The Ember Blade
A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man’s journey to find his destiny.
Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He’s never questioned it; that’s just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend Cade are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free...
But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie. The rules are not there to protect him, or his people, but to enslave them. A revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it, whether he likes it or not.
The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up... but it’s locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land. All they have to do now is steal it...
Designed to return to classic fantasy adventures and values, from a modern perspective, this is a fast-moving coming-of-age trilogy featuring a strong cast of diverse characters, brilliant set-pieces and a powerful character and plot driven story.
Chris Wooding
Chris Wooding grew up in a small town in the Midlands, where nothing very interesting happened. So he started to write. His first book contract was signed at age nineteen. By the time he left university he was working as a full time author and he has been writing professionally all his working life. Only in his early 30s, Chris Wooding is the author of eighteen books that have been translated into twenty languages. His books have won the Nestlé Smarties Silver Award and the Bram Stoker Award, among others, and have been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the CILIP Carnegie Medal. He also writes for TV and film, and his first graphic novel is being published in 2012.
The Darkwater Legacy
The Darkwater Legacy consists of two books, and the series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.