Wit'ch Fire » (Reissue)

James Clemens was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1961. With his three brothers and three sisters, he was raised in the Midwest and rural Canada. He attended the University of Missouri and graduated with a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1985. The lure of ocean, sun, and new horizons eventually drew him to the West Coast, where he established his veterinary practice in Sacramento, California. Wit'ch Fire is his first novel.

A magnificent epic of dazzling magic and searing prophecy



From a brilliant new voice in fantasy comes a band of heroes, a world in
peril, and an unforgettable heroine whose unexpected gift of magic awakens
an ancient, slumbering evil.

Publishers Weekly

Thirteen-year-old Elena is the daughter of kindly orchard keepers who have no idea their little girl is the reincarnated sorceress Sisa'kofa, "wit'ch of spirit and stone," dead for more than five centuries and now the world's last hope for defeating the dreaded Dark One and his minions. This launch novel of a projected trilogy by first-time author Clemens is another entry into the crowded fantasy adventure field, and the book introduces all the usual suspects: an ancient prophecy; an adolescent with burgeoning magical powers; her loyal multispecies cohort; a power-mad evil sorcerer. Just as Elena's magical ability starts to manifest, the Dark One's servants arrive to capture herfor the Dark One plans to add her newborn powers to his own. Elena's escape begins a wild chase as she struggles to learn what she is and to come to terms with her growing power. She must eventually embrace her magic in order to save herself in the inevitable climactic battleand to prepare for further confrontation with the Dark One, in Book Two. Readers who like their stories full of violence, magical pyrotechnics and black-hearted villains will find themselves on familiar ground here. Those in search of something original should look elsewhere. (June)