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The Light From Far Below
Joe's and Amber's lives have changed, their fates engineered by unseen forces. The Order is not the organisation they thought it was. Universal secrets exist that Joe and Amber have only just begun to reveal, but for their own safety they have had to be separated.
Can they stay hidden from their enemies and find a way to stem the tide of chaos beginning to sweep through the world?
"You can't go home, Amber. You know perfectly well that you don't have one anymore. Home's gone. Daddy's gone. Joe's long gone from your dreary life, but he lingers on in your head, doesn't he? Like a footprint or a ghost. A faded sketch of the boy you once knew."
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REVIEWS
***** "A great dark fantasy for young adults and adults alike"
***** "Thoughtfully written, full of atmosphere and believability"
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AND A BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR...
How do you find inspiration in your writing?
It comes from my “inner world” rather than anything else- I suppose you could say I just dream things up and write them down, and I stay true to my "voice". I'd rather be authentic than a unit-shifter. I know how to write exactly the sort of thing I *want* to write, and because that took years to work out, I just want to keep doing it.
Inevitably, human nature is a big influence on what I write and how I write it. I also think that it helps the rare “good guys” (or more usually in my works, the “not quite as evil as the other ones” guys) stand out more. Like splashes of colour on a backcloth of absolute black.
If you couldn’t be an author, what ideal job would you like to do?
I've never been a particular fan of employment. I don't believe we were put here or brought into existence just to do someone else's bidding in order to have access to food and a roof over our heads- but then, that's idealism for you.
My flippant answer would be a job where I don't have to do anything and can just read or listen to music all day or go wandering in the woods, and didn't have to "work as part of a team" [shudder]. Again, that's idealism for you.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
The plots seem to just come to me in sudden bursts of inspiration and enlightenment- I can be struggling for ages and suddenly I'll come up with an idea, or a way to bind two parts of a plot together and tie up loose ends (although I often deliberately leave some ends untied... I like to think "What if...?" about my own work, maybe revisit it at some point or just idly ponder what might have happened to one or more of the protagonists after the curtain falls. For me, the world I created continues in my mind forever- in a way the closure of the book or books is really just the end of a chapter in a wider saga which may or may not ever be written. There are more potential stories out there than atoms in the universe, after all.
Can they stay hidden from their enemies and find a way to stem the tide of chaos beginning to sweep through the world?
"You can't go home, Amber. You know perfectly well that you don't have one anymore. Home's gone. Daddy's gone. Joe's long gone from your dreary life, but he lingers on in your head, doesn't he? Like a footprint or a ghost. A faded sketch of the boy you once knew."
- - - - - - -
REVIEWS
***** "A great dark fantasy for young adults and adults alike"
***** "Thoughtfully written, full of atmosphere and believability"
- - - - - - -
AND A BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR...
How do you find inspiration in your writing?
It comes from my “inner world” rather than anything else- I suppose you could say I just dream things up and write them down, and I stay true to my "voice". I'd rather be authentic than a unit-shifter. I know how to write exactly the sort of thing I *want* to write, and because that took years to work out, I just want to keep doing it.
Inevitably, human nature is a big influence on what I write and how I write it. I also think that it helps the rare “good guys” (or more usually in my works, the “not quite as evil as the other ones” guys) stand out more. Like splashes of colour on a backcloth of absolute black.
If you couldn’t be an author, what ideal job would you like to do?
I've never been a particular fan of employment. I don't believe we were put here or brought into existence just to do someone else's bidding in order to have access to food and a roof over our heads- but then, that's idealism for you.
My flippant answer would be a job where I don't have to do anything and can just read or listen to music all day or go wandering in the woods, and didn't have to "work as part of a team" [shudder]. Again, that's idealism for you.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
The plots seem to just come to me in sudden bursts of inspiration and enlightenment- I can be struggling for ages and suddenly I'll come up with an idea, or a way to bind two parts of a plot together and tie up loose ends (although I often deliberately leave some ends untied... I like to think "What if...?" about my own work, maybe revisit it at some point or just idly ponder what might have happened to one or more of the protagonists after the curtain falls. For me, the world I created continues in my mind forever- in a way the closure of the book or books is really just the end of a chapter in a wider saga which may or may not ever be written. There are more potential stories out there than atoms in the universe, after all.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2018
7 people want to read
About the author
Simon Williams
10 books504 followersSimon Williams is an author of dark fantasy with elements of science fiction and horror, and a rather shapeless male of indeterminate age who seems intent on writing about himself in the third person.
If you're especially lucky you may see him half-shambling, half-rolling along the street in his home town of Trumpton. You'll catch the best view from the other side of the road, which is probably where you'll be anyway. Small children will point excitedly and turn to their parents to exclaim, "It must have been *one hell of a* spade to do that!"
He is the author of the Aona series (five books in all, and the series is complete) and Summer's Dark Waters, which is a fantasy / sci-fi adventure aimed more at children and teens although judging by the reviews a lot of adults seem to like it too.
The positive response to Summer's Dark Waters further prompted him to start writing a sequel.
His favourite authors include Clive Barker, Alan Garner, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Joe Abercrombie, Ian Irvine, George R R Martin, C J Cherryh, Tad Williams, Celia Friedman, Aldous Huxley and numerous others.
When not scribbling away in his notepad of doom, the curious Mr Williams enjoys counting magpies, opening old paperbacks and marveling at how each one smells very slightly different, discussing current interest rates and inflation with the local squirrels, and eating whatever he finds at the back of the fridge (unless it's a door to Narnia, which he'd never eat just in case Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy were hoping to use it to get back).
Interviews with the author:
Rachel Hunter
Ross Kitson
Gwen Perkins
M L Falconer
Kim Smith
Alex Butcher
Fiona McVie
Veronica Roxby Jorden
Dakota Douglas
Kyra Dune
Heidi Angell
If you're especially lucky you may see him half-shambling, half-rolling along the street in his home town of Trumpton. You'll catch the best view from the other side of the road, which is probably where you'll be anyway. Small children will point excitedly and turn to their parents to exclaim, "It must have been *one hell of a* spade to do that!"
He is the author of the Aona series (five books in all, and the series is complete) and Summer's Dark Waters, which is a fantasy / sci-fi adventure aimed more at children and teens although judging by the reviews a lot of adults seem to like it too.
The positive response to Summer's Dark Waters further prompted him to start writing a sequel.
His favourite authors include Clive Barker, Alan Garner, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Joe Abercrombie, Ian Irvine, George R R Martin, C J Cherryh, Tad Williams, Celia Friedman, Aldous Huxley and numerous others.
When not scribbling away in his notepad of doom, the curious Mr Williams enjoys counting magpies, opening old paperbacks and marveling at how each one smells very slightly different, discussing current interest rates and inflation with the local squirrels, and eating whatever he finds at the back of the fridge (unless it's a door to Narnia, which he'd never eat just in case Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy were hoping to use it to get back).
Interviews with the author:
Rachel Hunter
Ross Kitson
Gwen Perkins
M L Falconer
Kim Smith
Alex Butcher
Fiona McVie
Veronica Roxby Jorden
Dakota Douglas
Kyra Dune
Heidi Angell
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 5, 2022
This is the sequel to Summer's Dark Waters with a plot that is definitely on the dark side. As expected it is superbly written, and doesn’t waste too much time with purple prose and overly detailed descriptions. In this adventure Joe and Amber must keep apart in case the Order finds them. This is a situation that they can’t get on with. Joe makes a new friend, Dean. Dean’s father is part of the order and his mission is to find out more about Joe. The order is determined to create chaos and misery, and in that area reflects only too well the current social commentary we are living through now. When our heroes discover that members of the order can look like anyone they realise that more is at stake than they could possibly imagine. As the plot thickens we begin to worry that Joe and Amber may never see each other again, and if they did…what would happen? This is a cracking follow on from its predecessor and an equally good read. I can definitely recommend this dark ride to readers of all ages.
March 31, 2021
In the sequel to Summer’s Dark Waters, Joe and Amber are separated to protect them from the Order. Joe’s new friend Dean is a son of a member of the Order and inadvertently gives away Joe’s location. Meanwhile, Amber and her dad are found and separated. The kids travel through the Nothingness separately and find themselves in a maze controlled by the Order. Aimed at middle-grade and older readers, this is a great series to introduce kids to darker science fiction and fantasy. The writing is very good and is illustrated by drawings.
October 12, 2021
I was given this book to review and I thought it was atmospheric and eerie. I'd read the first story and this one follows the mystery and battles that Joe and Amber have to face.
It's aimed at younger readers but its message is depressingly clear - I think this is a story that will resonate on many levels to all ages.
It's well-written and thought-provoking with great characters and a plot that is certainly on the dark side.
A recommended read.
It's aimed at younger readers but its message is depressingly clear - I think this is a story that will resonate on many levels to all ages.
It's well-written and thought-provoking with great characters and a plot that is certainly on the dark side.
A recommended read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews