling bushes and heavy footsteps of a passing Komodo, against a backdrop of a hoopoe’s warning calls. But sanctuary is short lived. A series of disastrous events have been triggered, and Talia and her feral crew are forced to fight back against a cruel regime intent on destroying the natural order. It is a journey which will bring them face to face with the astonishing depth of the antagonist’s cruel and warped vision; the lives of innocents perish as monsters are brought to life. Talia is the key, but no one is meant to survive in a world where tyrants play God. The story is fast-paced fantasy, but these major questions bring relevance to the world as we know it, discussing the ethics of scientific interference in the natural order of food chains and natural selection. Just because we can, does it mean that we should?
***
Like all great fantasies, prepare to dive in, get lost, explore and discover in this colourful, extraordinary world. A wonderful read.
What are you reading?
