Heart of Light

by Sarah A. Hoyt and Julia Heaberlin

Set in a magical Victorian British Empire that never was, this unique fantasy blends adventure, intrigue, and romance, as a newlywed couple embark on a dangerous quest--and, in the process, discover... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553589660
• ISBN13: 9780553589665
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 502 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

It's Part Of A Series!!

OH, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the alternate victorian universe - magic in such a staid world is a great contrast. Victorians were, in their way, more staidly scientific than we are! But this contrast, starting with a honeymoon cruise that occurs on a Hotel on a Flying Carpet, is quite well done. The characters are pretty well drawn, with many facets and challenges to them throughout the story. The plot is not hugely intricate, but because it is told from many points of view, the hero/good guy POV is not overtly apparent from the beginning. This makes for a more interesting read than the usual fantaasy. I believe this kind of fantasy is an acquired taste, but for those who like this AU magic kind of stuff, it's a good story. My biggest complaint is that it is the first of 2 books, and this is not at all clear upon reading the jacket of the book. I do not like being thusly sucker punched. (*)>

(3.5 stars) Great world with tons of fun magical stuff but annoying romance and over dictation by th

It was the cover that drew me to this book. A woman in Victorian dress standing on the dessert sands at sunset looking at what is apparently Buckingham palace flying overhead on a magic carpet. Then the premis drew me in: a world where magic is in the place of technology but that magic was bound to the ruing class by using a ruby ages ago and now queen Victoria wants the other ruby (named the heart of light) to perform this act again and basically take magic away from all others in the world so they can continue to be subjugated. To this end she sends Nigel Oldhall and his new bride Emily to Africa on their honeymoon to find the ancient jewel rumored to have-with its long lost twin-bound the universe in one to keep parallel planes from splitting off and confusing things. But of course things get in the way of Nigel's quest. Everyone who was to help him is dead and the small but fierce African resistance to the great jewel plot, the hyena men, set binds which could kill or enslave upon Nigel and Emily. Luckily an old friend of Nigel's just happens to be in town-or is it? Because as helpful as Peter is, everywhere he is there are reports of were-dragons (yup, just like werewolves, only dragon style.) This is complicated fantasy with a lot of different things to keep in mind but it's not overwhelming. The basis is good, the world is great and the plot is pretty solid. But the romance aspect? Sadly this book suffers from the common aliment of Love at First Sight. Or rather, love for no reasonable basis but mutual physical attraction. And not with who'd you think either. Also way too much of the quest aspect is just laid of for our heroes by wise people and various gods/goddess they meet along the way. Annoying. They never seem to figure anything out on their own. Anything important anyway. All in all though it's a good novel for the first in a trilogy. Flying carpets instead of cruise boats, trains powered by magic, guns which shoot magical energy, mind melds and al kinds of were-creatures...it's a fantasy lover's dream world to pay around in. I'm looking forward to the other two. Three point five stars.

Interesting setting for this magical tale

This was a very enjoyable book in that it was unclear, the whole way through reading it, what was going to happen at the end. So many books are very predictable that to find one that took the reader on a voyage of discovery and surprise was a real treat. As the book opens we travel with Nigel Oldhall and his new wife Emily as they travel by flying carpet to Egypt for their supposed Honeymoon. However Nigel actually has an additional important reason for the trip - he's been sent on a mission to find a magical ruby which will ensure Queen Victoria's hold on India forever. Unfortunately things start to go wrong from the very beginning; Nigel and Emily's honeymoon doesn't really get off the ground before Nigel discovers his contacts in Cairo have been killed. The shadowy group known as the Hyena Men are apparently also after the ruby and when Emily does something to get her dragged into the quest things get even worse. The majority of this book takes place as Nigel, Emily and a friend of Nigel's named Peter Farewell travel through the African landscape in their search for the ruby. They are accompanied by many native bearers including the enigmatic Kitwana and the Masai woman Nassira. The point of view of the story changes chapter by chapter as we follow events through the eyes of Emily, Nigel, Kitwana and Nassira. There are some surprises unveiled but much of the action is in people's minds as they begin to understand what the quest is about. The British attitude towards the native is well portrayed throughout the book and is toe-curlingly embarrassing, especially as it seems historically accurate. I felt the book lost its way in the middle a little as Nigel and Emily kept suspecting each other of various things on the slimmest of evidence. However, overall it was a good read with an interesting magical element and a surprising resolution in terms of the relationships between the main characters. The book doesn't end at a particularly clear point and there is a follow-up book to be published which continues the story. However it's a good enough read in its own right and the African setting certainly gives it more punch than a traditional Victorian novel. Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

great historical fantasy

In an alternate world, Queen Victoria rules the British Empire; she and all the descendents of Charlemagne have magic since he stole the ruby Soul of Fire from an African tribe. The magic is diffused throughout the empire with the commoners having very little and the aristocrats being powerful mages. The anarchists are starting to rebel as they demand freedom and magic. To quell the trouble, the Queen sends Nigel Oldhall to Africa to find the matching ruby Heart of Light so that Her Highness can bind all the magic in the world to her and her descendants. Nigel brings his new bride Emily with him for trip on the Carpetship. She thinks they are going on a honeymoon as Nigel failed to enlighten her that he is on a mission for the queen. Also seeking the Heart of Light is the Hyena Men, rebels who want to bind the ruby to African control. When Emily learns what her spouse kept from her, she is furious and turns to two other men for comfort. She is unaware that someone else, whom Nigel knows all too well, tracks them as he plans to obtain the ruby for his personal control of magic. Sarah A. Hoyt provides a great historical fantasy that looks deep into how people feel under outside rule as Victoria rules the continent while the Africans loath the invaders' domination of their land; thus readers have a scathing social commentary on colonization and occupying armies interwoven into the plot. Emily, Nigel, their companion Peter, and their guide Kitwanna are all characters made better by the quest for the ruby. There are many shocking revelations throughout the exhilarating story line; so much so that the audience will be tempted to read the five hundred plus pages in one sitting. Harriet Klausner

Magic and Dragons, oh my!

Once again Hoyt has managed to build a world that is exciting and believable. She has created an alternate history of Colonial Africa that blends all the strengths and weaknesses of that era with magic and shapeshifters. This is a page turner that not only delivers a fun, exciting story but that leaves the reader waiting anxiously for the next installment in the series. Ms. Hoyt's strengths as a storyteller revolve around her ability to set vivid scenes where the reader can see the scene in his/her mind, and in character development. The reader cares about what happens to the characters, cheering for the good guys and booing the bad. More importantly, her characters grow and aren't one dimensional charactures. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, romance or just a ripping good yarn.