Ember of Life

Ember of a New World #2

by Ishtar Watson

Ember thought she had found a home when an attack upon her new village causes her to leave for the True South, a land where the warm winds always blow. She carries with her a magical necklace of fertility and the hopes of many people. From shark attacks, ritual sacrifice, and assassination, to finding love and the struggle to help an embattled high priestess save her people from a relentless enemy, Ember is in for one exciting adventure in the warm lands of Anatolia!

Set in the early Neolithic period of prehistoric Europe, 7500 years ago, Ember of Life follows the continuing story of Ember the Warrior and Brig’dha the Priestess as they head for new lands in Anatolia, near modern day Turkey. Ancient mud brick cities, exotic rituals, a deadly priestess, a complex plot, beautiful landscapes, and even romance await her!

588 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2016

About the author

Ishtar Watson ⚧ lives in the state of Virginia, USA with their super smart wife and three cats, Neko chan, Drizzt and Mu. Professionally, Ishtar is a computer programmer and systems analyst whose software is used around the world. When not at work, Ishtar spends much of the time in his home laboratory working on fun and exciting physics experiments involving gamma rays, lasers, and other such science.


Ishtar's fields of interest are quite varied, but include the following:

LGBTQ+ ⚧ Advocation
Programming (Java, JavaScript, C++, C, HTML, XHTML, CSS, VRML, x86ASM)
Nuclear Physics, primarily Gamma Spectrometry
Computational Physics
Geology, especially the study of radioactive minerals
Ancient European Cultures
Sci-fi and Fantasy
Quantum Entanglement of high energy photons
Fantasy Writing
Anime

Currently, Ishtar is working on a new SciFi book and a six book fantasy series both involving Elves. Not much more can be disclosed, but the books are due to be ready within a few months time.

Reviews

[Noreen Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read both books in this series both are an enjoyalbe read with compelling characters.

[A. Mickey Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, non-binary people of all ages, finally, after two and a half months, I have gotten my life together and finished this (wonderful) book. And you should read it too.

Ember of Life, the sequel to Ember of a New World, follows the continuing adventures of Ember and Brig'dha, the wonderful lesbian protagonists of this wonderful book, as they travel to Isut'na, a city in the true south. They face tragedy and turmoil and also sharks, and every page is the best thing you'll ever read. Trust me.

After spending the last three months reading these books, I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself now. I'm not sure anything else will be readable after this. Ember has raised the bar.

So... Where's book 3? No rush, just a thought...

Spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.


From page one on, this is a book after my own heart. The first thing we get to see is Ianmu, an almost-priestess, killing a man. There's no way that can be a bad start. She receives a vision from her goddess, giving her a mission in a nearby city.

We then cut to Ember thinking gay thoughts about her not-yet-girlfriend Brig'dha, whose name i will shorten to Brig for the rest of this review because names with apostrophes are tedious to type repeatedly. The village they're staying in is attacked, and they kick major ass, as usual. And, since safety and stability are boring, they- along with some other people from the village- decide to pack up and wander into the wilderness, south. (Among their traveling company is a girl named Meegin, whose man-catching necklace has so far only caught women. Ha. She does end up with a guy, just a funny observation.)

A scene I relate to: "I hope it doesn't get worse." *Promptly dies.*

And then Ember receives the necklace, a magic fertility token. But she's not the only one who wants it. Galar and his sister-wife Kyra (sure she isn't.) want it so that they can have power and babies, as all hetero couples do. She then pushes him off a cliff, which I appreciate. He was sort of obnoxious. Just get out of her way, Galar. She can handle this better than you can. Can I just take a second to say how much of a genius Kyra is? She frames people who don't even exist- and gets away with it. She also implies that they raped her, which is brilliant, since Ember is still recovering from her own assault. It builds sympathy and trust, the key elements of manipulation. Speaking of which...

Another lovely round of "Let's Kill the Rapist," my favorite to read. Ember slits Yan's throat when her tries. It's nice to see women in fiction sticking up for themselves in the face of rapists. That's one classification of people who deserve no mercy, and I like to see that.

Ember and Brig's little necklace exchange is the cutest thing. Keeping a token with each other so they won't fear losing each other, just, awwwwww. "Brig'dha felt a connection with Ember, much stronger than friendship." Damn gay you do (because damn straight wouldn't work).

I felt for a long time that Ianmu was probably supposed to be a bad guy. She sort of gave off those vibes, what with the scheming and the murdering and all. I'm glad she wasn't. I really liked her, and from her introduction on wanted her to succeed at changing her city. There really weren't any long-term villains in this. Yan, Kyra, Galar, Ianmu's brother whose name escapes me, King Anteater whose real name also escapes me- they're all villains, but none of them are there for more than maybe a third of the book. I personally really like that, especially when it's as well done as in this book. The minor conflicts are ever-changing, while the end goal (get to Isut'na, followed by save Isut'na) stays the same. It's good for pacing and keeping the reader interested, in my opinion.

Another random thought: Kyra and Ianmu would make a good pair, be it romantically or a partners-in-crime sort of deal. They're both cunning and know how to get what they want out of people, so together, they could take over the world no problem. Of course, they never meet, and Kyra ends up dead, so it's kind of impossible. But. It works in my brain.

"Brig'dha, I-" Oh. My. Gosh. Why? Why would you cut her off there? She was SO FRICKIN CLOSE. It hurt my heart (Then hurt my heart again in a good way when she finally got the words out). And then she FALLS OFF A FRICKIN CLIFF TO HER SUPPOSED DEATH AND BRIG THINKS SHE'S DEAD AND SHE'S HEARTBROKEN AND EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE. But then it's okay and she's safe again. Emotional roller-coaster. Highly recommend.

Their reunion. I literally cried. Just so perfect and beautiful and lovely. Their paint matching, the stars and the moon, even though they were separated. It's so beautifully heart-wrenching.

I'm a fan of redemption arcs, characters going from the worst of the worst to redeeming themselves. Sar'tawas. Unexpected. You know, I figure any guy who buys a woman from a shady guy in a marketplace doesn't have an ounce of good in him. But Sar'tawas unexpectedly grew on me. By the end i really wanted him to be happy. I think that means there's something wrong with me. Regardless, his B-Plot is one to keep an eye on. (He and Ianmu plotting and scheming the city's overtaking together is the best, because he knows she could kick his ass.)

The priestesses of Isut are a highlight. Aya'tar, Hullamu, and Isha'kau (it's a miracle I could remember who anyone was with these names). I loved them so much. They were just so purely friends, no jealousy, no in-fighting, just genuine care for each other. Much love to them.

Okay, my favorite scene was when Aya'tar released the feather and the wheat to the wind in honor of Hullamu's death and the wind carried them away. I got genuine chills reading that part. That scene was so oddly powerful.

Someone needs to help Imkanar. Just cut the kid a break. Stop sending assassins, stop telling him to leave his hometown for long periods of time, stop kidnapping the babies he didn't know he had until like an hour before. Just let him be happy for two minutes.

A really stupid question that only I would think to ask: So, after Aya'tar cut off Pedar's dead dick, it doesn't say it was buried with him. Did they just leave it on the roof? Did they bury it somewhere else? Why do I wonder these things? Why can't I get my brain out of the gutter?

The big fight between everyone and everyone was spectacular. That whole chapter was a blast. Sar'tawas has Ianmu fight for Aya'tar's hand in marriage for him because he's too old at, what, 45 or so? I think? How brave. AND THEN EMBER JUMPS IN THE FIGHT LIKE 'I WANT TO MARRY YOU TOO, AYA'TAR!' and I couldn't stop laughing.

The battle for the city and Ianmu's awakening are spectacular and exciting. It's nice to see her find a path that works for what she truly wants, not what she thinks she has to do. She'll make a better ruler for Nara'kit than her brother or her father, King Anteater. She has Sar'tawas's baby, and I'd be interested in hearing more about how she feels about that, and how their lives end up. Same goes for Kel and Espe, and Aya'tar and Imkanar, and Aethan and Isha'kau. I just really love these people.

Ember and Brig'dha are married. All my hopes were realized. Yes, yes, YES, this is everything I wanted out of this book realized. Wonderful, just wonderful. But they can only be domestic for so long, and I can't wait to see their future adventures together.

I love how all the different plots and people we follow throughout the story intertwine. It's done really well. Nothing feels forced or far-fetched; it just works. And that in itself is an accomplishment.


That was probably an incoherent mess, and I apologize for that. Just read this book if you haven't, and if you have, recommend it to people. These are the best.

These books will forever hold a special place in my heart. Thanks.