The Glowing: 2

by Tom Rimer

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout...

Six months have passed since the Bokai swarmed the Earth. Kamryn Coe, Quinn Flowers, and their friends are just trying to make it through. When Lucy has a dream that an old friend might still be alive, Kam runs head long into danger on a rescue mission.

...down came the rain and washed the spider out...

With the group divided and dangers lurking around every corner, do they have any hope of surviving? Will Kam discover her truth? Or will she meet a sticky end?

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 27, 2020

About the author

Tom Rimer is the author of THE GLOWING Trilogy, MALEVOLENT NEVERS, ODIOUS GHOULS, and BUOYGEIST. His work can also be found in a number of anthologies - including 13 Tales to Give You Night Terrors (2015), The Nightmare Never Ends (2023), Dreamcaught (2025), and Samhain Screams (2025). He is a member of the HWA.

Reviews

[M Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the cliffhanger in book 1, I was excited to dig into book 2! The story immediately sucked me back into the post-apocalyptic future. We see how the characters are coping following the events in book 1, and Rimer did a fantastic job developing our old friends. I was especially delighted to see Heath and Dani. I'm also really enjoying the relationship between the teachers. I can relate to the adults struggling to care for a group of teens despite life's obstacles. Little hints of romance offer a bit of needed sunshine in the midst of heartbreak and chaos. Buckle up for a bumpy but immensely entertaining ride!

[Deborah Fontaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Glowing 2" by Tom Rimer absolutely blew me away! Just like the first book, this sequel delivers a thrilling ride from start to finish. I was quickly swept back into Kam's universe, filled with the alien Bokai and a post-apocalyptic Earth. The pacing is relentless, keeping my heart racing the entire time. As the characters navigate their struggles for survival, we witness both their heartache and their resilience. It's genuinely moving. The story gets even darker with more losses, and we see Spider take shape as a formidable new antagonist. The book is a blend of terror and excitement, with plot twists that kept me glued to the pages. It explores themes of survival, trust, and what it means to cling to hope in dire circumstances. I’m eager to dive into the third book of this trilogy!

[Benjamin Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the second part to The Glowing trilogy we get more of what wored so well in the first part, alongside a escalation in the threat our heroes face. Without the need to introduce characters, the plot is able to emerge very quickly here, and the pace of the novel kept me reading for significantly longer spells than I really had time for.
Kamryn Coe remains the most interesting character, and its her quest to locate a character who the group mistakenly believed to be dead that drives much of the novel. It's a one of a number of surprising twists that more than pays off. Kamryn's development throughout this sequel was fascinating, culminating in an extraordinary ending.
Beyond this, the group splinters, with the need for survival and finding a way to stop the threat of the Bokai leading Quinn to take a group on a journey towards Washington.
While the Bokai remain a cruel and sinister threat throughout the novel, another emerging threat worked incredibly well as it became the primary antagonist.
Having read this, I'm eager to see the journey through when the final part is released in November.