A Silver Cord: Book 1 Clouds of Fire
Ten-year old Ellie goes with a heavy heart to her grandfather’s funeral when something extraordinary happens. The event transports her to a realm of unimaginable beauty and terror. As shadows gather around her and sadness threatens to overtake her, she will need to draw on the supernatural goodness she cherished in her grandfather to save her life and make it safely home.
Steven L. Layne
Author of This Side of Paradise
Thomas L. Martin
Thomas L. Martin is an award-winning author whose poetry, fiction, and scholarship seek to brighten minds and uplift souls. He believes that the language of fantasy is the vehicle to the best places of the imagination, and, as such, its literature ought to be beautiful, vivid, and captivating. In his writing, teaching, and editing, he has contributed to the understanding of this literature for over two decades. He is the Clyde S. Kilby Professor of English at Wheaton College, a liberal arts institution known for such past voices as Frederick Buechner and with strong connections to C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L’Engle, among others.
What Others Say
Thomas Gardner
“Thomas Martin’s A Silver Cord transports us to a world above ours—the clouds, but the clouds as a realm of the spirit, where each word spoken below, each thought we breathe, in love or anger, takes on substance, heightened and purified and thunderously clashing. The book is a visionary re-tuning of our world below into a song of praise, an epic battle of the heart, yearning and inventive and strikingly unfolded.”
P. Andrew Montgomery
“A Silver Cord will suffuse your imagination with great mythic power. The story moves with rapidity so that the force of the language resides in deep metaphors, drawing the reader into a realm where the abiding goodness of solid reality has become fractured and faces the threat of disintegration in the flow of time. The story is redemptive with a scope as large as The Divine Comedy, so much so that, like Dante, we will need a guide across its landscapes. Grab hold of the silver cord with Ellie and let this story work on you.”
Dan Haase
“A wondrous story of joy within a world of adventure. Here is a fantasy novel complete with trial and triumph. Martin’s mastery of description and dialogue fills each page with life. Riveting for any reader, young or old, the journey through this book is an exploration where friendship leads to discovery and light extinguishes darkness.”
Greg Maillet
“A Silver Cord combines many elements of the best fantasy fiction: a complex heroine who goes on a harrowing journey, animals that not only speak but shape-shift, and the twists and turns of an exciting plot. Ellie, the heroine, stays in our minds not only because of her imaginative curiosity, but especially because of her courage.”
Video Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of fantasy is A Silver Cord and the Clouds of Fire series?
What kind of fantasy is A Silver Cord and the Clouds of Fire series?
A Silver Cord is a spiritual fantasy in the tradition of George MacDonald, C. S. Lewis, and Madeleine L’Engle.
What makes A Silver Cord different from other fantasy books?
What makes A Silver Cord different from other fantasy books?
The more that writers take fantasy to sensationalist extremes, the more fantasy needs a revival in the twenty-first century. A Silver Cord returns to the deep spiritual wells that fed fantasy from its beginning. While the story represents its own fresh take on our world, it connects readers again to the wisdom, love, and light that characterize the imaginative stories that readers of all ages have cherished.
What inspired the author to write A Silver Cord and the Clouds of Fire series?
What inspired the author to write A Silver Cord and the Clouds of Fire series?
The author has long delighted in clouds as one of the richest texts God ever made. But they remain a closed book to the imagination, with ancient and modern writers alike disparaging them as the place where only impractical philosophers and other “cuckoos” live. The author felt this slight to clouds had come about because no one had taken them seriously. With no poets or storytellers to make known their mysterious realm, readers are left to find the occasional shape of a face or an animal in the clouds but only on the most wistful of summer afternoons. The Clouds of Fire stories are meant to redress that dreadful oversight. These novels are written to reconnect readers to this realm of endless wonder, where terror and beauty wage war for the human soul. And so the author asks all curious readers, Do you have any idea what is going on over your head right now? Read A Silver Cord and find out.
For what age readers is A Silver Cord and the Clouds of Fire series written?
For what age readers is A Silver Cord and the Clouds of Fire series written?
A Silver Cord is a rousing adventure story that will thrill young readers from age eight on up while older readers as mature as eighty-eight and beyond will find the depths of its literary epic rewarding.
Is this a good novel for classroom use?
Is this a good novel for classroom use?
The novel’s lyrical prose offers a model text for budding writers, whether teachers read the story to their students in class or assign to read on their own. The characters and the challenges they face also present teachers opportunities to discuss with students values like courage, compassion, and integrity. (See educator endorsements above and videos for student reviews.)
What topics does the story address?
What topics does the story address?
A Silver Cord addresses questions about the pain of loss, the influence of love, the necessity of courage, and the power of words.
When will the next book in the series be available?
When will the next book in the series be available?
Expect the second book, Dragon Wing of Night, in 2027.
Is wholesale pricing available for bulk orders?
Is wholesale pricing available for bulk orders?
Yes, contact info@spiresprospect.com for more information.
