Tidelock: Fear of Darkness

by Charles Arnold

On a world of perpetual sunshine, darkness is terrifying! The sun never sets on the world of Tidelock, yet dark mysteries abound. Who were the Progenitors, legendary founders of Phaedon, the capital city? The Progenitors provided the people of Tidelock with twelve key technologies, including steam power, metallurgy, and clock making. But what were the five technologies too dangerous to bestow at the founding? Is it true that this secret knowledge was buried inside the fabled Crystal Cylinder? Three centuries after the founding of Phaedon, three youths from an insignificant village in a remote province, through a series of accidents, find themselves in a deadly race with Imperial soldiers to find the Crystal Cylinder. Elkin has an infallible memory and a knack for solving riddles. His skill with a longbow is matched by loyal friend Bebbo’s prowess with a broadsword. Classmate Liddi possesses ethereal beauty and an uncanny talent for taming wild animals. To prevent Tidelock’s despotic ruler from tightening his reign with the explosive knowledge contained in the Cylinder, the three determined villagers battle bandits, meet royalty, join a rebellion, and trek through the frozen wastes of the Shadeward Dark, risking madness.

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 26, 2016

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a really interesting concept: what life would be like on a tidally locked planet, where one side is always facing the sun and the other side is in eternal darkness, for people who have limited technology and little understanding of the universe. It follows three ordinary teenagers who find themselves drawn into an adventure to learn more about their origins and the workings of the universe. It's a fun, mostly lighthearted read, appropriate for teens as well as adults, that straddles the line between sci-fi and fantasy. You can tell the writer has a firm grasp of the science behind it. I look forward to seeing what happens next in the series!