A Breathless Sky

by Veronica G. Henry

Overview

The impending destruction of a forest triggers a battle between two siblings, and nature and humankind, in a gripping and provocative novel by the author of The Canopy Keepers.

As climate disasters wreak havoc, a sister and brother take opposing sides on the fate of the human race.

Syrah Carthan wants to save it. A tour guide for the Sequoia National Park, Syrah has an affinity for the millennia-old giants that extends to Rhiza, a subterranean world as ancient as Earth itself. Syrah is the reluctant heir apparent as its Keeper. Her duty is to maintain a balance between nature and humans. But Syrah’s greatest adversary has his duty as well.

Romelo, Syrah’s brother, wants humankind to get what it deserves. To protect the forests, he’s already instigated one battle that ended in chaos and death. To reverse the near extinction of the magnificent trees, Romelo’s next move is to conspire with the sequoias themselves. If all goes according to plan, it will leave human beings absolutely breathless.

The siblings are going to battle. In the worlds above and below, only one of them can emerge victorious.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781662520280
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	12/17/2024
Series:	The Scorched Earth , #2
Pages:	315
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Veronica G. Henry is the author of The Canopy Keepers, the first book in The Scorched Earth series; Bacchanal; and, in the Mambo Reina series, The Quarter Storm and The Foreign Exchange. Her work has debuted at #1 on multiple Amazon bestseller charts and was chosen as an editors’ pick for Best African American Fantasy. She is a Viable Paradise alum and a member of SFWA and CWoC (Crime Writers of Color). Her stories have appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Many Worlds, and FIYAH literary magazine. For more information, visit www.veronicahenry.net.

Editorial Reviews

09/09/2024

A sibling feud heats up in this sluggish sequel to Henry’s The Canopy Keepers. Syrah, a national park ranger who embarrassingly sprouts fungi every time she gets nervous, is a member of the underground world called Rhiza, training to become its next Keeper of the Canopy. She has not yet mastered the skill of connecting to the Mother (a “green goddess” who communes with her followers by penetrating them with her “filaments”), however, leading some Rhizans to doubt whether the reigning Keeper, Taron, has erred in endorsing her. When Taron is found murdered, Syrah must locate and punish those responsible—one of whom is her bio-hacking brother Romelo, an insurgent who wants to save Earth from ecological disaster by ridding it of humans. As brother and sister grapple, the plot moves at a snail’s pace, slowed by the siblings’ laboriously seeded backstories, an overabundance of secondary characters, and clumsy attempts at describing mycorrhizal communication (“When they touch, his hairs and the roots, every time, it is like a most delicious first kiss”). To make matters worse, Rhiza as a fantasy biome feels disappointingly sparse; readers must make do with scant details such as bioluminescent mushrooms lighting the subterranean paths. Fans of botanical cli-fi would do better to seek out works by Susan Burke or Kritika Rao. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Henry deftly balances the perspectives of the clearly defined hero and villain, both of whom are ultimately working towards the same goal of restoring nature.” —Booklist

“A powerful story about family, both found and broken, and the repercussions of our choices as a collective, set against a beautiful, fantastical backdrop of trees, fungi, and magic. You’ll root for these characters in this action-packed book, as they strive to save our environment while staying true to themselves and their roots.” —Van Hoang, author of The Monstrous Misses Mai

Praise for Veronica G. Henry

“A fascinating tale…Henry digs in to themes of family, environmentalism, and the connection between humans and the natural world.” —Publishers Weekly

“Henry’s near-future fantasy world is interesting and beautiful, with lush descriptions of the forest and the fantastical world hidden within.” —Library Journal

“Henry adeptly navigates the communication struggles among families and the destructive forces of climate change in this thrilling fantasy.” —Booklist

“Perfectly balanced between the fantastical and sharp reality, The Canopy Keepers is a genre-defying work as prescient as it is brilliant. Henry has written yet another extraordinary novel everyone should be reading.” —Cadwell Turnbull, award-winning author of No Gods, No Monsters

“A gripping, compelling story with themes of great significance to us all.” —Shiv Ramdas, author of Domechild

“The Canopy Keepers is a gorgeous love story for national parks, trees, and the people who protect them. Veronica Henry’s characters are strong, complicated heroes, and her world is delicately, lovingly drawn—and an anguished reminder of everything we are losing day by day.” —Yume Kitasei, author of The Stardust Grail

“Henry skillfully layers historical realism with fantastic elements to explore the way times of desperation test the ethics of oppressed communities. Henry is a writer to watch.” —Publishers Weekly

“Henry’s debut draws on a rich history of folklore from various African traditions, as well as African history and Black American history, and almost the entire main cast is Black. The carnival setting works perfectly for bringing together various strange and magical people who aren’t at home anywhere else…Come one, come all, this magical carnival has all the delightful dangers a reader could wish for.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[Bacchanal is] gorgeous while somehow never losing sight of the need to unsettle. It captures a sense of wonder and reminds you that too much curiosity can lead to danger. And most importantly, it’s Black and never lets you forget it. If you want endearing characters, a charming setting, and characters that refuse to bend to the world’s injustices, then Bacchanal is the book for you.” —FIYAH

“Set in the Depression-era South and featuring a mysterious traveling carnival, it’s a novel of Black history and magic that makes for a terrific read.” —Washington Post

“Beautifully descriptive prose that fully captures the places, people, and time period.” —Booklist

“Think of a Southern Gothic version of The Midnight Circus with a touch of Lovecraft Country…nail-biting scenes of tension.” —Lightspeed

“Filled with magic, danger, and dynamic characters.” —Woman’s World

“With a powerful voice that grips you from its very first pages, Bacchanal casts a spell on readers…Eliza is a wonderful character…Not a traditional superhero, Eliza’s special power is a highlight of this work, and readers will root for the young conjurer and for Henry as she explores the limits of her gifts.” —Sheree Renée Thomas, editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, award-winning author of Nine Bar Blues, and featured author in Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda

“Writer Veronica Henry pulls on a mix of African folklore, Black histories, and carnival culture to weave a story of mesmerizing, bizarre, and dangerous magic. With a heroine of unique powers and a cast as colorful as any sideshow, this story offers up its share of delights, adventure, and frights! Welcome to Bacchanal. Enjoy the sights. Hope you make it out alive!” —P. Djèlí Clark, author of Ring Shout, The Haunting of Tram Car 015, and The Black God’s Drums

“Readers won’t want their travels with the seductive and dangerous Bacchanal Carnival to end. If you took The Night Circus and viewed it through the gaze of a young Black woman in the Great Depression, you might get Veronica Henry’s Bacchanal. Demons, lies, and secrets.” —Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo Award–winning author of The Calculating Stars

From the Publisher