Book Spotlight: Light of the Kasaban by Thomas Howard Riley
Page Count: 212 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Date Published: September 17, 2024
In the brutal desert city of Kasaban, the old gods have had their statues crushed to powder by invading Priests, with magick forbidden to anyone but themselves. Merely being born as one of the magi makes even infants into fugitives, and the Priests and their spies are always watching, ready to toss their enemies into the purifying flames of execution.
Saya Ani Anai is the last of her family, dedicating her life to being a teacher of magick for little orphaned children. From within her hidden home, she provides the closest thing to a normal life these children may ever know. They help each other like family, working for what they can and stealing the rest to scrape by, forced to live every day under the yoke of oppression.
When the warren-boss who keeps their domain a secret suddenly demands a higher price to keep his silence, they must race to find a way to meet the demand or they will lose their home and their lives. But for the poor living in Kasaban, simply surviving is anything but easy.
With the Priests and their magick-hunters scouring the city for magi to burn, and the catastrophes of daily life intervening to crush her plans at every turn, Saya must risk everything to save her home and keep the children safe. But Kasaban is unforgiving. Its fires rage bright. If she fails, all her hopes will burn.
About the author, Thomas Howard Riley
Hi, my name is Thomas Howard Riley. I am a writer of rated-R epic and dark fantasy sagas, where characters are dirty and flawed, the outlook hopeful, the violence brutal, the hard magick systems plentiful, the worldbuilding robust, the romance disinclined to fade to black, and the adventures equal parts quirky and terrifying. I am a former lead guitarist and sword-fighter who grew up on fantasy and sci fi. I spend most of my time creating new fantasy stories and being a very uncool dad to my two little warriors. I am obsessed with comic books, music (always have my headphones in), and playing very old video games whenever I'm taking a break from training my army of cats for world conquest. I like to stand in the rain without an umbrella and I always take at least one book wherever I go.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the genre of Light of the Kasaban? Light of the Kasaban is an Adult Fantasy novel.
How did Light of the Kasaban perform in the BBNYA? The book was a major success in the 2025 Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA), finishing as the 7th place finalist out of a huge field of indie-published titles from around the world.
What is the story of Light of the Kasaban about? The plot follows Saya Ani Anai, a teacher of forbidden magic in the desert city of Kasaban. She must protect a group of orphaned children from a brutal religious order and a treacherous warren-boss in a high-stakes race for survival.
Is Light of the Kasaban suitable for younger readers? While categorised as Fantasy, the author specifies this as Adult Fantasy with "rated-R" elements, including brutal violence and romance that doesn't "fade to black," making it most suitable for mature audiences.
Who is the author Thomas Howard Riley? Thomas Howard Riley is an indie fantasy author, former lead guitarist, and sword-fighter. He is known for his dark, "dirty and flawed" character archetypes and his obsession with complex magic systems and expansive world-building.
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