The Return of the Flame

*This novel is not yet published.

Aedan is a quiet boy with a dormant gift. He can consume books through the fire in his hands, instantly absorbing the words into his mind. In his world, where personal devices rule, students read stories generated on their slates, not printed in books. When Aedan holds a physical book for the first time in class, the flame burns inside him.

Having one friend, a virtual companion, and an absent relationship with his parents, Aedan forms a bond with his teacher, Alice, who steers him towards the Old Library, where every book in existence is preserved and watched over by a librarian who would do anything to protect them.

Confronted by the reality that human stories are lost to the past, Aedan secretly burns books into himself, and once discovered, must decide whether to give in to his selfish hunger or give up all that he has come to know.