In the Earth Abides the Flame - Tapa blanda

A light to defy the darkness - Battered and bruised, suffering grievous loss, the Company enter the great city of Instruere. There they must warn the Council of Faltha of the Destroyer's threat. But they do not expect the depth of treachery that awaits them. Bhrudwo's tentacles go far deeper into Faltha than even Mahnum realises. The City is divided against itself, with the Watchers on whom Kurr pins his hopes nowhere to be found. And with the arrival of a disturbing stranger with fearful powers, the factions in Instruere rapidly reach flash point. Only one thing can unite a land wracked with mistrust - but can it be found? Or, as the Company fears, is the Jugom Ark merely a legend?

Russell Kirkpatrick was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand. A map maker from a young age, Russell completed a Ph.D. in Geography in 1991 and was subsequently involved in a number of innovative atlas projects. These include the multiple award-winning New Zealand Historical Atlas (1997), Contemporary Atlas New Zealand (1999), Degrees of Deprivation (2000) and Land Environments of New Zealand (2003). His work has twice been shortlisted for the Montana Book Awards, the most prestigious book awards in New Zealand. He is married and has two teenage boys, and lectures in Geography at the University of Waikato, Hamilton. His hobbies include music, reading, golf and lego modelling.