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The Fyrelit Tragedy
A city lost to darkness, a ruthless enemy and two brothers on an impossible quest . . . The first book in the bestselling ZARKORA series from an Australian brother-and-sister writing team.
Five years after the death of their parents, poor farm boys Neleik and Ervine Fyrelit witness the kidnapping of their beloved little sister, Skye. Determined to rescue her, the Fyrelit brothers set off on a journey into darkness.
As they traverse unknown lands, they meet loyal companions and face powerful enemies in the hope of rescuing their sister. And they discover a long-hidden secret that will change their world forever . . .
THE FYRELIT TRAGEDY is the first in the four-book Zarkora series, from the Australian brother-and-sister writing team, Nicholas and Alison Lochel.
Five years after the death of their parents, poor farm boys Neleik and Ervine Fyrelit witness the kidnapping of their beloved little sister, Skye. Determined to rescue her, the Fyrelit brothers set off on a journey into darkness.
As they traverse unknown lands, they meet loyal companions and face powerful enemies in the hope of rescuing their sister. And they discover a long-hidden secret that will change their world forever . . .
THE FYRELIT TRAGEDY is the first in the four-book Zarkora series, from the Australian brother-and-sister writing team, Nicholas and Alison Lochel.
279 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2015
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58 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Lochel
11 books57 followersNicholas Lochel lives in Brisbane along with his two brothers, Chris and Justin and sister, Alison with whom he is co-writing the Zarkora series. Over his twenty-seven years he has held a wide variety of jobs including working as an actor, a bartender and a postie. He devotes most of his time to writing and when he is not seen with a pen and pad or a good book, he can usually be found riding his Triumph motorcycle about town or walking the long, winding road to Sydney.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 3, 2015
You can also find this review on my blog, Fictional Thoughts
When their little sister Skye is kidnapped by the man who killed their parents, brothers Neleik and Ervine Fyrelit embark on an epic journey to get her back. They will do whatever it takes to get her back. In an adventure which emcompasses travelling strange lands, magical creatures, oddball companions and the revelation of epic secrets - Neleik and Ervine never give up hope on their quest to rescue Skye and reunite their family.
For those who enjoy heroic quest stories -the Zarkora series is for you. Neleik and Ervine are great characters to follow as they travel across the magical realm of Fynaglade with single minded determination to find their sister. The people they meet along the way are colourful and add an extra element of excitement to their mission.
The Fyrelit Tragedy is a great introduction to what promises to be a fantastic series. The writing is great for younger readers but there is a lot going on and is sure to keep the interest of older readers too. The authors have invented their own magical sport and introduced such an interesting range of supporting characters. There are a lot of surprises along the way which keeps the plot moving at a great pace. Neleik and Ervine grow a lot over the course of the novel and I can't wait to see what happens next. There's a slight dash of romance for one of the brothers but for the most part this book is driven by the quest they have to save Skye.
I'm not usually a big fan of middle grade novels but I thoroughly enjoyed Zarkora: The Fyrelit Tragedy. The writing is great and flowed so well - I never would have guessed there was more than one author. It is exciting complete with magic, villains and adventure. I highly recommend this book for fans who loved Percy Jackson for the heroic quest, Jack Mason Adventures for the mystery and the Chronicles of Narnia for the magical world.
Thanks to Hachette Australia for the review copy.
Note: I first read this book a year ago. I was at a book launch in Brisbane and overheard Nicholas and Alison talking about their novel. It wasn't my usually read but I loved how enthusiastic they sounded and knew this was a book I had to read. I bought a copy and got them both to sign it that night - which is probably the worst thing you can do when you're at the launch for another author's book (I also bought a copy of the book launched that night. It was Intruder by Christine Bongers - GREAT book. You should track down a copy!). Nicholas and Alison are both lovely people and I'm so glad their series has gone from being self-published to being picked up by Hachette!
When their little sister Skye is kidnapped by the man who killed their parents, brothers Neleik and Ervine Fyrelit embark on an epic journey to get her back. They will do whatever it takes to get her back. In an adventure which emcompasses travelling strange lands, magical creatures, oddball companions and the revelation of epic secrets - Neleik and Ervine never give up hope on their quest to rescue Skye and reunite their family.
For those who enjoy heroic quest stories -the Zarkora series is for you. Neleik and Ervine are great characters to follow as they travel across the magical realm of Fynaglade with single minded determination to find their sister. The people they meet along the way are colourful and add an extra element of excitement to their mission.
The Fyrelit Tragedy is a great introduction to what promises to be a fantastic series. The writing is great for younger readers but there is a lot going on and is sure to keep the interest of older readers too. The authors have invented their own magical sport and introduced such an interesting range of supporting characters. There are a lot of surprises along the way which keeps the plot moving at a great pace. Neleik and Ervine grow a lot over the course of the novel and I can't wait to see what happens next. There's a slight dash of romance for one of the brothers but for the most part this book is driven by the quest they have to save Skye.
I'm not usually a big fan of middle grade novels but I thoroughly enjoyed Zarkora: The Fyrelit Tragedy. The writing is great and flowed so well - I never would have guessed there was more than one author. It is exciting complete with magic, villains and adventure. I highly recommend this book for fans who loved Percy Jackson for the heroic quest, Jack Mason Adventures for the mystery and the Chronicles of Narnia for the magical world.
Thanks to Hachette Australia for the review copy.
Note: I first read this book a year ago. I was at a book launch in Brisbane and overheard Nicholas and Alison talking about their novel. It wasn't my usually read but I loved how enthusiastic they sounded and knew this was a book I had to read. I bought a copy and got them both to sign it that night - which is probably the worst thing you can do when you're at the launch for another author's book (I also bought a copy of the book launched that night. It was Intruder by Christine Bongers - GREAT book. You should track down a copy!). Nicholas and Alison are both lovely people and I'm so glad their series has gone from being self-published to being picked up by Hachette!
October 19, 2022
One of my favourite children's books that I read when I was younger, its a much more interesting plot then your usual children's and middle grade books and instantly made me want to read more! Loved the book!
March 31, 2016
*includes slight spoilers*
Yeah. Okay. So I won this book aaagggeeesss ago(?) through a Goodreads giveaway, picked it up, read the first chapter…and put it back down. I've only just wiped the dust off and am now trying to read it again.
At least I'm not the only person who thought there was something completely wrong with this book.
And I haven't even finished it.
As a 15yr old avid reader I may enjoy this more than others but let's see if I can hold my tongue at the awkwardness of Kyia and Neleik for any longer.
So why didn't I like this book? Well, let me say this in three words. And in BOLD.
I.WANT.DESCRIPTION.
Based on other reviews I've read, I'm not gonna be too repetitive but seriously…where on earth is the description!?!?!?
Does Neleik even have emotions? Is he human? Is he just some monotone alien without a heart? Please! Explain!!!
The cliché-ness didn't bother me too much. I could handle that. But the character development *facepalm* was…can I even say this nicely…? Weak. VERY WEAK. The boys didn't seem scared, nervous, sad or anxious over anything. And everything happened soooooooooo fast! One chapter Skye would be kidnapped. The next they were halfway on their journey to Sularm. You could easily stretch that out into at least two chapters with some decent-sounding 'unawkward' speech. I'm not even going to mention the awkwardness of Kyia's entrance into the story. Ugh.
Not just the description bothered me -- but even how the sentences were phrased. Some words just didn't need to be there. And whenever the sentence structure was great, it would be describing unimportant things that weren't essential.
Even the speech was so dull that I had to read over and over to understand what they had said.
Time for some pros? Yeah, I may have a few.
I may be 15yrs old but I have the brain of a 30yr old and I can say that this book is definitely for the 10-12 age group. Thinking that way also helps me cope (funnily enough :P) with the descriptive issues. But hey! It definitely does have some great aspects of adventure and I'm already starting to enjoy this book more as I read it. Hopefully it'll just keep improving from there.
Yeah. Okay. So I won this book aaagggeeesss ago(?) through a Goodreads giveaway, picked it up, read the first chapter…and put it back down. I've only just wiped the dust off and am now trying to read it again.
At least I'm not the only person who thought there was something completely wrong with this book.
And I haven't even finished it.
As a 15yr old avid reader I may enjoy this more than others but let's see if I can hold my tongue at the awkwardness of Kyia and Neleik for any longer.
So why didn't I like this book? Well, let me say this in three words. And in BOLD.
I.WANT.DESCRIPTION.
Based on other reviews I've read, I'm not gonna be too repetitive but seriously…where on earth is the description!?!?!?
Does Neleik even have emotions? Is he human? Is he just some monotone alien without a heart? Please! Explain!!!
The cliché-ness didn't bother me too much. I could handle that. But the character development *facepalm* was…can I even say this nicely…? Weak. VERY WEAK. The boys didn't seem scared, nervous, sad or anxious over anything. And everything happened soooooooooo fast! One chapter Skye would be kidnapped. The next they were halfway on their journey to Sularm. You could easily stretch that out into at least two chapters with some decent-sounding 'unawkward' speech. I'm not even going to mention the awkwardness of Kyia's entrance into the story. Ugh.
Not just the description bothered me -- but even how the sentences were phrased. Some words just didn't need to be there. And whenever the sentence structure was great, it would be describing unimportant things that weren't essential.
Even the speech was so dull that I had to read over and over to understand what they had said.
Time for some pros? Yeah, I may have a few.
I may be 15yrs old but I have the brain of a 30yr old and I can say that this book is definitely for the 10-12 age group. Thinking that way also helps me cope (funnily enough :P) with the descriptive issues. But hey! It definitely does have some great aspects of adventure and I'm already starting to enjoy this book more as I read it. Hopefully it'll just keep improving from there.
July 2, 2015
A publishing success story, these Brisbane based siblings went from self-published to being treated by the finest names in the children's industry. Very reminiscent of Emily Rodda's style of writing, The Fyrelit Tragedy is set in a fantasy world that is very easy to get into. This epic quest of two orphan brothers to save their kidnapped sister has lots of the fantasy creatures (monsters, elves, dragons, giants) that we all know and love and a great cast of characters to cheer on. It's an addictive start to the series and definitely a lot of fun to read. Very highly recommended to both boys and girls anywhere in the 9-14 age bracket (and even beyond). It just hits a bit of a niche in the middle grade reader market and is guaranteed to intrigue even reluctant readers.
December 7, 2018
I just wanted to let everyone know that this is a good easy read. If your reading this, then you should definitely go out and read this book.
Can't wait to read the next one (also well done to the Aussie authors awesome book!!!)
Can't wait to read the next one (also well done to the Aussie authors awesome book!!!)
August 7, 2015
Given to an appropriate age (8-12 yos), this book has the potential to spark some serious interest in reading. Full review: http://aussiebookworm.weebly.com/loch...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews