Last Song Before Night: The Harp and Ring Sequence #1 - Hardcover

Myer, Ilana C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765378302 ISBN 13: 9780765378309

Publisher: Tor Books, 2015

Synopsis

A high fantasy following a young woman's defiance of her culture as she undertakes a dangerous quest to restore her world's lost magic in Ilana C. Myer's Last Song Before Night.

Her name was Kimbralin Amaristoth: sister to a cruel brother, daughter of a hateful family. But she has forsworn that name, and now she is simply Lin, a musician and lyricist of uncommon ability in a land where women are forbidden to answer such callings―a fugitive who must conceal her identity or risk imprisonment and even death.

On the eve of a great festival, Lin learns that an ancient scourge has returned to the land of Eivar, a pandemic both deadly and unnatural. Its resurgence brings with it the memory of an apocalypse that transformed half a continent. Long ago, magic was everywhere, rising from artistic expression―from song, from verse, from stories. But in Eivar, where poets once wove enchantments from their words and harps, the power was lost. Forbidden experiments in blood divination unleashed the plague that is remembered as the Red Death, killing thousands before it was stopped, and Eivar's connection to the Otherworld from which all enchantment flowed, was broken.

The Red Death's return can mean only one thing: someone is spilling innocent blood in order to master dark magic. Now poets who thought only to gain fame for their songs face a challenge much greater: galvanized by Valanir Ocune, greatest Seer of the age, Lin and several others set out to reclaim their legacy and reopen the way to the Otherworld―a quest that will test their deepest desires, imperil their lives, and decide the future.

About this title

About the Author:

ILANA C. MYER has written about books for the Globe and Mail, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Huffington Post, and Salon. Previously she was a journalist in Jerusalem. Last Song Before Night is her first novel.

Review:

Gorgeous, finely-wrought fantasy... Luminous writing, well-developed characters, strong world-building, all come together to create a wonderful debut! (Jessica Day George, author of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow)

In prose both lush and lyrical, Ilana C. Myer presents her stirring opus of singing truth to power. Superbly paced, with vividly drawn characters and a fearless dramatic heart, Last Song Before Night is at once elegiac and triumphant. It's one of the most impressive debut novels I've ever read; I am in awe. (David Mack, New York Times bestselling author of 24: Rogue)

"Beautifully lyrical, Myer's high-fantasy debut weaves a multilayered tale of good versus evil and intimate self-discoveries. The gradual reveal of the main plot and the characters' personal truths builds to a poetic crescendo worthy of their epic quest. With detailed worldbuilding and vivid characters...this lush and luminous story combines exquisite splendor and fathomless cruelty as it champions the power of art and the resilience of the human spirit. While the plot comes full circle, it appears that the adventure is only beginning." - RT Book Reviews

"Myers' depiction of Tamryllin and the land it inhabits is shadowy and lush, a tapestry of gossamer wonders as well as theocratic oppression and brutality. But the core of Last Song's strength is its characters. Bound by enmities, rivalries, lust, sacrifices, and ancient tragedies, the novel's sizeable cast forms a dizzying chemistry...Last Song Before Night is about music, but it's also a work of music itself: Lyrical, dynamic, and winningly melodic." -NPR

"Truly epic...Myer's debut is exactly the kind of fantasy to lure back readers...who want great writing and great storytelling." - The Guardian 

About this edition

• Publisher: Tor Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0765378302
• ISBN 13: 9780765378309
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 416