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Sign up todayA Marvellous Light
The Last Binding: Book #1
Narrator
David Thorpe
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
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Length
14 hours 30 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“You know that feeling when you start a book and from the very beginning you find yourself thinking: “oh, we’re going to have FUN here.” That’s Freya Marke’s A Marvellous Light. Whip smart historical fantasy with one of the most unique and clever magic systems around. A centuries-old mystery threatening to unravel magical society and upset a deeply entrenched balance of power. A beautifully drawn and diverse supporting cast of friends and foes alike. And, as if that wasn’t enough, top it all off with some of my favorite things: a yearning-filled love story, and some truly marvelous sex. Genuinely the most fun I’ve had reading a book this year. I’m waiting with bated breath (and keeping some Cat’s Cradle sting handy) for the next in the series.”
— Sarah • Powell's Books
Bookseller recommendation
“I love a good queer gaslamp fantasy, especially when it includes a creative and unusual magic system! This story places a huge importance on a love of books and learning, and much of it revolves around our connection to the land - concepts that couldn’t be more up my alley.”
— Kaley • Quail Ridge Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Robin Blyth is in over his head at this new weird magical liaison job he was shoved into, and now he’s cursed to boot. Edwin Courcey is trying to figure out what happened to Robin’s predecessor and remove the curse. They’ve both got a lot going on and the growing attraction between them is really not helping. A Marvellous Light revels in the magical tropes, love, and mystery. I couldn’t put it down like I think the book itself magically attached itself to my hands until I finished it. If you are looking for some magic and a bit of fun, pick this book up now!”
— Izzy • Good Neighbor Bookstore
Bookseller recommendation
“For lovers of fantasy, queer romance, and Edwardian-era sass, A Marvellous Light is a whirlwind tale of two seemingly opposites attracting. This novel is perfect for those who enjoy fantasy but, like me, only have the bandwidth for simpler magical systems. I highly recommend this smutty, witty, and decadently English tale. ”
— Lambie • Underground Books
Bookseller recommendation
“I'm kind of obsessed with the magic system of this world. I love the nuance of Edwin having less raw power and overcoming that with a wealth of knowledge and perfect technique. And I love Robin having no real clue what's going on, being annoyed at Edwin being a know-it-all and then slowly but surely trusting him with his life. I love two gays doing stupid things to protect each other. I love them. ”
— Gina • BookPeople
"Narrator David Thorpe’s delicious depictions of steamy encounters between Robin and
Edwin are intricately woven throughout this magical realm." -- Booklist, starred review
An International Bestseller!
Winner of the 2022 Romantic Novel Award in Fantasy!
Locus Award Finalist!
An Indie Next pick and LibraryReads pick—with four starred reviews!
A Best of 2021 Pick for NPR | Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Red, White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light, featuring an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies.
Robin Blyth has more than enough bother in his life. He’s struggling to be a good older brother, a responsible employer, and the harried baronet of a seat gutted by his late parents’ excesses. When an administrative mistake sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what’s been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he’s always known.
Now Robin must contend with the beauty and danger of magic, an excruciating deadly curse, and the alarming visions of the future that come with it—not to mention Edwin Courcey, his cold and prickly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, who clearly wishes Robin were anyone and anywhere else.
Robin’s predecessor has disappeared, and the mystery of what happened to him reveals unsettling truths about the very oldest stories they’ve been told about the land they live on and what binds it. Thrown together and facing unexpected dangers, Robin and Edwin discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles—and a secret that more than one person has already died to keep.
A Macmillan Audio production from Tordotcom
Freya Marske is the author of A Power Unbound, A Restless Truth, and A Marvellous Light, which was an international bestseller and won the Romantic Novel Award for Fantasy. She has been nominated for two Hugo Awards, and won the Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. She lives in Australia.
David Thorpe is a British actor who has narrated over one hundred audiobooks. Some of his credits include Max Brook’s World War Z, Sam Christner’s The Stonehenge Legacy, Elizabeth Haynes’s Into the Darkest Corner, and Karen Maitland’s Company of Liars. On his various work, AudioFile magazine has praised Thorpe’s “amazing range of accents and voices:” from his “wry, almost sarcastic, tone” to his “commanding…foreboding and evil [voice] that mesmerizes listeners.” He has recorded many of Margery Allingham’s works in addition to The School of Life series.
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Reviews
“That sublime prose! Her astonishing gift for imagery! And, of course, her bountiful and endless talent for writing some extremely sexy scenes. A Marvellous Light is all that and more. Perfect.”—Jenn Lyons, author of The Ruin of Kings
“Romantic in the best way, funny, sharp, sexy, fantastical. Prepare to fall in love with the gorgeous Edwardian setting, the sizzling character dynamics, and the murderous enchanted hedge maze.”—Emily Tesh, author of Silver in the Wood
"A charming, lovingly crafted adventure full of peril, romance and wit, illuminated by sparkling turns of phrase and a pervasive sense of humour."—A. K. Larkwood, author of The Unspoken Name
"Marske's deft, witty, and frequently beautiful prose guides the reader through this very charming story. Equal parts fantasy, mystery and romance—with bonus murderous garden features—A Marvellous Light heralds a strong new voice in science fiction and fantasy."—Sam Hawke, author of City of Lies
"Freya's prose is so splendid that merely reading it makes me feel like I've been filled to the brim with champagne bubbles. A Marvellous Light has everything you could ever want from a book—beautiful descriptions, expertly woven worldbuilding, queer kissing, sexual tension in a library, quite a lot of William Morris wallpaper. . . . This book is brilliant on every level. It is wondrous. It is, if you will excuse a small joke, marvellous."—Alexandra Rowland, author of A Conspiracy of Truths
"A completely enchanting story that sweeps you into a world of art and romance. Marske is an extraordinary talent who writes compelling characters, entertainingly awful families, and love stories like nobody else."—Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's Orbit
“A magical world of exquisite refinement. . . . A dazzling debut.”—Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun