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The Children of Starlight
Upon the charred remains of a world, a spark of remembrance...
Centuries ago, a war between zealous men wielding the powers of their gods pushed the world to the precipice of extinction. There, in a gridlock of mutually assured destruction, the last of these sorcerers decided the fate of humanity. Together, they rid the world of themselves, and their powers. Humanity survived; cities were rebuilt; history was rewritten, and the magic of the old days was lost to obscurity.
Now, the secrets of the past are once again coming to light as a darkness looms over the new world. A novice inspector investigates a brutal murder; a noble of the high court discovers a strange conspiracy within his own government; a desperate addict finds himself caught up in the most dangerous gig of his life and a young woman risks her life to infiltrate a strange cult to protect her family. Together, this unlikely group of heroes must save the world from an ancient evil, but first they must overcome their own evils.
Centuries ago, a war between zealous men wielding the powers of their gods pushed the world to the precipice of extinction. There, in a gridlock of mutually assured destruction, the last of these sorcerers decided the fate of humanity. Together, they rid the world of themselves, and their powers. Humanity survived; cities were rebuilt; history was rewritten, and the magic of the old days was lost to obscurity.
Now, the secrets of the past are once again coming to light as a darkness looms over the new world. A novice inspector investigates a brutal murder; a noble of the high court discovers a strange conspiracy within his own government; a desperate addict finds himself caught up in the most dangerous gig of his life and a young woman risks her life to infiltrate a strange cult to protect her family. Together, this unlikely group of heroes must save the world from an ancient evil, but first they must overcome their own evils.
544 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2025
8 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Eric V. Swearingen
1 book6 followersHi, my name is Eric. I am a fantasy author from Central Illinois. Check out my debut novel "The Children of Starlight," coming 11.11.25!!!
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 27, 2025
I’ll preface this review by saying that the fantasy genre isn’t particularly my jam. Not that I hate it, but it’s not a go-to of mine. I couldn’t get into “Lord of the Rings” at all which put me off of the genre until I got to “Game of Thrones” books which I devoured. “Children of the Starlight” reminds me a bit of GoT, the thrill of exploring a whole new world with compelling characters.
First off, hats off to Swearingen for his world building. Lore, cults, religion, family dynasties, he crafted a world you could get lost in. Each main character is nuanced and interesting. Their banter at times made me laugh out loud (my favorite duo are Inspectors Nolan and Anna). Great fight scenes and some rather uncomfortable torture scenes (this is from a horror author who loves splatterpunk too!). The conflict is high stakes and Swearingen keeps it at a high boil, making me very nervous at times.
I could imagine this book being adapted to the screen very easily and found the descriptions, prose, and dialogue extremely engaging and the book is very well written. The fact that this is Eric’s first novel is supremely impressive and I can’t wait to read whatever he comes up with next.
First off, hats off to Swearingen for his world building. Lore, cults, religion, family dynasties, he crafted a world you could get lost in. Each main character is nuanced and interesting. Their banter at times made me laugh out loud (my favorite duo are Inspectors Nolan and Anna). Great fight scenes and some rather uncomfortable torture scenes (this is from a horror author who loves splatterpunk too!). The conflict is high stakes and Swearingen keeps it at a high boil, making me very nervous at times.
I could imagine this book being adapted to the screen very easily and found the descriptions, prose, and dialogue extremely engaging and the book is very well written. The fact that this is Eric’s first novel is supremely impressive and I can’t wait to read whatever he comes up with next.
October 30, 2025
Children of Starlight is fantastic. From the first few pages, I was hooked by the dialogue and the characters, who are so real and relatable that you can’t help but feel everything right along with them. One moment you’re laughing, the next you’re heartbroken, and then suddenly you’re mad on their behalf. It’s an emotional ride in the best way.
Eric’s background in nursing really shines through in his writing. The fight scenes are so vivid and detailed that it’s like watching the story unfold right in front of you. His descriptive style brings the story to life.
I had the chance to beta read this book last year, and getting my pre-release copy felt so special. I cannot wait to read the final version. The cover art is stunning and fits the story perfectly.
I truly hope there’s a follow-up coming, because I’m not ready to leave these characters behind!
Eric’s background in nursing really shines through in his writing. The fight scenes are so vivid and detailed that it’s like watching the story unfold right in front of you. His descriptive style brings the story to life.
I had the chance to beta read this book last year, and getting my pre-release copy felt so special. I cannot wait to read the final version. The cover art is stunning and fits the story perfectly.
I truly hope there’s a follow-up coming, because I’m not ready to leave these characters behind!
December 2, 2025
I’m super impressed by this debut novel! I stepped outside of my normal comfort zone and decided to give this fantasy novel a try and I’m so happy I did! The character development and the world building were phenomenal. I felt an attachment to several of the characters and was fully invested in seeing their story through to the end. Read this book, you will be happy you did!
December 30, 2025
What a great premier fantasy novel! I was engaged from the first page by great characters, fascinating plot development, vivid descriptions of surroundings and very good writing! I highly recommend this book and if you’ve never read a fantasy novel, make this one your first!
October 6, 2025
A truly enjoyable standalone fantasy that has a refreshingly optimistic take on grim dark!
December 12, 2025
3/5 stars
Format: E-book
Spoilers: No
I was provided a digital copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.
The Children of Starlight is a solid debut fantasy novel by Eric Swearingen. The story follows a world where, in the past, two sorcerers waged a war that nearly destroyed the earth, and decided that their powers would lead to the destruction of humanity and made a pact to mutually rid the world of their own kind. The story takes place in this post-magical world where a king has teamed up with a secret society, followers of the magic of one of the ancient sorcerers called the Children of Starlight, whose goal is to bring one of those sorcerers back from the dead. We follow multiple characters from different points of view and different stations in the story, and their battle against the return of magical powers to the world.
The concept of the story was very interesting, and there were some really good moments throughout the book. We had some fun, distinctive characters. The book pitches itself as grim dark with some hope sprinkled in, and this is accurate. We get the gritty facade of grim dark with plenty of fighting, violence, and rough around the edges characters, while also getting a story about redemption and pulling people together for the common good. As a fellow medical professional, I also enjoyed some of the moments where the authors medical background really shined through.
The dialogue at times felt a bit unnatural and forced, and the magic of the world felt somewhat underutilized and underdeveloped for a fantasy novel. The majority of the novel did not focus on the magic itself, rather the focus was on the characters and their individual stories. The world building at times felt a little disorganized and underdeveloped as well. This can be a me thing, as I get this feeling when I see castles and swords mixed with more advanced technology like revolvers. I applaud the author for writing a standalone fantasy story in a world where the norm these days leans towards a prolonged series. However, I do think we could have cut some of the characters and side stories out, using that time to focus a bit more on world building and lore, and this would have been a much more crisp and complete novel that gave us more time with the fantasy elements of the story.
However, it was overall a fun read, with some great characters and moments, and an impressive first novel, especially considering the author was trying to tell a standalone story with big world building and character goals. Thanks again to the author for asking me to check this out, and I hope to see more from him in the future.
Format: E-book
Spoilers: No
I was provided a digital copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.
The Children of Starlight is a solid debut fantasy novel by Eric Swearingen. The story follows a world where, in the past, two sorcerers waged a war that nearly destroyed the earth, and decided that their powers would lead to the destruction of humanity and made a pact to mutually rid the world of their own kind. The story takes place in this post-magical world where a king has teamed up with a secret society, followers of the magic of one of the ancient sorcerers called the Children of Starlight, whose goal is to bring one of those sorcerers back from the dead. We follow multiple characters from different points of view and different stations in the story, and their battle against the return of magical powers to the world.
The concept of the story was very interesting, and there were some really good moments throughout the book. We had some fun, distinctive characters. The book pitches itself as grim dark with some hope sprinkled in, and this is accurate. We get the gritty facade of grim dark with plenty of fighting, violence, and rough around the edges characters, while also getting a story about redemption and pulling people together for the common good. As a fellow medical professional, I also enjoyed some of the moments where the authors medical background really shined through.
The dialogue at times felt a bit unnatural and forced, and the magic of the world felt somewhat underutilized and underdeveloped for a fantasy novel. The majority of the novel did not focus on the magic itself, rather the focus was on the characters and their individual stories. The world building at times felt a little disorganized and underdeveloped as well. This can be a me thing, as I get this feeling when I see castles and swords mixed with more advanced technology like revolvers. I applaud the author for writing a standalone fantasy story in a world where the norm these days leans towards a prolonged series. However, I do think we could have cut some of the characters and side stories out, using that time to focus a bit more on world building and lore, and this would have been a much more crisp and complete novel that gave us more time with the fantasy elements of the story.
However, it was overall a fun read, with some great characters and moments, and an impressive first novel, especially considering the author was trying to tell a standalone story with big world building and character goals. Thanks again to the author for asking me to check this out, and I hope to see more from him in the future.
December 15, 2025
I went into reading Children of Starlight with an open mind. I was initially nervous because I know the author personally and wanted his debut novel to be successful.
Final thoughts: Massive success.
This book is divided into 4 parts. The first two parts spend time explaining the world, characters, and relationships. Part 3 and 4 flew by for me. I couldn’t put the book down at that point. I was so invested once I saw all of the character’s stories intersect. The way Eric wrote this book is brilliant, his way of blending fantasy, story telling and his background in medical trauma care made for vivid descriptions and made it easy to visualize - almost like a movie in your mind.
I enjoyed the Nolan and Anna storyline, may we all find a mentor like Nolan.
Vultch, while he was written as a supporting role, gives spinoff main character energy.
This is also a great book for those who don’t want a super deep dive into fantasy- it has a lot of old world feeling blended with some fantasy- not too much where it might deter those who are nervous about believability.
Final thoughts: Massive success.
This book is divided into 4 parts. The first two parts spend time explaining the world, characters, and relationships. Part 3 and 4 flew by for me. I couldn’t put the book down at that point. I was so invested once I saw all of the character’s stories intersect. The way Eric wrote this book is brilliant, his way of blending fantasy, story telling and his background in medical trauma care made for vivid descriptions and made it easy to visualize - almost like a movie in your mind.
I enjoyed the Nolan and Anna storyline, may we all find a mentor like Nolan.
Vultch, while he was written as a supporting role, gives spinoff main character energy.
This is also a great book for those who don’t want a super deep dive into fantasy- it has a lot of old world feeling blended with some fantasy- not too much where it might deter those who are nervous about believability.
November 23, 2025
Children of Starlight is a great debut book. The characters are well thought out and continue to grow and evolve throughout the story.
The detail written in each line of the book painted a clear picture of Terra and had me feeling like I was there with the characters.
I can't put this book down, and is an easy candidate for any grim dark/fantasy/world building reader. My top book of the year as 2025 comes to a close.
The detail written in each line of the book painted a clear picture of Terra and had me feeling like I was there with the characters.
I can't put this book down, and is an easy candidate for any grim dark/fantasy/world building reader. My top book of the year as 2025 comes to a close.
October 30, 2025
This was one of my first true fantasy books I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, plot twists, dark gritty moments, and fast paced, action packed chapters! You won’t regret diving into this world!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews