Books with title Luka and the Fire of Life: A Novel

“You’ve reached the age at which people in this family cross the border into the magical world. It’s your turn for an adventure—yes, it’s finally here!” So says Haroun to his younger brother, twelve-year-old Luka. The adventure begins one beautiful starry night in the land of Alifbay, when Luka’s father, Rashid, falls suddenly into a sleep so deep that nothing and no one can rouse him. To save him from slipping away entirely, Luka embarks on a journey through the world of magic with his loyal companions, Bear, the dog, and Dog, the bear. Together they encounter a slew of fantastical creatures, strange allies, and challenging obstacles along the way—all in the hope of stealing the Fire of Life, a seemingly impossible and exceedingly treacherous task.

Honored with almost every conceivable award for literary merit, Salman Rushdie penned this richly imagined fable for his son—and for book lovers the world over. From Rashid’s fertile intellect spring bedazzling tales his son Luka devours with a child’s earnestness. But when Rashid succumbs to an unending sleep, Luka must enter a magical world ruled by video-game logic.

“You’ve reached the age at which people in this family cross the border into the magical world. It’s your turn for an adventure—yes, it’s finally here!” So says Haroun to his younger brother, twelve-year-old Luka. The adventure begins one beautiful starry night in the land of Alifbay, when Luka’s father, Rashid, falls suddenly into a sleep so deep that nothing and no one can rouse him. To save him from slipping away entirely, Luka embarks on a journey through the world of magic with his loyal companions, Bear, the dog, and Dog, the bear. Together they encounter a slew of fantastical creatures, strange allies, and challenging obstacles along the way—all in the hope of stealing the Fire of Life, a seemingly impossible and exceedingly treacherous task.

With the same dazzling imagination and love of language that have made Salman Rushdie one of the great storytellers of our time, Luka and the Fire of Life revisits the magic-infused, intricate world he first brought to life in the modern classic Haroun and the Sea of Stories. This breathtaking new novel centers on Luka, Haroun’s younger brother, who must save his father from certain doom. For Rashid Khalifa, the legendary storyteller of Kahani, has fallen into deep sleep from which no one can wake him. To keep his father from slipping away entirely, Luka must travel to the Magic World and steal the ever-burning Fire of Life. Thus begins a quest replete with unlikely creatures, strange alliances, and seemingly insurmountable challenges as Luka and an assortment of enchanted companions race through peril after peril, pass through the land of the Badly Behaved Gods, and reach the Fire itself, where Luka’s fate, and that of his father, will be decided. Filled with mischievous wordplay and delving into themes as universal as the power of filial love and the meaning of mortality, Luka and the Fire of Life is a book of wonders for all ages.

She will defy the most powerful pope in history."[C]learly well-researched, but more importantly for a novel, it tells a thoroughly engrossing story." -- Historical Novel SocietyAs the 13th century dawns across Occitania, a brash viscountess named Esclarmonde de Foix champions her persecuted faith and shocks the Church by debating its greatest monastic minds.Centuries later, she is still revered as the Cathar Joan of Arc.Spiritual upheaval shakes Latin Christendom. In Rome, Pope Innocent III plots to crush a growing pacifist sect that preaches Christ's mission has been corrupted. In the Holy Land, warrior-monks make a disturbing discovery. In southern France, roving troubadours sing of a Holy Grail that offers salvation through the intercession of a worthy lady.And in the foothills of the Pyrenees, war clouds approach Esclarmonde's hunted heretics, who protect an ancient scroll containing shattering revelations. Declared outlaws by the Church, the Occitan knights who defend Esclarmonde's family and followers determine to make their last stand atop Montsegur, a haunting mountain keep that protects a sacred treasure. Their heroic resistance against the papal and French armies evokes the legendary defiance of the Jewish rebels against the Roman legions at Masada.Myth and history collide in this sweeping saga of crusading fanaticism, courtly romance, knightly valor, and monastic conspiracy set during the infamous Albigensian Crusade.START READING THE FIRE AND THE LIGHT TODAY. Foreword Book-of-the-Year Finalist/Honorable Mention Historical FictionNIEA Award for Best New FictionNautilus Silver AwardIPPY Silver AwardEric Hoffer Award Finalist/Honorable MentionDa Vinci Eye Award Finalist What Readers Are Saying:"I loved this book! Mr. Craney has woven a wonderful story around the little known facts and the many myths that surround St. Esclarmonde de Foix and the Cathars at Montsegur. Get thee to a bookseller!" — REV. MOTHER ANASTASIA, ABBESS OF THE ORDER OF ST. ESCLARMONDE"This book is clearly well-researched, but more importantly for a novel, it tells a thoroughly engrossing story." — ANN K. D. MYERS, THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY"A marvel of a tale, tied quite firmly into what facts there are, and woven deftly into a tapestry touching those facts and connecting them into a tale at once enjoyable and alarming." — THOUGHTS AND PLACES REVIEWS"Tenets of the Cathar faith are explained and many of Esclarmonde’s mystical experiences beautifully rendered."— BOOKCROSSING

With the same dazzling imagination and love of language that have made Salman Rushdie one of the great storytellers of our time, Luka and the Fire of Life revisits the magic-infused, intricate world he first brought to life in the modern classic Haroun and the Sea of Stories. This breathtaking new novel centers on Luka, Haroun’s younger brother, who must save his father from certain doom. For Rashid Khalifa, the legendary storyteller of Kahani, has fallen into deep sleep from which no one can wake him. To keep his father from slipping away entirely, Luka must travel to the Magic World and steal the ever-burning Fire of Life. Thus begins a quest replete with unlikely creatures, strange alliances, and seemingly insurmountable challenges as Luka and an assortment of enchanted companions race through peril after peril, pass through the land of the Badly Behaved Gods, and reach the Fire itself, where Luka’s fate, and that of his father, will be decided. Filled with mischievous wordplay and delving into themes as universal as the power of filial love and the meaning of mortality, Luka and the Fire of Life is a book of wonders for all ages.

In medieval France, heretics protect an ancient scroll that holds shattering revelations about the Roman Catholic Church. Swept up in the brutal Albigensian Crusade, a charismatic Occitan noblewoman who will become revered as the Cathar Joan of Arc defies a powerful pope and champions her persecuted faith in this historical epic of religious intrigue, crusader knights, troubadour valor, and star-crossed love.Foreword Book-of-the-Year Finalist/Honorable Mention Winner for Historical FictionNIEA Award for Best New FictionNautilus Silver AwardIPPY Silver AwardEric Hoffer Award Finalist/Honorable MentionDa Vinci Eye Award Finalist As the 13th century dawns, Latin Christendom is shaken by spiritual upheaval. In Rome, Pope Innocent III plots to crush a growing pacifist sect whose members believe the Vatican has corrupted Christ's teachings. In the Holy Land, warrior-monks make a disturbing discovery about Jesus of Nazareth. In southern France, roving troubadours sing of a mysterious Holy Grail that offers salvation through the intercession of a worthy lady.And in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, a charismatic viscountess, Esclarmonde de Foix, is about to challenge the most powerful pontiff in history and hurl the Church into a crisis of divine authority.Esclarmonde is a popular maiden in Occitania’s fabled Courts of Love, but her idyllic life is thrown into turmoil when she encounters a sect of hunted heretics called Cathars, the Good Men and Good Women. With war clouds gathering over the Languedoc, she must choose between her love for a mysterious Knight Templar and her calling to lead these persecuted descendants of the first Christians. In the tradition of Mary Magdalene, she ordains women as perfectas, teaches esoteric spiritual disciplines, and publicly debates the future leaders of the Inquisition on Christ's suppressed teachings. Desperate to suppress her popular preaching, Pope Innocent III condemns her ex cathedra and launches the only crusade ever declared against fellow Christians.The outnumbered Occitan defenders of Esclarmonde's Cathar family and followers make their final stand atop Montsegur, a haunting mountain fortress where they protect a secret treasure suspected by some to be the Holy Grail. Their heroic resistance against the Dominican Inquisition and the French crusader army evokes the legendary defiance of the Jewish rebels against the Roman legions at Masada.The Fire and the Light is a sweeping saga of crusading fanaticism, courtly romance, Vatican intrigue, and monastic conspiracy set during the infamous Albigensian Crusade.Editorial Praise:"I loved this book! Mr. Craney has woven a wonderful story around the little known facts and the many myths that surround St. Esclarmonde de Foix and the Cathars at Montsegur. Get thee to a bookseller!" — Rev. Mother Anastasia, Abbess of the Order of St. Esclarmonde"This book is clearly well-researched, but more importantly for a novel, it tells a thoroughly engrossing story." — Ann K. D. Myers, The Historical Novel Society“A marvel of a tale, tied quite firmly into what facts there are, and woven deftly into a tapestry touching those facts and connecting them into a tale at once enjoyable and alarming.” — ThoughtsandPlaces Reviews"Tenets of the Cathar faith are explained and many of Esclarmonde’s mystical experiences beautifully rendered." — Bookcrossing

On a beautiful starry night in the city of Kahani in the land of Alifbay a terrible thing happened: twelve-year-old Luka's storyteller father, Rashid, fell suddenly and inexplicably into a sleep so deep that nothing and no one could rouse him. To save him from slipping away entirely, Luka must embark on a journey through the Magic World, encountering a slew of phantasmagorical obstacles along the way, to steal the Fire of Life, a seemingly impossible and exceedingly dangerous task.With Haroun and the Sea of Stories Salman Rushdie proved that he is one of the best contemporary writers of fables, and it proved to be one of his most popular books with readers of all ages. While Haroun was written as a gift for his first son, Luka and the Fire of Life, the story of Haroun's younger brother, is a gift for his second son on his twelfth birthday. Lyrical, rich with word-play, and with the narrative tension of the classic quest stories, this is Salman Rushdie at his very best.

“You’ve reached the age at which people in this family cross the border into the magical world. It’s your turn for an adventure—yes, it’s finally here!” So says Haroun to his younger brother, twelve-year-old Luka. The adventure begins one beautiful starry night in the land of Alifbay, when Luka’s father, Rashid, falls suddenly into a sleep so deep that nothing and no one can rouse him. To save him from slipping away entirely, Luka embarks on a journey through the world of magic with his loyal companions, Bear, the dog, and Dog, the bear. Together they encounter a slew of fantastical creatures, strange allies, and challenging obstacles along the way—all in the hope of stealing the Fire of Life, a seemingly impossible and exceedingly treacherous task.

With the same dazzling imagination and love of language that have made Salman Rushdie one of the great storytellers of our time, Luka and the Fire of Life revisits the magic-infused, intricate world he first brought to life in the modern classic Haroun and the Sea of Stories. This breathtaking new novel centers on Luka, Haroun's younger brother, who must save his father from certain doom. For Rashid Khalifa, the legendary storyteller of Kahani, has fallen into deep sleep from which no one can wake him. To keep his father from slipping away entirely, Luka must travel to the Magic World and steal the ever-burning Fire of Life. Thus begins a quest replete with unlikely creatures, strange alliances, and seemingly insurmountable challenges as Luka and an assortment of enchanted companions race through peril after peril, pass through the land of the Badly Behaved Gods, and reach the Fire itself, where Luka's fate, and that of his father, will be decided. Filled with mischievous wordplay and delving into themes as universal as the power of filial love and the meaning of mortality, Luka and the Fire of Life is a book of wonders for all ages.

Review "A captivating, funny and beautifully imagined fable" (Beth Jones Sunday Telegraph)"Startlingly beautiful...an eloquent example of the games a fine storyteller can play" (Independent on Sunday)"A beautiful book... It's like a bridge, built between generations, fabulous and strange and from the heart" (Neil Gaiman)"A bustling and minutely imagined fabular landscape, crammed with allegorical figures and places...its e