Flames of Mira

Harmon debuts and launches his Rift Walker fantasy series with a relentlessly violent tale of political upheaval and familial betrayal. The ice-crusted world of Mira is ruled by a sadistic Sovereign and divided into often warring Territories where inhabitants live in dismal cities built into sinkholes. Ig, an elemental, is an enforcer for paranoid Magnate Sorrelo and under flesh binding magic to obey his every demand. But Sorrelo’s domination of the Augustin territory is shaken by an impending coup led by the Listener Olevic. When Sorrelo dies fleeing the city, his three teenage children, Emil, Sara, and Efadora, undertake separate, involved missions to return to Augustin and avenge his death. Though Ig yearns for his freedom, he’s loyal to Emil and Sara, the latter of whom inherits her father’s power over Ig, forcing him into vicious acts. Harmon inflates the resulting overblown quest narrative with grotesque local color and interminable scenes of killing and torture. The sheer amount of bloodlust here leaves little time for character development, making for shallow protagonists who often speak in platitudes. It’s an unpleasant excursion into a hostile world. Agent: Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary. (July)