The Kindling

A terrifying yet beautiful meditation on art, humanity and connection, by internationally bestselling author L.K. Steven, for fans of Station Eleven and Fahrenheit 451.

'It should never have been the machines making the art and us doing the rest…'

Near-future, America. Human imagination has mutated with powerful consequences. Under an authoritarian regime where all forms of human creativity have been banned, three people’s lives intersect in unexpected ways.

After a tragic childhood loss, Isaac Reyes resolved to live his life to the full, eating and drinking whatever he wants, sleeping with whomever he wants, and secretly selling his micro-paintings that illicit reactions as strong as a thousand orgasms on Yale’s black market, even though it could cost him his life.

Delphie Jones is a stand-up comedian whose daughter has been missing for nearly a decade. Everything changes the night the comedy club is raided and a rogue cop presses a note into her hand before allowing her to escape. It reads: Find Augustus Carmichael. He knows what happened to your daughter.

Except Augustus Carmichael is impossible to find. The son of a high-profile politician once known for his beautiful soprano voice, he seems to have disappeared too. In truth, after a terrible accident, Augustus was banished to a cabin in the Montana woods where he lives a desperately lonely existence.

As rebel groups gain traction and the governmental control begins to tighten and crack, Isaac, Delphie and Augustus will get caught up in a moment that might just change the course of history.

Reviews

PRAISE FOR L.K. STEVEN

‘Impossible to put down’ – V.E. Schwab, Sunday Times bestselling author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

‘An immersive, spellbinding story that had me feverishly turning pages late into the night’ – Hannah Whitten, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Foxglove King

'An absolute masterpiece – I've never read a fantasy like it’ – Imani Erriu, Sunday Times bestselling author of Heavenly Bodies

'Silvercloak reminds me of a favorite writer from childhood, and I do not make Diana Wynne Jones comparisons lightly’ – Sarah Rees Brennan, No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Long Live Evil

‘An immersive setting, compellingly flawed characters, and a taut exploration of what it means to be moral in an uncaring world’ – Kiersten White, No.1 New York Times bestselling author of Lucy Undying

About the author

L. K. Steven is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author from the northernmost town in England. Silvercloak was her adult debut, and she has also written several young adult novels as Laura Steven, including Our Infinite Fates, Every Exquisite Thing and The Society for Soulless Girls. When she’s not writing twisty SFF and horror, you can probably find her trail running, reading chunky fantasy novels, baking cookies, venturing on Pokémon Go safaris, playing old men at chess, or ignoring her husband and son to perfect her Stardew Valley farm.