Flare

The Sunless World #2

by Rabia Gale

The mages of old saved their world, but left it in eternal darkness. Now it’s time to bring back the light.

After two years of training his magical gifts, Rafe returns home to a land wracked by war. Desperate states struggle to protect their resources of luminous quartz. Magic pulses and earthquakes devastate a world on the brink of extinction.

Rafe's old enemy Karzov has gathered a band of prodigies obedient to his will. He seeks the power of the ancient mages for an audacious and sinister purpose. It's up to Rafe and his ally, Isabella, to stop him—and undo the mistakes of the past to put their world right again.

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

I break fairy tales and fuse fantasy and science fiction. I love to write about flawed heroes who never give up, transformation and redemption, and things from outer space. In my spare time, I read, doodle, eat chocolate, avoid housework, and homeschool my three children.

A native of Pakistan, I grew up in hot, humid Karachi. I then spent almost a decade in Northern New England where I learned to love fall, tolerate snow, and be snobbish about maple syrup and sweet corn. I now live in Northern Virginia.

Reviews

[J C Steel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The old political structures are disintegrating, and the precious quartz that provides all light and food is failing. Rafe, with the bare minimum of training in how to use his immense raw talent, finds himself back in the midst of the chaos he’d fled two years ago, with his estranged uncle firmly in power in Oakhaven, his face on every wanted poster in the area, and the heir to the throne missing in action. Rafe has more than enough incidental challenges to keep him busy – and that’s before Isabella arrives. With the entire world apparently on the express track to hell, just staying alive is a tricky challenge. Add a magic-using megalomaniac, homicidal relations, and changing train schedules, and Rafe finds himself pulling out every trick he can come up with.

Flare: The Sunless World is the brilliant second novel in Rabia Gale’s Sunless World trilogy, with Rafe Grenfeld, ex-sailor, soldier, diplomat, and spy, firmly back in the protagonist’s seat, trying to figure out how to control his powerful magical gifts before he kills himself and his world’s best hope with him. The world-building for this series is unique, woven with steampunk flair and meticulous consistency to showcase that rarest gift - total plausibility. As if that weren’t enough on its own, Rafe remains one of my favourite protagonists in this year or any other one; he’s been damaged, he’s been thrown into the unknown, but he keeps going, armed with his own brand of clear-sighted realism and apparently physically unable to resist wisecracks. Add to that a polished, flawlessly edited writing style, and this series stands in a field of its own. I can’t over-recommend this book, I read it in a single day and then went sniffing around the end matter hoping for more.

Reviewed for By Rite of Word.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the triumphant conclusion to Quartz (the two books are best understood, I think, as a two-part novel). While the world falls apart, both physically and socially, relationships come into clearer focus, as does the truth of this brilliantly conceived world. Highly recommended.