Reaping the Aurora

The Ley / Erenthrall #3

by Joshua Palmatier

The final book in the thrilling epic fantasy Ley trilogy, set in a sprawling city of light and magic fueled by a ley line network.

Wielder Kara Tremain and Allan Garrett have seized control of the new Nexus--the hub of magical power for Tumbor city--created by the White Cloak cult at the Needle, taking their leader prisoner. Kara intends to use the Needle's Nexus to heal the distortion over the city, allowing the ley network to stabilize. But the distortion here is huge, and Kara will need the help of all of the Wielders at the Needle, including the White Cloaks. Can she trust them, or will they betray her, possibly destroying any chance of healing the ley network altogether?

Meanwhile, Allan journeys back to their home city, hoping to form alliances with survivors of the disaster there, only to discover that Erenthrall itself has sunk into the ground and the vicious groups left there have banded together in an even more hostile faction. They attack while Allan is treating with the eastern Temerite enclave, forcing Allan and the Temerites to flee back to the Needle and abandon Erenthrall.

But the Needle is no safe haven. The White Cloaks have begun fomenting unrest, all of it targeted at Kara and the Wielders. The tensions escalate beyond control when their leader declares he's had a vision--a vision predicting the annihilation of reality itself!

Genres: Fantasy

528 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Joshua Palmatier started writing science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories in the eighth grade, when the teacher assigned a one page Twilight Zone-ish short story. He wrote a story about Atlantis. It was from the perspective of one of the inhabitants as he escaped in a spaceship, watching his world being destroyed by water from one of the viewports of the ship. He got an A. Joshua hasn't stopped writing since.

"The Skewed Throne" is Joshua's first published novel, but it's the fourth novel he's written. The sequels--"The Cracked Throne" and "The Vacant Throne"--are now all available. His next series--comprising the novels "Well of Sorrows," "Leaves of Flame," and "Breath of Heaven"--was initially published under the pseudonym Benjamin Tate, but is being released in June 2016 under his real name. He is currently hard at work on the third book in his latest series, "Reaping the Aurora," with the first book "Shattering the Ley" now available and the second "Threading the Needle" due out in July 2016. He's also managed to write a few short stories, included in the anthologies "Close Encounters of the Urban Kind," "Beauty Has Her Way," "River," and "Apollo's Daughters."

Joshua is also the founder of a small press called Zombies Need Brains, which is focused on producing SF&F themed anthologies. There are two anthologies currently available--"Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens" and "Temporally Out of Order"--with two new anthologies due in August 2016 titled "Alien Artifacts" and "Were-". Find out more about Zombies Need Brains at www.zombiesneedbrains.com.

Bibliography: Novels:

Throne of Amenkor series:
The Skewed Throne
The Cracked Throne
The Vacant Throne

Well of Sorrows series:
Well of Sorrows
Leaves of Flame
Breath of Heaven (forthcoming)

Novels of The Ley:
Shattering the Ley
Threading the Needle (July 2016)
Reaping the Aurora (forthcoming)

Bibliography: Short Stories:

"Mastihooba" in Close Encounters of the Urban Kind edited by Jennifer Brozek (APEX).
"Tears of Blood" in Beauty Has Her Way edited by Jennifer Brozek (Dark Quest).
"An Alewife in Kish" (as Benjamin Tate) in After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar edited by Joshua Palmatier & Patricia Bray (DAW).
"The River" in River edited by Alma Alexander (Dark Quest).

Bibliography: As Editor:

After Hours: Tales From the Ur-Bar (DAW)
The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity (DAW)
Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens (ZNB)
Temporally Out of Order (ZNB)
Alien Artifacts (ZNB; forthcoming)
Were- (ZNB; forthcoming)

Reviews

[Melissa J. Katano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Just... wow!

Reaping the Aurora is a fantastic ending to Palmatier's Erenthrall/Ley series. All the threads came together to weave a tapestry rich in detail and satisfaction. Like all good series endings, I was left feeling slightly bereft and wondering what happens next.

I think Palmatier does a fine job of exploring the sometimes catastrophic unintended consequences of our actions. While he has characters briefly consider the "how" did this catastrophe come about--was it the greed of the Barons and the Prime Wielders, was it the common people who wanted an easy resource, was it the Kormanley who created crisis in order to show how little was known about the ley?--ultimately, those questions are pushed aside due to "real-world" events that are more immediate. (Don't misunderstand me. While I think debating who is at fault for causing the Shattering would be interesting, in the framework of a fantasy novel would ultimately be boring. But, if we meet up at a con, or a bookstore, I'd be happy to discuss it with you.)

Seeing how Kara, Allan, Morrell, Cory, Hernande, Okata, and Marcus (plus new allies!) work together, and work around Father Dalton and the Kormanley, the Gorrani, and Baron Devin, in order to save the world was thrilling.

Well worth the time and money for this book. Go. Read. Settle in and find out what happens.

[Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This going to take a good long while to digest. I knew, from reading interviews with Palmatier, what his ultimate intentions were for this series. And I think he achieved beyond what I thought was possible. It's just that ... it's that he achieved something I hadn't thought possible, so I wasn't prepared for him doing exactly what he said he wanted to do: show a world during and immediately after a cataclysm.

These characters that I spent the last few years getting to know might eventually become legends in their world (or they might not), but Palmatier never intended to give us that part of the story. Despite knowing that, part me kept waiting for it to happen anyway. Instead, I got a complex tale of how a world was almost completely destroyed, how a group of people came together to hold together as much of it as they could, and put something in place that would allow someone else do the bulk of the mopping up and rebuilding. These characters got exactly what I've always hoped that characters forced by circumstances into positions they never wanted would get. And since it doesn't really fit the usual narrative of epic fantasy, I'm not sure what to do with it.

I might be able to write a real review one day, but it won't come quickly. I'm too blown away.

[Pamela Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final book in the Erenthall series is chock full of battles both large and small, concluding with a war that could be the last this Fantasy world ever sees. The very fabric of reality sits in the balance and it's up to Kara, her friends, and war-weary allies to try and fix it. Time is running out. Complete annihilation could happen at any time - it's this premise that pushes Reaping The Aurora towards its monumental conclusion.

I really enjoyed this trilogy (the 2nd Palmatier trilogy I've read) and am looking forward to exploring even more of his work.

[Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Auch der abschließende dritte Band der Reihe liest sich wie eine Dystopie in einem Fantasy-Setting. Die verschiedenen Fraktionen ringen um die Macht, während die Hauptprotagonisten versuchen, den Untergang der Welt zu verhindern und das Chaos, der angerichtet wurde, wieder in Ordnung zu bringen. Insgesamt ist die Reihe eine nette und durchaus spannende Lektüre für zwischendurch aber kein Meilenstein der Fantasy.

[Samuel Lubell · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review at http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.p...