Light Bringer (novel)

Plot

Eight months after the Republic lost control of Mercury to the Society, Darlow and his surviving fighters are holed up on the junk moon Marcher-1682. After securing fuel, Darrow’s troops head back to Mars while Darrow, Cassius, and Aurae set out for Venus to pull Sevro out of Apollonius’s clutches. But Sevro has already broken free, and Apollonius captures Darrow and Cassius instead. Apollonius beats Darrow in a duel, but Sevro blows up the dockyards and gets them out.

The group escapes Venus with Aurae, who asks Sevro to take charge of the Rim’s Daughters of Athena—Fitchner’s backup plan if the Sons of Ares ever fell apart. Meanwhile, Lysander is hailed as the hero who saved Mercury, but he still wants to unite all Golds under his rule as Sovereign. He renames the Morning Star the Lightbringer. Atalantia finds out he’s been secretly sending ships and troops to Apollonius, so she orders him to her summit on Earth, planning to put him in charge of retaking Luna.

Lysander refuses, arguing that Gold has gone astray and needs to crush the Republic on Mars instead. Many Golds side with him, including Cicero and Julia, but Atalantia kills his mentor Glirastes as payback. Lysander then tells Atalantia he knows she murdered his parents, and Ajax picks Lysander over her. She stays behind to lay siege to Luna.

As Society and Republic fleets clash in orbit around Mars, Lysander hits Phobos. The fighting kills thousands, wounds Kavax and Cicero badly, and forces Virginia deeper into the moon. She frees Valdir from prison to get away from Apollonius. Ajax dies at the hands of Victra and Thraxa.

Lysander negotiates with Virginia: she gives up Phobos’s dockyards in exchange for safe passage to Mars and a prisoner swap swapping Kavax for Cicero. At a party, Lysander tells Diomedes he plans to launch an Iron Rain on Mars within days, but someone poisons him and he falls into a coma. Darrow gets in touch with Virginia, who tells him to skip the Mars siege and instead go find Quicksilver’s rumored fleet in the Asteroid Belt, a location Lyria uncovered.

Characters

The Solar Republic includes Darrow of Lykos, a Red physically remade into a Gold, former ArchImperator of the Solar Republic now operating in exile. Virginia Augustus, known as Mustang and Lionheart, is the reigning Sovereign of the Solar Republic, daughter of the former ArchGovernor of Mars, Darrow's wife, and mother of their son Pax. Pax Augustus, son of Darrow and Virginia, trains as a pilot. Dio of Lykos is sister of Eo, wife of Kieran, mother of Rhonna.

Kieran of Lykos is brother of Darrow and a Howler. Rhonna of Lykos is daughter of Kieran, lancer to Darrow, a Howler lost in the fall of Heliopolis. Deanna of Lykos is mother of Darrow and Kieran. Sevro Barca, called Goblin and Ares, is Imperator of the Republic, Darrow's best friend and second-in-command, husband to Victra, a Howler.

Victra Barca is Darrow's former lieutenant, Sevro's wife, and a wealthy shipping magnate. Electra Barca is eldest daughter of Sevro and Victra. Ulysses Barca, son of Sevro and Victra, was killed by Harmony and the Red Hand. Dancer O'Faran, Darrow's former mentor in the Sons of Ares, a powerful senator and leader of the Vox Populi, was killed in the Day of Red Doves.

Kavax Telemanus is a longtime ally to Virginia and Darrow, Primus of House Telemanus, father of Daxo, Thraxa, and the deceased Pax au Telemanus. Niobe Telemanus is Kavax's wife. Daxo Telemanus, son of Kavax, Tribune of the Gold bloc, was killed in the Day of Red Doves. Thraxa Telemanus is Praetor of the Free Legions, daughter of Kavax and Niobe, a Howler.

Alexandar au Arcos, eldest grandson and heir of Lorn, lancer to Darrow, a Howler, was killed by Lysander au Lune. Cadus Harnassus is Imperator of the Republic, former second in command of the Free Legions. Orion Aquarii, Navarch of the Republic, Imperator of the White Fleet, was killed in Operation Tartarus. Colloway Char is a pilot, reigning kill-leader of the Republic Navy, a Howler.

Oro Sculpturus is a pilot, Navarch of the Republic, leader of Phobos' astral defense. Holiday Nakamura is Dux of Virginia's Lionguard, sister of Trigg, Centurion of the Pegasus Legion.

Reception

Light Bringer hit number two on Publishers Weekly's fiction list and fifth overall in early August 2023. The next week, it claimed second place on both the New York Times Hardcover Fiction and USA Today fiction bestseller lists. That year, it earned second in the Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction and was named a top science fiction title of 2023 by Barnes & Noble.