R. Roland Finch

R. Roland Finch

Author

R. Roland Finch is a speculative fiction author from Flagstaff, Arizona. Light’s Shadow is his debut novel and the first book in the Raiders of Light Series. Although he has dreamed of writing professionally since he was a grade schooler, his path to publishing his debut novel took a circuitous route over the course of many years as a project/program/portfolio manager and, currently, business architect. Synthesizing many disparate elements into a large, working system is something he enjoys very much. He draws inspiration from his various travels and adventures, his upbringing, and his family.

Light’s Shadow

Book #1 from the series: Raiders of Light

The Lightborne and the Darktouched have been at war for generations. While the soldiers of the Lightwatch hunt their enemy, those blessed by darkness seek refuge in the depths beneath the earth, hunting the abyss for treasures and knowledge.

When Lucas Devlin is thrust into the very heart of this conflict, his life is stripped away from him....

Praise

BookLife Editor's Pick

Blending coming-of-age fantasy, impressive subterranean worldbuilding, a sense of the mythic, and the occasional dash of Chaucerian stories-within-stories, Finch’s surprising debut is set in a world recognizable as ours—but below it, in its strangest shadows. Lucas Devlin has never been a normal teen, even though he went to a regular Aboveworld school and believed he had normal friends. But in truth he has been training for the day that he would take over the “family business”—serving as a Seeker with the Darktouched. Just after his high school graduation, he finds his life shattering into pieces when Lightborne Reclaimers find his home and take his father. Lucas is guided underground into the Abzu Complex, an otherworldly city, where he must continue his training while discovering the past of the Darktouched (they once rode great serpents) and their terrifying battle with the Lightborne.

Along the way, Lucas—known as Arden, down below—finds himself facing Ancient beings, searching for an exile, and facing tense dangers and mysteries. Finch’s approach to fantasy emphasizes light and dark, underground and otherworldly explorations, and a surprising mix of science, technology, myth, multi-cultural practices, and folklore, with stories of the ancient conflict, covenants, and creatures, often shared in mythic monologues or archaic texts. Readers will appreciate the engaging tour of this strange new world as Lucas uncovers the stories of how he came to be a Darktouched, the origins of the Darktouched society itself, and where he belongs within it.

Despite the novelty of the setting, Finch creates a relatable life for Lucas, a Child of Shadow, in this world of Darknames and Abovenames, ferrybots and weird KALM gear for traveling in the dark, a long-ago “Reshaping,” and persuasively cool games and sports. As Lucas finds himself getting closer to the answers that not even the oldest living Darktouched know, he discovers that his purpose is bigger than any could imagine–but readers eager to know what will have to wait for book two.

Takeaway: Inventive YA fantasy of ancient conflicts and underground culture.

Comparable Titles: Roderick Gordon’s Tunnels, T. Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

– BookLife

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