The Kindling

A terrifying yet beautiful meditation on art, humanity and connection, by internationally bestselling author L.K. Steven, for fans of Station Eleven and Fahrenheit 451.** 'It should never have been the machines making the art and us doing the rest…' Near-future, America. Human imagination has mutated with powerful consequences. Under an authoritarian regime where all forms of human creativity have been banned, three people’s lives intersect in unexpected ways. After a tragic childhood loss, Isaac Reyes resolved to live his life to the full, eating and drinking whatever he wants, sleeping with whomever he wants, and secretly selling his micro-paintings that illicit reactions as strong as a thousand orgasms on Yale’s black market, even though it could cost him his life. Delphie Jones is a stand-up comedian whose daughter has been missing for nearly a decade. Everything changes the night the comedy club is raided and a rogue cop presses a note into her hand before allowing her to escape. It reads: Find Augustus Carmichael. He knows what happened to your daughter. Except Augustus Carmichael is impossible to find. The son of a high-profile politician once known for his beautiful soprano voice, he seems to have disappeared too. In truth, after a terrible accident, Augustus was banished to a cabin in the Montana woods where he lives a desperately lonely existence. As rebel groups gain traction and the governmental control begins to tighten and crack, Isaac, Delphie and Augustus will get caught up in a moment that might just change the course of history.