Keeper of Sorrows by Rachel Fikes

Keeper of Sorrows by Rachel Fikes

On a planet stripped of wind, entire ecosystems lie in ashes, leaving humans to the mercy of a sole surviving bee species on a remote isle. Whoever wins the Praxis to rule them as Keeper, rules the world.  When the next Keeper goes missing, her little sister must not only face her debilitating fear of bees, but compete in the Praxis to find her. As she braves the eerie fortress with sprawling wings of hives, murmuring murals, deceptive hedge mazes, and a host of leering gargoyles, she must also face the reigning Keeper, who’s guarding the darkest secret of all. FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

A deeply original bookCentering women in this surreal high fantasy, Rachel Fikes creates an incredibly unique magic system that sets the stage for a mystery filled with political manoeuvring, transformations and so much more.

-- Sunyi Dean

Rachel Fikes has crafted a beautifully original fantasy full of sumptuous language and breath-hitching mystery. In Keeper of Sorrows, there are horrors around every corner, yet this gothic high fantasy is told through the lens of two protagonists who manage to find beauty in bees, humanity’s last hope in an ecologically-devastated world robbed of wind. Fikes tells a story that feels like a descent into madness, where nothing is ever as it appears, perfect for readers who want to feel their skin crawl while being immersed in a narrative full of heart. It’s impossible to ignore the passion seeping through its pages.

-- Gabriela Romero Lacruz, author of #1 Sunday Times Bestseller The Sun and the Void

"A gorgeously dark and seductive fantasy debut, buzzing with mystery and sweetened by mellifluous prose. Fikes deftly balances familial love against grief while the deaths, disappearances, and dual timelines escalate toward a riveting conclusion."

-- Essa Hansen, author of The Graven trilogy

Growing up, Rachel wanted to be Sir William Wallace, James Horner, or Stephen King. Unfortunately, the U.S. Army doesn’t issue claymore swords, and she’s painfully tone deaf so that left writing – a campaign that would wage on for a quarter century, leaving Rachel bruised, bloody, and downright defeated. She’s been a soldier, maid, door-to-door bookseller, Fikes Family Farm field hand–thanks Pops!–leasing agent, baker, journalist, pageant queen/director, wiper of butt sweat (tanning salon), seller of overpriced lingerie at Victoria’s Secret, and dejected Wal-Mart cashier. Eventually, with skin thicker than chain mail, a shield of resolve, and the reckless, indefatigable hope of a warrior poet, Rachel finally fought her way into publishing. After quite the adventure, Rachel takes refuge in her hobbit hole in Austin, Texas, squirrelling away all the coffee, whisky, and plants she can get her paws on, and teaching ESL to the most amazing students in the world.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781787589155
ISBN 10	1787589153
Title	Keeper of Sorrows
Author	Rachel Fikes
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Flame Tree Publishing
Year published	2024-09-03
Number of pages	320
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.