Firebringer

by Cy Foster

Genres: Fantasy

576 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 15, 2026

About the author

Cy Foster is an Italian-born novelist, publisher, and entrepreneur whose work spans epic fantasy and psychological science fiction. After moving to Houston fifteen years ago, he built a career in surveying before making the decision to pursue writing and publishing full-time.

Today, he proudly considers himself a Houstonian. He serves as the founder of Intermundia Publishing, an independent publishing house dedicated to helping authors bring their stories to readers without sacrificing the unique voices that make them their own.

Cy began his publishing journey five years ago with The Allbeing Chronicles, an independently published psychological science fiction trilogy. The experience gave him firsthand insight into both the creative freedom and the challenges of independent publishing, ultimately inspiring him to create Intermundia Publishing.

His latest novel, Firebringer, represents two years of writing, revision, and world-building. Drawing inspiration from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, historical events, and cinematic storytelling, the novel launches an epic fantasy series filled with dragons, ancient mysteries, political intrigue, and unforgettable adventures. At its heart, however, Firebringer is a story about hope, redemption, sacrifice, and the courage required to face impossible odds.

Cy's philosophy as both an author and publisher centers on authenticity. He believes stories should be told in the voice that best serves them rather than conforming to rigid formulas or passing literary trends. Whether that means embracing quiet moments of reflection, expansive narration, or immersive action, he strives to let each story unfold naturally while maintaining a high standard of craftsmanship. That same philosophy guides Intermundia Publishing.

Outside of writing, Cy is an avid CrossFit athlete who trains most days of the week, a passionate traveler, and a dedicated student of the Japanese language. He also believes that few things rival a great cup of coffee.
Cy is currently writing the second installment of the Firebringer series while preparing his upcoming young adult fantasy novel, The Wordsworn and the Fae, and expanding the roster of authors represented by Intermundia Publishing.

Reviews

[Beata Kaminska · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Intermundia Publishing for providing this ARC!

I had such high hopes after reading the blurb of Firebringer. It caught my eye; the whole concept really intrigued me and set my expectations extremely high. The reality, unfortunately, turned out to be absolutely different.

I will admit, the idea behind Firebringer was there - I don't think I've come across a similar storyline. The world built by Cy Foster was certainly interesting and exciting (a bit complicated, however, which is why having a glossary and a map comes in handy). I am always full of respect for every author who decides to create an extremely vast world, with unique social classes, creatures, languages, etc. It takes a whole ocean of imagination, and I will always stand by the fact that the author certainly does not lack it.

Unfortunately, this is where my positivity with this book ends.

I feel like the beginning started off well; however, with the influx of new characters and interactions, it was only a long way down. All the dialogues felt so wrong and shallow - I find it very hard to explain this feeling, and it's quite a struggle to pinpoint what the issue really was. I hated the choice of vocabulary - the author has a bizarre love for the verb "to roar," which really annoyed me throughout the read. The way the characters communicated with each other was also a bit off - the use of "no shit," "yeah," and "wow" really spoiled the whole vibe of the world and story.

Moreover, in my opinion, the characters gave me a proper bipolar vibe - Helixa going from utter rage to "oh, it's all fine and sweet"; Neraq crying out of nowhere because Emiya doesn't want to cuddle with him, then going back to his normal self a sentence later. The characters lack unity; they lack personality and consistency. Most of the characters' reactions are pointless, underdeveloped, and, unfortunately, very random.

A huge request for the editors - please do add trigger warnings. It wasn't a big thing for me personally; however, I am aware that there will be readers who will not feel comfortable reading about rape and suicide without a heads-up.

All in all, it was a painful read. I don't want to discourage Cy Foster; however, in my opinion, this book is not ready and is still quite far from being in a state that would allow it to be published. I couldn't find any essence in this writing. Even the description of sexual abuse didn't strike a chord, and these are usually scenes that I find extremely touching and unnerving.
I really struggled to finish the book and I am a very quick reader.

There's still work to do, and I hope that the final version will prove me wrong!

[TBRTrentBeReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

If both sides think they’re the heroes, who’s actually the villain?

The story revolves around an ancient prophecy that foretells a time when the Firebringer, the realm's most powerful dragon, and the Dramcaster, its most powerful priest, will unite to restore power to its rightful place. What I loved most is that Foster never makes it obvious who you're supposed to root for. As the story unfolds, you're constantly asking yourself who's actually in the right, who's manipulating the narrative, and whether anyone can truly be trusted with power.

The worldbuilding is easily one of the book's biggest strengths. There's a lot going on with the history, bloodlines, politics, and religious lore, but it never felt overwhelming. Foster clearly put a tremendous amount of thought into how everything connects. Every reveal feels earned, and every piece of information ends up mattering. It's the kind of book that rewards paying attention.

The conflict between dragons and Dramcasters is especially compelling because neither side comes across as purely good or evil. Dragons have endured centuries of oppression and near-genocide, while the Dramcasters believe their control is necessary to prevent further destruction. Both perspectives make sense, which gives the story a level of nuance that's often missing from more traditional good-versus-evil fantasy.

What really surprised me, though, is that Firebringer isn't just a dragon fantasy. At its core, it's a book about faith, power, and the dangers of interpreting prophecy. Foster raises interesting questions about whether prophecies are truly destined to happen or whether people's belief in them is what brings them to life in the first place.

With themes of religious indoctrination, generational trauma, oppression, redemption, and sacrifice woven throughout the story, Firebringer offers more than just action and adventure. It's a thoughtful fantasy that trusts its readers to wrestle with difficult questions while still delivering an engaging, fast-paced story.
If you enjoy fantasy with deep lore, morally gray conflicts, and prophecies that are as dangerous as they are mysterious, Firebringer is well worth picking up.

[Karolina Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firebringer didn’t gently welcome me into its world… it grabbed me by the shirt, threw me into the middle of dragons, ancient magic, prophecies, politics and about seventeen different “WAIT… WHAT?!” moments. I spent the first few chapters happily confused, then suddenly everything started clicking together and I was completely hooked.

The world building? MASSIVE. This isn’t the kind of fantasy you casually skim while half watching TV. Every chapter peeled back another layer of New Fireborn, from its history and religions to the different bloodlines, dragon classes and all the messy politics in between. Even the glossary became part of the experience because I kept swiping back and forth thinking “Hold on… what is this again?”

The only thing that kept this from being a full five stars for me was the sheer amount of information being thrown at you in the beginning. There were moments where my brain was working overtime trying to remember names, places, bloodlines and lore. It’s one of those books that rewards you for paying attention, but it definitely asks for your full attention.

By the time I reached the ending, I wasn’t sitting there thinking “That was good.” I was sitting there thinking “…that’s it? You’re really going to leave me like THAT?” There are so many threads left hanging in the best possible way and now I need the next book because I have questions. Lots of them.

If you love epic fantasy with dragons, layered world building, morally complicated characters, big stakes and a story that feels much larger than a single book, Firebringer is absolutely worth picking up. Just do yourself a favor… don’t expect a relaxing little fantasy. This book throws you into the fire and tells you to keep up and honestly… it was a pretty fun place to be. I can’t wait for the second book because I’m definitely planning to continue this series.

Thank you to Intermundia Publishing, for giving me the opportunity to read an EARC of Firebringer ahead of its September 15, 2026 release via NetGalley.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy. So unfortunately this was just missing something for me.

I’ll start with the positives. I thought the idea was there. The story felt very original and unlike anything I’ve ever read. The world building was vast but worked well. The politics and drama between the different groups was really intriguing and I liked how I’m still left wondering who the good guys are. At times the story flowed well, especially when uninterrupted by character dialogue, but other times it felt so choppy and rushed despite being one million pages.

It was mostly the dialogue between characters that really lost me and would stop me in my tracks. The characters “giggled” and “laughed” at the strangest moments and I personally feel newly passionate that the word “giggled” should never be used in a work of literature ever again.

Words like “idiot,” “moron” and other petty insults were tossed around a lot. It caused the conversations between characters to feel ridiculous and really inauthentic. In general the characters felt very flat and I didn’t get any real depth or emotion from any of them. The female characters (and sometimes the male ones) were crying all the time for reasons that I didn’t really understand. The male characters had the worlds shortest tempers and would constantly fight for a whole chapter and then just be like nvm we can casually chat now.

If it weren’t for my issues with the characters and the dialogue I really think this would have been a hit. The world building really was excellent and the plot itself very unique and interesting.

I’m also a big hater of sexual assault, rape, and incestuous abuse that add nothing to the story and comes with no trigger warnings. I really hope the published edition does in fact include said trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Intermundia Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lou (Quiet Page Collective) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Firebringer: Book One” is the first installment in a high-fantasy, heavy-world building series that ultimately details the struggle for survival, mainly between dragon-shifters and elemental magic users.

Not gonna lie, I was initially interested in this book because of the amazing cover art but also the premise sounded interesting. Foster includes a layer of intrigue that keeps you wondering what is going to happen next and actually wondering who the “good guys” are. He included some really beautiful prose and description that I would’ve liked to see fleshed out a bit more throughout the book, and a lot of descriptive imagery of the sewerage tunnels that was…raw.

Having said that, there was a lot about this book that unfortunately fell short for me. Building a new world with own languages and mythos is incredibly difficult to do and even harder to do well. There is a lot of info-dumping at the beginning of the book which makes it feel unbalanced. The constantly changing character perspectives with similar names and familiar relationships made it difficult to track at times, and the plot developments at times felt rushed and underdeveloped.

There are mentions of sexual assault and incest throughout the book, which should have been given trigger warnings at the beginning, and honestly felt unnecessary for the storyline and character development.

Overall, I enjoyed some parts of “Firebringer: Book One”. It had an interesting premise that ultimately fell short on delivery for me. However, if you like dragon-shifters, element magic users, high-fantasy with a more gritty and dark undertone, this may be the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Intermundia Publishing for the opportunity to read Firebringer prior to its release in September 2026.

[Emerald Dragon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Intermundia Publishing for the ARC in return for an honest review. Forewarned: I DNF'd at 10% because of the base-level flaws in this work.

To be frank, this novel is in no state to be published, and the interesting map and cover can't save it. This book is 748 pages on my e-reader (~560 on Goodreads), and frankly, it shouldn't be. Several sentences per page can be cut. Sometimes whole scenes and interactions.

This book reads like a first or second draft. The characters are flat, there is a lot of unnecessary repetition, awkward exposition dumps constantly halt the story, grammar and punctuation mistakes are present in overwhelming quantities, the chapter ends aren't hooky or punchy, and the stakes feel forced and flat.

The writing lacks soul. It's written as if it's a movie, all focused on flashy visuals and actions, but novels aren't a visual medium. They're a way to delve into characters' deeper thoughts and feelings, something that's missing throughout the part I read. The few feelings that are present are repeated over and over in dialogue and exposition, but they, too, feel shallow.

I beg the author to please just use 'said'. The characters exclaim and add (they 'add' over 160 times!) and sob and offer and grit and retort and observe, but hardly do they simply say. All the synonyms just serve to distract the reader.

In these 80-odd pages, the female characters are also described in a wildly sexist way, especially Helixa. They seem to exist only as objects of sexual objectification both by antagonists and the MMC Kael. Emiya's only actions in the chapter are to bat her beautiful eyes and point out the obvious to her MMC Kerho (often while panicking/crying). Do better.

I cannot recommend this book in its current stage. Perhaps after a thorough overhaul and a few more drafts.

[KelseyReadsABunch · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!

Firebringer had everything I want in a high fantasy, and then some.

This was my first book by Cy Foster, and I was hooked. The world-building is huge and immersive, but it never felt overwhelming. I loved that I actually had to pay attention and couldn't predict where the story was going next. The characters are so well developed, and while this is definitely a content-heavy read, the pacing kept me invested the whole way through.

I was also ridiculously happy to see a glossary included. It made such a difference, with a world this rich - I always appreciate when fantasy books have one!

I genuinely haven't stopped yapping to anyone who'll listen about how much I loved this book, and I'm already crossing everything that we get a sequel because I need more.

Safe to say Cy Foster's other books have gone straight onto my TBR.

If you're a fan of epic high fantasy with dragons, magic, political intrigue, and a world you can completely lose yourself in, I can't recommend this one enough.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC x

[Entisar Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Firebringer throws you straight into a massive world of dragons, ancient prophecy, and political intrigue, and the ambition here is clear. The worldbuilding is genuinely impressive, layered with history, bloodlines, and religious lore, and I liked that Foster never makes it obvious who the "good guys" really are. The conflict between dragons and Dramcasters felt reasonably nuanced, and the underlying themes around faith, power, and prophecy gave the story more weight than a typical action-driven fantasy. The evolving relationship between the two leads added some emotional depth, and I'm curious enough to see where the sequel goes. That said, there's a lot of information to absorb early on, and the pacing felt uneven in places, some sections flowed well, while others felt rushed or bogged down by dialogue that didn't always land for me. A few plot threads could've used more room to breathe.

[Emily Sharpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advanced Reading Copy received from NetGalley

I really enjoyed reading Firebringer. It had some amazing world building and the characters all felt complex, interesting and unique. The plot was very interesting and I really enjoyed learning about the politics, history and culture of the fictional world. What I really loved was the number of different characters each telling their own story. These stories were all braided together to create a wonderful book. The many POVs made it an interesting and exciting read as you learn many insights before some characters even know there is something to learn. Also, both sides of the conflict believe that they are the heroes, making it very interesting when they collide.

I think the reason I gave it 4 stars was the sheer amount of information being thrown around at first. I spent the first few chapters immensely confused. After I had got past the initial confusion though, I was hooked.

I would recommend this book if you like wonderful world building, complicated characters and mythological creatures.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Polina · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC copy review

It took me a couple of days to get into the book at first, but when I reached halfway in, things got so interesting I just inhaled it in one day. I liked how the two main characters have a complicated relationship which changes through the book as we learn more about the story, their background, and so on. I was surprised and fascinated by some of the plot twists and really like to learn more about the world and the lore. As a first book of a series, it puts a great foundation, and I can't wait to see where the next book will lead in this world.
One thing I wasn't totally on board with was the miscommunication between the main characters and some other secondary characters. I understand it was supposed to drive the story further, but it could be avoided, maybe. Nevertheless, it is a proper high fantasy with high stakes, world-building, and great secondary characters. I really enjoyed reading about each one of them and can't wait to see what happens with Kerho.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley.

Firebringer is the first book in a planned five book fantasy series. At it's core, the story is about Kael and Helixa, who are trying to figure out who they are while also learning things they once thought were myth, like dragons and magic, are in fact real. They are also thrown into a political upheaval where it's difficult to know who you should actually be rooting for. There are many POVs in this book and it was interesting to see how the characters all knew each other and had overlapping journeys.

This absolutely sucked me in from the first chapter and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here. If you like dragons, magic, political intrigue, found family, a lot of moving pieces, and never really knowing who the good guy is, Firebringer is for you!

[Mary Predkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed Firebringer. The world is rich and immersive, with dragons, magic, politics, and plenty of mystery. It took me a little while to get into because there’s a lot of information at the beginning, but once everything started coming together, I was hooked.

The ending definitely left me wanting more, and I’m looking forward to the next book!

[Angela Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gloriously overwhelming so much to take in thoroughly enjoyed this book can't wait for book 2