2020 (CANADIAN SF&F) AURORA AWARD WINNER
Publishers Lunch Buzz Books 2019 Selection. Recommended by Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal
Bursts of Fire (Book #1)
by Susan Forest
An Epic Fantasy Adventure series
AVAILABLE NOW
DESCRIPTION
Bursts of Fire begins an epic political fantasy of revenge, addictions, and redemption for three magiel sisters. In an empire where magic has become suspect, love and loyalty—for one’s lover, one’s family, one’s country—are tested. If Heaven desires the very earth be burned, what place can those below hope for, when the flames come for them?
To survive. To fight. To restore balance.
The Falkyn sisters bear a burden and a legacy. Their mother, the imperial magiel of the kingdom of Orumon, protects her people from the horrors of the afterlife by calling upon the Gods with a precious Prayer Stone. But war among the kingdoms has brought fire and destruction to their sheltered world. When a mad king’s desire to destroy the Prayer Stones shatters their family, the three girls are scattered to the wilderness, relying on their wits and powers they don’t yet master.
Assassin. Battle tactician. Magic wielder. Driven by different ambitions, Meg, Janat, and Rennika are destined to become all these and more. To reclaim their birth right, they must overcome doubtful loyalties within a rising rebellion; more, they must challenge a dogma-driven chancellor’s influence on the prince raised to inherit his father’s war: a prince struggling to unravel the mystery of his brother’s addiction to Heaven.
Advance Praise
Publishers Lunch Buzz Books 2019 selection
“An emotional story of familial love, tension, and mistrust among three sisters and three brothers . . . devastated by conquest and fanaticism.”—Publishers Weekly
“Forest depicts strong female characters, with varying motivations and personalities adding plenty of action in daring raids, battles with war machines, and magical time walking, though equal attention is given to exploring relationships between the sisters and their allies. This exciting new series will have fantasy fans eagerly awaiting the next installment.”—Library Journal
“The first book in the Addicted to Heaven series promises an exciting political fantasy with realistic representation of mental illness and addiction and is sure to entertain fans of epic adventures.”—Booklist
“Themes of religious and democratic freedoms; magic-based time travel’s addictive, almost hallucinogenic, qualities . . . readers can hope for more in future installments.“—Kirkus Reviews
LAKSA MEDIA
9781988140117 (HC) / 9781988140100 (PB) / 9781988140148 (eBook) / 9781988140308 (retail audiobook) / 9781988140315 (library audiobook)
392 pages, August 6, 2019
PUBLISHERS LUNCH BUZZ BOOKS 2020 SELECTION
Recommended by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Foreword Reviews
Flights of Marigold (Book #2)
by Susan Forest
An Epic Fantasy Adventure series
AVAILABLE NOW
DESCRIPTION
Flights of Marigold tells an epic tale of addictions, survival, revenge, and redemption of three magiel sisters hiding in an insignificant hinterland. Can they hold on to happiness, dreams, and sisterhood when desire becomes addiction?
Peace in the seven realms of Shangril: shattered. Nobility of the magiel race: broken. Lands of the High King’s opponents: usurped. And Heaven may no longer be attainable .
Meg and Janat Falkyn, fugitive daughters of an imperial magiel, escape to the edge of the world to take refuge with their youngest sister, Rennika. And, perhaps, to fulfill their mother’s wish and restore their people’s access to their Gods—by recapturing a fabled prayer stone.
But to accomplish the theft, whom can they trust ? The ambitious High King’s sister thirsts for power. A calculating regent enriches himself with a steam-driven textile monopoly. A charming swindler sets up an elaborate scheme. And unraveling secrets hidden in castles, alleyways, and brothels threaten to expose everything.
With rebels stalking the sisters, and the High King’s armies on the march, the sisters’ time is up.
Advance Praise
Publishers Lunch Buzz Books 2020 selection
“Forest skillfully uses her fantasy setting to spin a tale of addiction and familial loyalty.”—Publishers Weekly
“A definite twist to the fantasy genre is that while the logical consistency of the magic is there, the book (and series) is meant to focus on addiction and its many incarnations. It is an unusual subject choice for fantasy but one that is interesting, enjoyable, and relatable.”—Library Journal
“Though episodic and of epic length, the book still maintains its focus on the sisters and their goals above all else.”—Foreword Review
LAKSA MEDIA
9781988140216 (HC) / 9781988140223 (PB) / 9781988140230 (eBook)
392 pages, August 11, 2020