Out of the Grey (SPARX Luminary Book 1)

"Great for fans of: Steven Erikson, R. Scott Bakker." —BookLife Reviews"A wonderful addition to the fantasy genre. It has action, emotion, magic and a cast of characters you immediately become attached to. It felt very grounded in reality despite being from another time and place."—Judge, 30th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards"LIVELY AND SOPHISTICATED" —Kirkus Reviews"This accomplished, ambitious epic fantasy swells with fresh ideas, memorable characters" —BookLife ReviewsRAW survival. Forbidden weaponry. A quest to save mankind turns into an experiment gone wrong. In the disaster-ravaged land of Theia, Lumen Hadamard walks the line. He must enforce the anti-tech treaty barring old-world devilry, lest Theia follow the same path of destruction that shattered ancient civilization. Yet, he must prepare for a pending war, one his people are not equipped to fight. Hadamard needs more than traditional weaponry at his disposal, so he ventures into the treaty's "grey areas" – dabbling in mystifying forces not known to exist when the treaty was written. But it's risky: the space-rippling striker weapons are not well understood and, if in the wrong hands, could be a recipe for disaster.Meanwhile, Hadamard's prized protégé, Vey Lancer, accepts a critical mission to Fort Abandon. Her talents of persuasion are needed to forge an alliance against a rival kingdom. But Vey has her own objectives in mind: time away from the crazed luminary with an eye towards romance involving the charming vice regent. But nothing ever goes as planned for the naïve diplomat. Her people have a long history of meddling and not everyone is happy with the way things turned out. A chance encounter with a vengeful old shaman sets Vey on a twisted path of darkness – abducted, drugged and fighting for raw survival.Will Vey's mission allow Hadamard to work the kinks out of his prototypes before it's too late? Or will it spark an all-out war between neighboring territories? A war neither side can hope to win.A dark, gritty EPIC FANTASY filled with intrigue and adventure.“Tense and dense, crafted with a shrewd awareness of what dedicated genre readers expect–and of the pleasures of upending those expectations.” —BookLife Reviews

of which this volume, of course, is just the first part. Takeaway: This accomplished, ambitious epic fantasy swells with fresh ideas, memorable characters, and dense world building. Great for fans of: Steven Erikson, R. Scott Bakker. Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A- Marketing copy: A"

"The kickoff to an ambitious new series, this epic debut layers a touch of science fiction into its challenging fantasy narrative, ideal for lovers of both those genres, complex world building, and stories that defy the established tropes. In Theia, a land where new technologies have been outlawed by a treaty dating back to a time when humanity nearly destroyed itself, Lumen Hadamard, an experimenter in new (or perhaps lost) technologies, develops forbidden weaponry even as he's charged with enforcing the ban on such tech. Meanwhile, the Grey Clerk dispatches diplomat Vey Lancer, Hadamard's "favored protégé," on a mission to confront the vice-regent of Fort Abandon for his own violations of the possibly outdated and unenforceable Treaty of Nature. Looming over the intrigue, journeys, and negotiations is Hadamard's conviction that Theia is in something of a downlow arms race with its enemies, a race he's determined to win. Sprague's story sprawls out from there, tense and dense, crafted with a shrewd awareness of what dedicated genre readers expect-and of the pleasures of upending those expectations. Vey's mission, of course, quickly becomes more complicated, becoming more about raw survival after she catches the attention of the scheming shaman Akrylla, a creepy and compelling update on the witch archetype whose powers of manipulation are captured with some effectively unconventional quirks of prose. The care Sprague takes with bringing different perspectives to life, and in putting earthy, convincing dialogue into the mouths of characters, brings convincing life to the conflicts and milieu. This world may be richly developed (relish the "leviathan-bone gates of Jakka"), at times overwhelming in the manner of Steven Erikson's Malazan series, but it feels lived in by real characters, like courageous Vey. It also feels worth caring about and keeping up with, as its surprising tech and magic (assemblers, projectionists, Hadamard's strikers and battle simulations) and an expansive roster of characters (a knightsmaiden, a demoness) and crises both enrich and complicate the whole

Judge, 30th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards

"This book is exemplary in character appeal (or interest) and development. All main characters (including antagonists) are unique and fully fleshed out with compelling, layered motivations and traits. Secondary characters are unique and have a meaningful purpose. The characters were wonderful. I enjoyed Vey, Hadamard, and Akrylla, as well as the secondary characters. They were well fleshed out, very believable, and exciting to follow. This book is exemplary in its voice and writing style. It has a unique voice, and the writing style is consistent throughout. The style and tone are also consistent with or will appeal to readers of the intended genre. You've done a wonderful job creating an alternate world that felt real and believable. I enjoyed the combination of magic with the everyday. Your voice brought this world and characters vividly to life, making me care about what happens to them. A wonderful addition to the fantasy genre. It has action, emotion, magic and a cast of characters you immediately become attached to. It felt very grounded in reality despite being from another time and place."

About the Author

K.B. Sprague is a Canadian epic fantasy writer and physicist, having attained his doctorate at the University of Western Ontario. With more than twenty years of field experience ranging from nuclear and particle physics to military wargaming, emerging technologies, and artificial intelligence, Sprague has no shortage of unconventional ideas and it shows in his latest fictional creations. He currently serves as a subject matter expert on emerging technologies and lives on a quiet hobby farm with his family. In between the hours and minutes tending to life's many demands, he steals away to the land of Theia and ponders the complexities therein. Series website: http: //www.sparxsff.com

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