Action & Adventure
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Child of Light
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The electrifying first novel of an all-new fantasy series from the legendary author behind the Shannara saga, about a human girl struggling to find her place in a magical world she's never known
"Enticing . . . Brooks's fans will be thrilled to have a new series to savor."-Publishers Weekly
At nineteen, Auris Afton Grieg has led an . . . unusual life. Since the age of fourteen, she has been trapped in a Goblin prison. Why? She does not know. She has no memories of her past beyond the vaguest of impressions. All she knows is that she is about to age out of the children's prison, and rumors say that the adult version is far, far worse. So she and some friends stage a desperate escape into the surrounding wastelands. And it is here that Auris's journey of discovery begins, for she is rescued by a handsome yet alien stranger.
Harrow claims to be Fae-a member of a magical race that Auris had thought to be no more than legend. Odder still, he seems to think that she is Fae as well, although the two look nothing alike. But strangest of all, when he brings her to his wondrous homeland, she begins to suspect that he is right. Yet how could a woman who looks entirely Human be a magical being herself?
Told with a fresh, energetic voice, this fantasy puzzle box is Terry Brooks as you have never seen him before, as one young woman slowly unlocks truths about herself and her world-and, in doing so, begins to heal both.
"Enticing . . . Brooks's fans will be thrilled to have a new series to savor."-Publishers Weekly
At nineteen, Auris Afton Grieg has led an . . . unusual life. Since the age of fourteen, she has been trapped in a Goblin prison. Why? She does not know. She has no memories of her past beyond the vaguest of impressions. All she knows is that she is about to age out of the children's prison, and rumors say that the adult version is far, far worse. So she and some friends stage a desperate escape into the surrounding wastelands. And it is here that Auris's journey of discovery begins, for she is rescued by a handsome yet alien stranger.
Harrow claims to be Fae-a member of a magical race that Auris had thought to be no more than legend. Odder still, he seems to think that she is Fae as well, although the two look nothing alike. But strangest of all, when he brings her to his wondrous homeland, she begins to suspect that he is right. Yet how could a woman who looks entirely Human be a magical being herself?
Told with a fresh, energetic voice, this fantasy puzzle box is Terry Brooks as you have never seen him before, as one young woman slowly unlocks truths about herself and her world-and, in doing so, begins to heal both.
Editorial Reviews
"Child of Light is enchantingly feral. Precise in his prose, clever in his worldbuilding, Brooks stretches new muscles to explore a young woman's quest for identity. The pace is rapid as a river, but this one twists hard and runs deep."-Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A fresh world, a new voice, but the same high quality Brooks always delivers . . . You'll be glad you joined the expedition."-Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author of Assassin's Fate
"With a unique setting that is a heady dystopic blend of mysticism and the future, Child of Light is an otherworldly adventure from the fertile mind of one of the most beloved storytellers of our generation."-Wesley Chu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The War Arts Saga
"With Child of Light, Terry Brooks continues to enchant both longtime fans and generations of new readers."-Peter V. Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Desert Prince
"Terry Brooks unleashed is a wonderful thing. In Child of Light, he's teasing us with a world that is both fairy tale and deadly serious, and keeping us off guard the entire time, unsure of how to take . . . anyone and anything. It's not really a ‘mystery,' but it is, and even with the startling reveals, there's so much left to explore and discover. I want to go back to Viridian Deep and I know that I will."-R. A. Salvatore, author of the Legend of Drizzt series and the world of DemonWars
"An enticing new mystery. . . . Auris is a tough but enchanting protagonist, and the page-turning mystery of her magical origins form the novel's heart. Brooks's fans will be thrilled to have a new series to savor."-Publishers Weekly
"Compelling . . . a fast-paced plot packed with secrets makes this an enjoyable read in a slightly old-fashioned high-fantasy style."-
"A fresh world, a new voice, but the same high quality Brooks always delivers . . . You'll be glad you joined the expedition."-Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author of Assassin's Fate
"With a unique setting that is a heady dystopic blend of mysticism and the future, Child of Light is an otherworldly adventure from the fertile mind of one of the most beloved storytellers of our generation."-Wesley Chu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The War Arts Saga
"With Child of Light, Terry Brooks continues to enchant both longtime fans and generations of new readers."-Peter V. Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Desert Prince
"Terry Brooks unleashed is a wonderful thing. In Child of Light, he's teasing us with a world that is both fairy tale and deadly serious, and keeping us off guard the entire time, unsure of how to take . . . anyone and anything. It's not really a ‘mystery,' but it is, and even with the startling reveals, there's so much left to explore and discover. I want to go back to Viridian Deep and I know that I will."-R. A. Salvatore, author of the Legend of Drizzt series and the world of DemonWars
"An enticing new mystery. . . . Auris is a tough but enchanting protagonist, and the page-turning mystery of her magical origins form the novel's heart. Brooks's fans will be thrilled to have a new series to savor."-Publishers Weekly
"Compelling . . . a fast-paced plot packed with secrets makes this an enjoyable read in a slightly old-fashioned high-fantasy style."-
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle LindaPliz
It is nearly impossible to take a break whilst reading this magical story, enjoyable and appropriate for all ages. Characters well written filling an imaginary and at times delightful world. Powerfully written female hero and none of characters are weak or cliche. Well Done Terry Brooks! Please never stop writing!
mog54Kindle Lind
Wow. I've read just about everything Terry Brooks wrote and Child of Light doesn't disappoint. I loved the characters and yes I could guess where a lot of it was heading yet I found it a very enjoyable take. Auris reminds me of Nest Freemark. I look forward to future books in this series.
Brett Stephensmog
Once again Mr. Brooks has once again proved to me why I have been a rabid fan of his works for the Last 30 years. I literally did not put this book down until I finished reading it. A great original story.
steeledBrett Step
I have read all of Terry Brooks books thru the years and this is another great Read! The characters are interesting and the storyline easy to follow! I can not wait for his next book!
Kindle steeledBr
In true Brooks style, Terry pulls threads from the Word and the Void to create a Fae world that is in conflict with Humankind. Maybe since I've read everything he has written save the Magic Kingdom, I found the plot somewhat predictable. I'm stilll struggling why Auris was the Child of Light? That being said, it was an enjoyable read.
Short Excerpt Teaser
One
We break out at midnight, just as we agreed. Like ghosts risen from our graves to reclaim the lives that were stolen from us, we flee.
We are quick and we are fast, one following the other, staying in order the way Tommy has taught us, pretending it's just a drill, knowing it isn't. No one speaks, no one whispers; no one makes any sound they can avoid. There are no mistakes because there can be no mistakes. Others who have tried to escape this facility before have all made at least one mistake. And all are dead.
Courage, I tell myself. I am desperate to get free. We all are. Don't think. Just go!
There are fifteen of us-too many for what we are attempting. But once someone is in, it is impossible to decide later that they are out-unless of course you are willing to kill them to keep them from talking. I couldn't do that. None of us could. We're just kids. Ordinary kids in other circumstances; something else now. But still, just kids, not killers. Not yet, anyway. None of us has killed anyone-except maybe JoJo. He says he has, but we can't be sure about what he has or hasn't done. He's big on talk, but you can usually tell when someone is padding the truth, making himself appear to be something he isn't. We all thought that was what he was doing.
But still we wonder.
We started out as a group of eight: Tommy, Malik, Barris and Breck, Wince, JoJo, Khoury, and me. That would have been enough if together we possessed the skills and knowledge that are needed. But we need more to make this escape happen, as we find out quickly enough once we begin to talk our way through the plan. So we are forced to bring in other kids. It is easy enough to choose the ones we are looking for. All we have to do is keep our eyes and ears open until we discover the handful we need. There are only about 330 of us in the camp. I don't know if other camps exist.
Still, I assume there must be more. Given this one's purpose, there pretty much have to be. It's simple mathematics. Our captors number in the hundreds. We call them Goblins-though in truth we have no idea who or what they really are, save not Human. Piggish faces, warped and twisted limbs, bodies much larger than those of Humans, skin hanging loose in gray mottled folds, voices that communicate as often with grunts and snorts as with words. They are despicable creatures that transcend our worst nightmares. The kids in the prison are here to serve them. We are brought here from all over and raised in captivity. Our lives are predetermined. Someone is needed to maintain and operate the hydroponic farms and weapons factories. But the Goblins require something else from us in payment for their services as our jailers. Goblins are carnivores and require fresh meat, so prisoners offer a ready source of both food and labor.
Our fates as prisoners are fixed. From the moment we arrive, all of us must work to maintain or repair the prison and grounds or be eaten. The disabled, weak, and injured kids are dispatched early. Those who remain healthy and able-bodied are allowed to grow until they are deemed adults and then sent to the reproductive pens, the work farms, and the factories. Unless, as sometimes happens, overpopulation of the prison requires a culling. Then the healthy are eaten, too. Our numbers are never allowed to fluctuate far. If too many die, new kids take their place. Where do the Goblins find them? Where did they find any of us? How are we chosen? No one knows. I don't know what I am doing here, and this seems to be true for the others as well.
The one common denominator we all share is that no one seems to miss us. Some of us are orphans. Others had families-gone now? I wonder if it is the same in the other camps, the ones we never see. Is it different for them? I don't know; I have no way of knowing. I just hope it isn't something worse.
All of us are between the ages of ten and twenty. Adults and little kids are kept elsewhere; we don't know where. Kids like us are designated as worker bees until we are determined to be old enough for transport to the reproductive pens. There we are paired off and forced to make babies. Once you spend enough time in the pens to renew the population, you are shipped out to work the farms and factories. If you are unable to reproduce or work, you are retired. That's what it is called-retired. A euphemism for executed. Put down because you no longer serve any useful purpose. Disposed of because, if you can't work and you can't reproduce, you are just taking up space. Sometimes they keep you for other reasons-but not often and not for long. And not for pets. Goblins don't have pets. Just those monstrous things they call Ronks, and those are used primarily for hunting. You c...
We break out at midnight, just as we agreed. Like ghosts risen from our graves to reclaim the lives that were stolen from us, we flee.
We are quick and we are fast, one following the other, staying in order the way Tommy has taught us, pretending it's just a drill, knowing it isn't. No one speaks, no one whispers; no one makes any sound they can avoid. There are no mistakes because there can be no mistakes. Others who have tried to escape this facility before have all made at least one mistake. And all are dead.
Courage, I tell myself. I am desperate to get free. We all are. Don't think. Just go!
There are fifteen of us-too many for what we are attempting. But once someone is in, it is impossible to decide later that they are out-unless of course you are willing to kill them to keep them from talking. I couldn't do that. None of us could. We're just kids. Ordinary kids in other circumstances; something else now. But still, just kids, not killers. Not yet, anyway. None of us has killed anyone-except maybe JoJo. He says he has, but we can't be sure about what he has or hasn't done. He's big on talk, but you can usually tell when someone is padding the truth, making himself appear to be something he isn't. We all thought that was what he was doing.
But still we wonder.
We started out as a group of eight: Tommy, Malik, Barris and Breck, Wince, JoJo, Khoury, and me. That would have been enough if together we possessed the skills and knowledge that are needed. But we need more to make this escape happen, as we find out quickly enough once we begin to talk our way through the plan. So we are forced to bring in other kids. It is easy enough to choose the ones we are looking for. All we have to do is keep our eyes and ears open until we discover the handful we need. There are only about 330 of us in the camp. I don't know if other camps exist.
Still, I assume there must be more. Given this one's purpose, there pretty much have to be. It's simple mathematics. Our captors number in the hundreds. We call them Goblins-though in truth we have no idea who or what they really are, save not Human. Piggish faces, warped and twisted limbs, bodies much larger than those of Humans, skin hanging loose in gray mottled folds, voices that communicate as often with grunts and snorts as with words. They are despicable creatures that transcend our worst nightmares. The kids in the prison are here to serve them. We are brought here from all over and raised in captivity. Our lives are predetermined. Someone is needed to maintain and operate the hydroponic farms and weapons factories. But the Goblins require something else from us in payment for their services as our jailers. Goblins are carnivores and require fresh meat, so prisoners offer a ready source of both food and labor.
Our fates as prisoners are fixed. From the moment we arrive, all of us must work to maintain or repair the prison and grounds or be eaten. The disabled, weak, and injured kids are dispatched early. Those who remain healthy and able-bodied are allowed to grow until they are deemed adults and then sent to the reproductive pens, the work farms, and the factories. Unless, as sometimes happens, overpopulation of the prison requires a culling. Then the healthy are eaten, too. Our numbers are never allowed to fluctuate far. If too many die, new kids take their place. Where do the Goblins find them? Where did they find any of us? How are we chosen? No one knows. I don't know what I am doing here, and this seems to be true for the others as well.
The one common denominator we all share is that no one seems to miss us. Some of us are orphans. Others had families-gone now? I wonder if it is the same in the other camps, the ones we never see. Is it different for them? I don't know; I have no way of knowing. I just hope it isn't something worse.
All of us are between the ages of ten and twenty. Adults and little kids are kept elsewhere; we don't know where. Kids like us are designated as worker bees until we are determined to be old enough for transport to the reproductive pens. There we are paired off and forced to make babies. Once you spend enough time in the pens to renew the population, you are shipped out to work the farms and factories. If you are unable to reproduce or work, you are retired. That's what it is called-retired. A euphemism for executed. Put down because you no longer serve any useful purpose. Disposed of because, if you can't work and you can't reproduce, you are just taking up space. Sometimes they keep you for other reasons-but not often and not for long. And not for pets. Goblins don't have pets. Just those monstrous things they call Ronks, and those are used primarily for hunting. You c...
