BooksBarbecue
Back Into the Dying Light
Chapters (72)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. I
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. BEFORE
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. BEFORE
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. BEFORE
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. BEFORE
  25. II
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. III
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. IV
  52. 42
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. 58
  69. AFTER
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  72. Newsletter Sign-up

“They’re strong.” Anton smiled down at the sprout. It was a soft, tender smile, usually reserved for Jude. “They’ll grow.”

AFTER

Winter melted into spring. The world turned on. The goddess rebuilt the cities she had destroyed, but when that work was done she disappeared. According to some, she’d retreated into the Unspoken Mountains, at the edge of the world.

There were many who prayed to her to ease their suffering or forgive them their sins. She did not answer them, but in the last standing wall of the Temple of Pallas, there was a record, etched in stone, of her first and only sermon.

It went like this:

Do not search for me. You will not find what you seek. I leave you with no edicts, no laws. I will neither be your vengeful god, nor your benevolent ruler. Do not pray to me. Pray to one another. Take care of one another. Your fate is in your hands and the hands of those who build their lives beside yours.

If there is one thing I have learned from my time among you, it is this: Love can break the world, and make it into something new.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are so many people to whom I owe my deepest gratitude, but the first thank-you belongs to the booksellers, bloggers, and librarians who have championed this series, and to each and every reader who has picked up this book and found something to love. This series may be over, but it will never truly end as long as there are readers to discover it, and for that I am deeply grateful.

I could not have asked for a better partner to bring this series into the world than Brian Geffen, whose ability to steer these books closer to my own vision will never cease to amaze me. Thank you also, Starr Baer, Banafsheh Keynoush, Jodie Lowe, and everyone involved in the production of this series. I am endlessly grateful to the wonderful marketing, sales, and publicity teams at Holt Books for Young Readers and Macmillan Children’s, including Brittany Pearlman, Molly Ellis, Allison Verost, Johanna Allen, Allegra Green, Julia Gardiner, Gaby Salpeter, Mariel Dawson, and many more. Thank you also to the brilliant minds of Mallory Grigg, Rich Deas, and Jim Tierney for the most gorgeous series design a girl could ask for. And of course to Jean Feiwel and Christian Trimmer for putting these books into the world.

To Hillary Jacobson and Alexandra Machinist: I am so grateful to have this dream team in my corner. Thank you also to Lindsey Sanderson and the rest of the team at ICM, as well as Roxane Edouard, Savannah Wicks, and the Curtis Brown team. Thank you also to Emily Byron, James Long, and the rest of the team at Little Brown/Orbit UK, as well as Leo Teti, Umbriel Editores, and the incredible translators and publishing teams who have championed The Age of Darkness series across the globe.