Songlight: Meet your new dystopian obsession, the first book in the epic Torch Trilogy

By Author / Illustrator

Moira Buffini

Genre

Dystopian

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Faber & Faber

ISBN

9780571385669

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

29-08-2024

Synopsis

Introducing the explosive first book in the Torch Trilogy - the hottest release of the decade! They are hunting those who shine . . .

Don't be deceived by Northaven's prettiness, by its white-wash houses and sea views. Many of its townsfolk are ruthless hunters. They revile those who have developed songlight, the ability to connect telepathically with others. Friends, neighbours, family will turn on each other in an instant . . .

Lark has lived in grave danger ever since her own songlight emerged. Then she encounters a young woman in peril, from a city far away. An extraordinary bond is forged. But when power is everything, how will they survive?

An extraordinary new trilogy from an award-winning, internationally acclaimed screenwriter, Songlight promises to set the world alight!

Readers are already hooked: 'This book was amazing, I couldn't put it down . . . It's a heart-wrenching story and we're only really into the beginning of what's to come!' 'The Power meets The Handmaid's Tale . . . truly a joy to read.' 'From the first pages I could tell this book was going to be EPIC.' 'I was personally held hostage by this book until the final pages, and in a good way.'

The Torch Trilogy Book Two coming August 2025 . . .

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Reviews

Novels which use the future to explore the present are not a new invention but in Songlight, Buffini puts her own unique spin on the post-apocalyptic dystopian story, sitting comfortably alongside greats such as Wyndham, Orwell, Le Guin and Atwood.

The songlight which gives this extraordinary and accomplished debut novel its title is the unique ability to connect telepathically with other people across great distances. In the oppressive society of Brightland, this sixth sense is seen as a curse rather than a gift since it cannot be controlled by the authorities and threatens their power. Those with songlight, the Torches, are considered Unhuman, hunted down, persecuted and tortured, forced to work as slaves or spies.

Elsa and her boyfriend Rye are both gifted with songlight but when he is imprisoned, Elsa finds friendship and support from another Torch in a faraway city. Despite having never met, they must work out who they can trust in a world at war, becoming pieces in a game of politics where power is everything. They must find a voice and act together if they are to bring about the seismic change needed.

This action-packed, fast-paced epic is told through the present tense viewpoints of different characters, all sufficiently well-drawn to prevent confusion, with motivation and back-story fully explored so that even the less likable characters gain our understanding. Elsa drives the action - feminist, headstrong, determined, raging against the gender roles and societal norms which constrain her.

Buffini's pedigree as an award-winning, internationally renowned screenwriter ensures perfect pacing, heart-stopping set-pieces, a filmic writing style and a dramatic finale. The stakes are always sky-high, the secrets life-threatening, the lovers star-crossed, the friendships against the odds and the plot twists unguessable. The world-building is superb, the political and belief systems impeccably mapped out, highlighting the government propaganda, corruption, fear, misogyny and inequality which have destroyed society and nature.

Yet in this world gone wrong Buffini is always careful to shine a glimmer of hope that a better world is possible through community, friendship, acceptance, tolerance and trust. The gift of songlight itself is, according to Buffini, "neither magic nor a superpower, but the ability to connect with one another and act together".

This powerful pageturner is both a celebration of female friendship and a call to arms, showing clearly that extraordinary political, social and environmental change can be achieved through the actions of ordinary people. Songlight is, fortunately, the first of a trilogy and is already being dramatised for TV. It will have huge appeal for fans of the Chaos Walking and Broken trilogies as well as Hunger Games and Divergent. One to keep an eye on - there's definitely more to come!

480 pages / Reviewed by Eileen Armstrong, school librarian